To Worm or Not to Worm

What a question, one I'd rather not become familiar with. Since my marriage to a great guy, his hobby is fishing, much to my dismay. For handling a fishing rod is fine with me, but the baiting part----Auughhhhhh.

Worms. They wiggle, are slimy, and just plain ugly. I'm not much for baiting my own hook for when I'm through with a worm ---well, you don't want to know what it looks like. Where I'm originally from (Missouri), fishing in the Mississippi or the Missouri Rivers is a weekend thing. One enjoyed by many fishermen and women. But in some states, it's all together different. In one particular city, you need a permit to dig for Worms. That's right, a permit.

In Smithtown, NY, there is a law from the Depression era that requires people who are digging for worms to obtain a permit. This law was originally to keep out-of-towners from tearing up the area looking for bloodworms. In addition to the permit, fishermen were required to disclose exactly where they were going to dig. The permit cost---fifty cents.

Today, much to the chagrin of the town clerk, this permit is outdated and has become a nuisance with only a few people who request the permit for old time sake. The officials in Smithtown hope to scrap this law in the next few months.

As I stated in the beginning, fishing is not my cup of tea. I would rather sit on the bank, read a good book with a cold glass of water, and kick back to enjoy the scenery. When hubby catches something whether it is a fish or an old shoe, I applaud his efforts and then relax in the shade. Ahhh, a good book, a comfortable chair, and the smell of the old outdoors, what else could you ask for on a fishing trip. Can you say, “fry them up.”