Hook, Line and thinker. Dan Schwarz

To many, it may seem farfetched to associate the feeling of being perfectly content with a sport as salty as fishing, but not to me. The way the cork grip of a fishing rod gingerly held between my fingers instills the feeling of being so completely at ease is unmatched. To me, there is nothing more therapeutic than a good day of fishing.

My ideal day of fishing takes place at my favorite local spot, Jamaica Pond. I am fishing in my usual area, the stretch of shoreline between the two large maple trees all the way across the pond from the boat house. The sky is partially cloudy and the air a comfortable seventy degrees. The shoreline is rocky and unforgiving, piercing the water at steep angle and extending to unknown depths. A patch of weeds just breaks the surface around sixty feet out, and just beyond that, a man-made island spotted with willow trees provides a fair share of ducks, swans and geese with refuge. I have on my favorite Nike windbreaker and polarized Ray Ban sunglasses. In my hands is a seven foot, medium action, Abu Garcia Veritas rod equipped with a Shimano Stradic spinning reel. The pond is completely placid, creating a perfect mirror image of my rod as I hover it over the water.

It is in this place, under these...