Stories
Here is a collection of journal entries, short stories and essays of which I authored. I hope you will not judge me too harshly for my being CAP challenged.
Featured Story
Why I fish is part of Fishing with Pappydada magazine, of which i author
Why I Fish
by joshua kaplan
Dec. 4, 2025
Fishing is a messy business, stinky too. And you have to know a bunch of stuff. Then there's the all the gear and associated fishing stuff... and the stuff to carry the fishing stuff...I actually have a cart for carrying another cart over sand, because the other cart sucks at sand, but is great at carrying all the fishing stuff. Expensive. So why fish? I can't answer that question for everyone, but i can provide a few different perspectives.
People like to eat fresh fish
Some folks fish just to catch fish and eat 'em, period. Some don't care how they do it, what they use, or what they pull in... if it swims in water, and can't be used to catch a bigger fish, they gonna eat it. Not my personal gig, but my ultimate goal is certainly to catch a tasty game fish of legal size and permission (some fish you can't keep at all depending on seasonal restrictions) and kill it real good.
Note: If one has moral issues with the phrasing, or even the act of fishing at all, i understand. there is a certain level of moral ambiguity one must adopt in order to kill any living thing, even something as low on the food chain as fish (in my opinion fish are maybe one step above insects on the scale of, "should we really give a shit about killing a few of these?"). And there are levels of cruelty as well. Fishing with live bait requires one to spear a living thing in a manner to keep it alive as long as possible, then serve it up to a large scary predator, and keep using it as long as it continues to function. This is a cruel act, if you care about shrimp. or minnows, or pinfish. i get it, and don't disagree. In this endeavor, i choose to be cruel.
People like to catch fish
I know of some folks that claim to love fishing, but end up gravely disappointed if they don't catch anything, to the point of feeling it a waste of time. My buddy John calls a zero catch day the Skunky Monkey, or getting 'skunked' for short. Not really a whole lot fun to fish with folks like that, (which in no way refers to my friend, as we have a mutual aquaintence who is often the subject of this topic ). They always want to change spots without giving them a chance, sucking up all the good Zen vibes, complaining all the while. Makes me sad to see anyone go home without at least one fish landed, but especially for folks whose enjoyment hinges on success.
Zen
I don't meditate. I've tried and achieved sleep, nausea, vertigo, ants in the pants, hyper focus on other meditators, etc.... always fail, except when i fish. Watching my line and feeling every vibration from it's length, picturing what it might look like underwater, the hope and possibility of latching on to something unknown and undiscovered, this is why i fish. Feeling the wind's fickle touch, the sun's imposing dominance, the shade's chill embrace, all whilst being almost out of body, these things are unmatched in my experience. And when the meditative reverie is broken by a subtle difference in the line and rod tip, a staccato pattern of disturbance, in basketball they it transition, going from defense to offense. In fishing, they call it, first, "shhhhhh," then, if all the powers and planets and universal tenets allow, "FISH ON!!"
The transition from meditation to catching a fish is surreal, like seeing the roulette ball land on your number, or your team's last second touchdown to win the contest. It is exhilarating. It doesn't end there, as one must now fight the fish, try to identify it by it's weight and active struggle, and try to land the critter. the anticipation of finding out if you've caught something to write home about or something that just wasted a perfectly good shrimp is the cherry on top of the Zen sundae. Once you've complete this cycle of absolute spiritualism, you get to do it again, and again, and again.
I love fishing.
~end
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