A Harvard Undergraduate Drops a Hook in the Local River

A Harvard undergraduate looks riverward

Fishing, anyone? The Weeks Footbridge and Charles River await.

Like most children who grew up in the Virginia countryside, I spent an inordinate portion of my youth fishing. And having been conditioned to regard football and automobiles as second in sanctity only to a day on the river, I was immediately vulnerable to a blockmate’s suggestion in early November that we drop a hook into the Charles.

We’d heard that people went fishing on the Esplanade shores all the time, pulling carp and catfish from the confluence of the Charles River’s muddy waters. And we’d heard of a good spot of warm-water outfall by the steam plant where there were apparently large carp. But being busy (nay: lazy) Harvard students, it was hard to justify the 15-minute ride on the T. So instead we decided to try fishing on the piece of the Charles behind Harvard—the strip between Dunster and Eliot Houses. Neither of us had ever seen anyone fish from the bank there, but, as my blockmate put it, “A river’s a river.”

And so there we were, one mid November morning: he cast the rod he had sent from back home, and I tied lines from atop Weeks Footbridge, lifting the lures every time a cruiser or kayak passed too close, gunning for the crappies and rank to heed our bait, counting the geese that scuttled about.

By afternoon our take was nil, but the two of us agreed it was one of the best mornings we’d had all semester: a chance to do nothing—deliberately—for a few hours, before ambling back to our dorm rooms to read, study, and write papers like the rest of our classmates.

For now, the fish wait. But with the river now thawed and my thesis turned in, I hope to recast soon.

Read more articles by Noah B. Pisner
Related topics

You might also like

Harvard Football: Harvard 41, Brown 7

The Crimson assertively avenge last year’s loss to their Ivy rival.

Harvard Football: Harvard 59, Stetson 7

In season opener, the Crimson dispatch the overmatched Hatters.

Harvard President Alan Garber Helps First-Years Move In

As a potential settlement with the Trump administration looms, Garber gets students settled.

Most popular

Harvard Art Historian Jennifer Roberts Teaches the Value of Immersive Attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

At Harvard, Mike Pence Discusses Democracy and Conservatism

The former vice president denounces political violence, expresses hope for a deal between Trump and the University.

The Beauty of Beans

Viola Canales ’79, J.D. ’89, grew up in a close-knit, highly religious community in the south Texas border town of McAllen, when it...

Explore More From Current Issue

Renaissance portrait of young man thought to be Christoper Marlowe with light beard, wearing ornate black coat with gold buttons and red patterns.

Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.

Man splashing water on his face at outdoor fountain beside woman holding cup near stone building.

Why Heat Waves Make You Miserable

Scientists are studying how much heat and humidity the human body can take.

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio smiling beside the pink cover of her novel "Catalina" featuring a jeweled star and eye.

Being Undocumented in America

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing aims to challenge assumptions.