National Fishing Week (or Get Your Brat Outta the House)

This week is National Fishing and Boating Week. It coincides with some states free fishing days and is a great excuse to get out. "Sorry hun, but I'm sure it's a national holiday..." Or you can do like I do and slip out before anyone else is up.

I wanted to take my daughters out this past weekend, but that didn't happen. So when I asked my youngest who's 3 (the older one's still being in school) if she wanted to go fishing, I wasn't expecting much. But not only did she say yes but she bugged me the entire time we were out doing errands.

We got back and I got everything ready. "Are you ready to go?"

"YEA!!" she yells, bursts out the screen door and is jumping up and down at the van before my second step. Now that's enthusiasm to make a Papa proud.


I had bought some butter worms. This will be her first outting with anything live; before I would just use corn. But I thought a non-slimy critter might be a good step forward instead of going right to the earthworm.

And she did do well with it, she even took it and threw it in the water after we were done. I did get a few chuckles though: first when I hooked it and she said "Aww.... it's OK little guy.." and second  when the worm was bobbing in the water and she started to throw leaves at it. When I asked what she was doing she said "Giving the worm his dinner." The worm with the hook in it's gut? "Yea." I think food is the least of his worries, but whatever......

All in all it was a good trip. In the 20-30 minutes we were there (I mentioned she was 3, right?) she landed a smallie and a 'gill. And we almost had something bigger.

I love the face she's making.

The bobber was pushed in close to the bank, which is very rocky. I know lots of little panfish sit in there, so I left it bobbing about a 2 feet from the bank and waited for the inevitable hit. A shadow out of the corner of my eye turns into a largemouth bass, fat and a good 2 feet by the Modern Fisherman's Standard of Measurement (or 15" by the arcahaic American Standard.) It passed the worm without a glance, but I figured it was just a test run so I let it sit. While wondering just how tough a $15 kids Shakespeare combo is, I see a swirl and that LM in attack mode heading straight for the worm. It goes to strike but at the last second it pulls short. I let it sit for another minute or two, but no more visits.

I later see it cruising a bit off of the bank.

A nice size smallie. 

After the gill and no action in 30 seconds, she was ready to go. I figured I pressed my luck long enough and packed it in.