Catching my first fish all the way in Norway

As a proud country girl who grew up in rural St Andrew, not too far from the sea, learning to fish has always been on my bucket list.

However, never did I imagine that my first experience would be in four degrees, as the rain fell and snow melted in my hair, in one of Europe's Nordic countries. The one-of-a-kind experience started when I arrived in Tromso, Norway, on Monday at 5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. Jamaica time). The journey from Kingston was the longest I have ever taken in my life. First, I left home at 3 a.m. to catch my one-hour and 15-minute flight to Miami. Then a nine-hour flight to Germany, followed by a two-hour flight to Oslo, Norway's capital. My final flight to Tromso lasted for one hour and 55 minutes.

This trip, the result of an invitation from the Norwegian Seafood Company (NSC), the organisation that monitors, captures and exports fresh Norwegian seafood, which includes salt fish, which the Norwegians call 'Baccala.' NSC is important for countries including Jamaica, because according to Orjan Olsen, NSC head of emerging markets, "nobody comes close to the Jamaicans", who eat the most salt fish per capita in the world. So, to help consumers understand the importance of NSC exportation of quality product, I was among 12 journalists and media personnel who were selected for a press tour to see aspects of the process. First on the agenda was to teach us how to catch fish. We left the hotel by 9:30 a.m. to catch the Hermes 2, a 107-year-old boat that had been refurbished many times.

When I saw the boat in the loading dock, it looked nothing like the small Jamaican fishing boats I was accustomed to. When I boarded, the sailors explained that it would get colder as we went further out to sea. So they offered the option of borrowing a two-inch thermal suit that fishermen wear to keep warm. As the wind swept under my almost ankle length coat causing me to shiver in my brown winter boots, I gladly accepted their offer. I carefully listened to sailor Truls Iversen's directions on how to properly use a fishing rod. I soon realised he had made it look easier than it seemed. But I was not deterred, and after figuring out how to use it, I threw out my line.

In Norway, it is illegal to use live bait, so fishermen must use plastic fishes. Although more sustainable, these rods are harder to use because they require constant pulling to mimic the movement of a real fish. This for me was tiring and after several minutes, I was about to put the rod down, when I felt a slight tug on the line. The fish began to pull on the line which made me extremely excited, causing me to jump up and down shouting "I caught a fish, I caught a fish."

That was the first catch of the day, which made me very proud because 'team Jamaica' was in the lead. However, Olsen had announced that there would be a prize for the person that caught the biggest fish. Two journalists, one from the Dominican Republic and the other from Mexico, caught bigger fish, and although very proud of them, the competitor in me simply could not settle for third place.

So, around 1:30 p.m. I took up the fishing rod again. But this time the fish refused to bite and after standing there for about 15 minutes, I realised this time would not be as easy. And that's when I started to pray. Just a few minutes later, God answered my prayer. I felt something yank my line. So, with zeal and excitement, I began to wind up my rod, reeling in my catch with all my strength. But the fish gave me a fight, almost knocking me off my feet. Thankfully, a bench was behind me so I could sit and reel her in. Still, the closer she got the heavier she got and just as she was about to reach the surface, Iversen grabbed a slender wooden board with a larger hook and yanked her out of the water so she wouldn't break the rod's line. She weighed 2.2 pounds - the clear winner. Shortly after my big catch, the sailors made a Norwegian fish soup consisting of cream, milk, salt, parsley as well as the second fish I caught for the team.

I now realise that learning to fish is all about enjoying the experience, being determined, patient, and as sailor Geir Naustvoll said, "there is no correct way to fish, you must find it out".