Fishing the Merced River

 This is a picture captured by my wife, of me fishing late afternoon in the Merced River. It is just one of those moments that might seem dull, but to me, it has way more meaning than meets the eye. In the first place, I need to acknowledge and thank my family for letting me fish here. We were on a traveling vacation, and they had to offer up time for me to aimlessly stand on the bank of some riverbed. The thing is, it is not just some river in America to me.

The Merced River is of course the main river that flows out of Yosemite National Park in central California. Now, this might be a “so what” moment for lots of people. But understand that not growing up in the states, gives me a different mindset when it comes to something like this river. Before elaborating on this, I would like to point out that I did hook and lose a smallmouth bass in this river, but technically I did not catch anything. And yet, it is still a special moment for me.

 Growing up in South Africa, we would often have nature documentaries from the BBC or Nat Geo broadcast on Sunday afternoons. These programs would often focus on particular places like the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. Now, I would love to be able to tell you that this is how all South Africans can experience places across the world, but sadly, the vast majority do not have access to such programs even if they have a television. It is thus only natural that, in my mind, seeing a place like Yosemite is a pipe-dream that only a handful of South Africans will ever experience. And far fewer ever get to fish in.

 Yes, I did not catch a fish, nor did I spend a lot of time exploring and unpacking what this river had to offer. But for a few hours, I had the opportunity, nay, the privilege of being one-in-a-million to cast a line into what seemed to be a child’s unobtainable dream. There I was, fishing in a nature documentary location. Ironically, few people know or even care. But for a small moment, I had been a part of the Merced River.