Sticking the pole in the water

The other day I was chatting with my friend, Jim, and I informed him that I was going to put the pole in the water as I was going fishing. He wisely warned me that I should not place the pole into the water or I am going to scare the fish away.
When I was growing up as a child, Dad and I went fishing off the sides of our boat. Every once in awhile I did dip the pole into the water, curious, to see how it would look. I loved seeing the bent reflection of the pole in the water and how the beads of water would glisten off the pole in beads of it.
Yet, somehow that does not reflect well in the modern adult world. Especially with work. I am having to be patient in the process of finding my work. I never did like the idea of having to wait for a response or nibble from the mouth of a fish tugging on the line. Even now, I am not experiencing a lot of tugs on the line. When I did fish, I sometimes left the pole for a moment, only to wonder if the line got any activity.

While I have not actually plopped the pole deep into the water or even the line, I am now finally getting around to having a targeted list for this process.