Ice Fishing
In one of the high-level gatherings of fishing enthusiasts near the North Pole earlier this year, an ice fishing competition was held, with only five participants from five continents. Ice fishing is fishing in a lake that freezes the surface of the water, the ice is drilled or sawed and given a hole as needed for fishing.
The rule of competition was very simple: you can use any bait. Punching ice with a drill, as well as transportation, consumption and warm clothes were provided by the committee.
The representative from the Asian continent came from near Rawa Pening lake of Java. His bait “veggie” moss algae were wrapped in mashed cassava cookie and given a little shrimp paste for aromatic stimulants. A new discovery in the world of international fishing but is old-fashioned in the local environment and has been proven effective. Fish turned to vegetarianism.
From the European continent represented by the descendants of the Vikings from Scandinavia. His ancestors used to catch big fish with nets and spears. He proposed to the committee to enlarge the fishing pole from a diameter of about thirty centimeters to a meter. The proposal was rejected by the committee as fishing rods should be used during the competition.
Representative from the Australian continent was represented by fan of the story of Crocodile Dundee and Steve the crocodile hunter. The bait is big because it hopes to get big fish the size of a crocodile. On the technical consideration of the committee, the bait was reduced to the extent of the fishing hole. Worried that the whale’s fishing will spoil the atmosphere.
Representative from the African continent asked the committee to provide whatever bait. His participation in the reunion of the world-level ice fishing competition more voluntarily took part in the shifting of the magnetic field at the North Pole. Who knows, someday Africa will freeze and its goliath tigerfish (a kind of giant piranha) is endangered.
The committee was initially a little suspicious because representative from the American continent did not carry any bait and was young. The descendants of the Eskimo natives who are used to the terrain there. When introducing he didn’t talk much, hmm hmm hmm… Finally, he became the champion, the most caught fish.
During the competition participants from four continents complained how difficult it was to fish on ice, and occasionally they asked the boy what’s the recipe of bait? when several times the youngest participant had already gotten several fish first. The answer was the same, hmm hmm hmm…
After the competition was finished, he had to reveal his secret, what’s the bait? Once, again his answer was hmm … then pfuh … while spewing earthworms from his mouth and saying: “Keep your baits warm!”.
Note: This modified fiction story was once revealed at the opening of the XII International Congress of Soil Zoology in Dublin, Ireland, almost a quarter century ago. The creator was a teenager. The next Global Soil Biodiversity Conference will be at the same venue in Dublin, 13-15 March 2023.
– Bintoro Gunadi
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