Thursday wasn’t much to brag about in terms of the catching, but it was a mighty fine day to be fishing.

I finished up some projects at home and decided to take advantage of the bright blue sky and its cotton-ball clouds. It seemed like a great day for fishing so I hitched up the boat and towed out to Berlin Reservoir with hopes that the runoff from Sunday’s deluge had settled enough to enable bass to see my lure.

Berlin has always been fun for me. It was the scene of some of my earliest fishing memories. I recall long-ago nighttime excursions with my father for crappies under the railroad trestle and channel catfish at the Bedell Road bridge.

I have had big days on Berlin – like the amazing walleye weekend Barb and I enjoyed with friends way back in 1977 and the nearly 5-pound smallmouth bass that inhaled my spinnerbait during a bass tournament 30 years ago.

Berlin’s fishing has been good and it’s been bad. Thursday it was bad.

But there is a funny thing about a bad day of fishing. You can have a whole lot of sport even though the fish aren’t in the mood to play.

Thursday, the bass were not in the mood.

I can only guess that was the case because my catching was meager. I caught only one bass, a 12-inch smallmouth. The fish actually sparked a lot of optimism. It bit my crankbait just 10 minutes into my fishing day. Surely that was a good sign, right.

But the fishing just didn’t pan out. And yet I had a blast.

I later learned others were experiencing the same kind of luck. “One fish” was the echo from a couple of friends who also fished Berlin Thursday. I can guess that someone caught a bunch of bass, but it sure wasn’t me.

Thursday nevertheless was good for the soul. The weather was on the upswing after the dreadful cold and rain over the weekend. The Mercury fired on the first crank and BassCat ran fast and smooth. The rods and reels performed flawlessly.

The sun did a great job delivering the warmth that is especially soothing across shoulders weary from wielding hundreds of casts ignored by the fish. The scenery was amazing as the water willows and shoreline hardwoods glowed with spring’s freshest green.

Berlin was beautiful, but the fish didn’t seem to care.

Days like Thursday help keep things in perspective. They are proof that fishing really is a difficult sport. That’s a good thing because if it were easy, there would be far too many anglers out there competing for the limited number of fish in our lakes.

Thursday reminded me that even with a lifetime of experience and a boatload of gear, the fish really do have the upper hand.

I love Berlin, but it doesn’t always love me back. That’s OK because it only makes me want to try harder to impress the next time I go there.

Jack Wollitz’s new book, The Common Angler: A Celebration of Fishing, will be released May 11. He appreciates emails from readers. Send a note to Jack at jackbbaass@gmail.com.