Fishing bonkers style

A couple days ago I did a video chat with my seven year old nephew @mrbonkers and he was telling me about all the fish he didn't catch with the enthusiasm of a kid who had caught many; he's pretty engaged with the things he does and it's not always about a positive result but about the process and act of doing those things. I like that about him.

A short while later I received a couple images (courtesy of my brother) showing the lad in action, fishing bonkers style.

He was fishing for what's called a Baramundi here in Australia, basically an Asian sea bass, which can tolerate salt and fresh water and, here in Australia, is found in coastal waters, lagoons, billabongs, rivers and estuaries across the tropical north of the country. They're very good to eat and fishers find them enjoyable to fish as they put up a good fight.

Above is my nephew kicking back fishing. Yeah, it's all rather passive-looking right? He's a cool customer and he was just enjoying a moment of relaxation while fishing. The image below is him getting more active, off the chair, primed and ready to land a big one.

He's fishing at the property where he lives which borders the rain forest and has the waterway you see in the image. It's stocked with barramundi which is really cool. Because the nature of this little waterway he doesn't need to worry about crocodiles which are widely spread throughout the area in vast numbers so he's able to stand there and fish. Doing this in locations away from their property would be very dangerous, deadly a lot of the time - crocodiles are unforgiving, and big! It's cool he has a spot like this to practice although they often find big snakes slithering around so he has to be aware and alert.

No fish were harmed in the making of this post; that's right, he caught nothing.

He had a great time though and was telling me in explicit detail about how he casts, what bait he uses and how he has to display a lot of patience. He also told me about how he reels them in, a renowned and vigorous fighter is the barramundi, but on this occasion it was all quiet, no bites.

I love this little kid, he's so awesome, and love that he is so diverse in his activities - he's smart too!

I really like how he applies himself to his tasks and activities, seeks to do them properly and to the best of his ability and how he takes defeat in his stride. No bites and no catch? "That's ok, there's always next time uncle, and I had fun anyway." I hope he carrys that attitude into adulthood.