By: Jake Bussolini
A long way from home, Irena Jozwik participated in her first fish catch and it was on Lake Norman during a very hot September day. Tomasz Joswik, a US Navy disabled veteran brings his mom to America every year from her home in the small town of Legnica, Poland. Irena, 65, has lived in Poland all her life. The years from the end of the second world war until 1989 under Soviet control were very difficult years. She recalls that strict government control then and even now places heavy restrictions on her freedom so she has never had a chance to learn how to fish. Irena came to Lake Norman for a pleasant boat ride and some time on the water, but when she saw the fishing gear on the boat, she suggested that it might be a good idea to have a few rods out as we cruised around the lake.
I grabbed a few golden shiners from my bait tank and we started our tour, trolling the shiners behind the boat. She offered her opinion that we probably would not catch any fish.
As we entered the rear of a small cove, the rod closest to where Irena was sitting was nearly pulled off the boat. Her instinct made her grab the rod and the game was on. Her Son Tomasz tried to help her but she would have none of that. She was holding her first ever fish and it was a Gar, fighting her fiercly.
When she finally got the needed help and brought the 36 inch fish into the boat, I immediately gave her a pair of gloves so her son could take this photo, which appropriately showed her holding the fish under the American flag.