My First Ice Fishing Experience

A couple of weeks ago my team organized an ice fishing event and initially I wasn’t going to go because I told myself fishing was not for me and wth is even ice fishing. Some other things I told myself were, black people don’t go ice fishing, it requires a lot of patience and i’m going to be bored to dead because I would be the only one who doesn’t drink alcohol.

I decided to go last minute and didn’t do any research, so I didn’t know what to expect. I got there and realized I had to walk on a frozen lake. I was so scared and kept thinking to myself, “What if this ice cracks”, “is this really how it might end”?

To make matters worst, I didn’t have the right shoes, so I practically almost slipped with every step I took. Luckily my co-worker held me every time I had to walk. I eventually let go of my fear and decided to have a good time.

The Experience

We arrived and walked on the ice for a little bit to get to our ride, which was a trailer attached to an SUV. It took us to the RVs we were going to be fishing in, which were pretty nice and heated. 

Everything was already set up.There were holes in the RV with underwater cameras which allowed us to see the fishes. 

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I held a fishing rod for the first time and after a long wait and some chit chat, I caught my first fish.The feeling was everything, I felt so accomplished and happy.

Some times we prevent ourselves from doing certain things because we assume that it is not for us, even without trying. This tends to foster a mindset which justifies mediocrity and prevents us from growing and experiencing life. I’m so glad that I went ice fishing even though I had told myself that black people don’t go ice fishing. I won’t trade being black for anything in the world but sometimes we embody certain societal assumptions which prevents us from becoming who we are truly meant to be. Our blackness is blessing because of our history but it could also be a curse if we let it over power all our other identities.

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