I like it. And I usually don’t like things like it. Moreover, I can’t remember the last time I went out of my way to write a few hundred words about something like it. But here we are.

I’m writing, and you’re reading, an article about a smartwatch commercial involving a fake carp.

Because apparently the newest Apple Watch update gives you and me an opportunity to capture those hero shots when we catch big fish. And we can do it with the flick of the wrist… or something like that.

Does it facilitate a quicker method to photograph fish and, in theory, keep them wet(ter)? Sure. Could one also argue that such a feature exemplifies our growing need to document everything as a manifestation of prideful impulses, a desire for online serotonin bursts, and a willful conditioning that forgoes enjoying the moment for that perfect shot that will be one on one million sets of ones and zeros on our phone? Maybe.  Inevitably people will argue the merits of such things. They’ll even argue about how fake carp handling is depicted. Because that is how people do.

Regardless of all that, it is a fun commercial. And that is the point. I like the Yeti and the can of Vienna sausages.  I like the comically large carp wrapped in an embrace. I even like the release at the end. I like his joy and panic. There is an authenticity in the actor’s face. It is something that you and I, anglers, know. And for a brief  moment in an advertisement we can see ourselves. It is worth a watch… not buying a watch, mind you, but a view.

In case you haven’t seen it, here it is:

(I’m not sponsored by Apple, by the way.)