We like to fish. If you know us, then this comes as no surprise. G has been on a boat since she was four months old and has naturally been exposed to the hobby along with the great outdoors. We mostly fish for crappie as they are relatively easy to catch and fillet and they taste marvelous! Bake 'em, fry 'em, sushi 'em; all good. Okay, maybe not the sushi part. Don't want a tapeworm or other parasitical manifestation.
Typically we troll at our favorite Local Lake. It's easier than casting and reeling all the time and covers a larger area to determine the hot spots. But when you're six, that can get boring real quick. Even with the portable movie player and toys, after approximately 17.36 minutes it's simply not entertaining. G gets antsy for some action so she will pick up her kiddie pole and practice casting. Notice I said practice? Kids her age are still uncoordinated which makes this task seem complicated. Holding down a button, throwing the rod backwards and then forwards, and letting go of the button at the precise moment while continuing to grasp hold of the rod, probably appears to be the equivalent of ninja mastering. Boredom overcomes inability so away she goes and gives it her best. One day, her best was a treble-hook crawdad crankbait that nearly hooked my eye. Luckily, I was paying attention. Most days could be considered successful if the lure landed a couple feet from the boat. Her practice is paying off and she can cast far away enough to catch fish now. This makes the fishing excursions much more interesting. If only those finned creatures would bite and hang on every single time. She has also become a bit of a celebrity. The second and third photos above are displayed at the Post Falls Cabela's store brag board. (I figured Cabela's wouldn't appreciate the sported Bass Pro Shops t-shirt in the first photo!) The employees were thrilled to see more photos of kids, especially girls, with their prized catches.
We have recently lost more equipment. Local Lake has now swallowed two princess poles, a no-hook fishing net, and probably a pair of sunglasses. The first princess pole was "accidentally" dropped in the lake. I continue to believe it was a rouse disguised as an excuse for Daddy to make another desired trip to Cabela's. The second pole was drug into the water by, supposedly, "a really big fish." You see, we only have two rod holders so her kiddie pole gets placed in the unused seat pedestal hole. One day it snagged on thick seaweed, I mean hooked onto a monster, and was sucked under the abyss before anyone could react. After raising the water level with her shed tears, G picked out a green spinning reel combo, an upgraded replacement compared to the princess set-up. As an additional insurance policy, we now use three rod holders.
The net. How the heck does one loose a fishing net? When not in use, the net is placed on top of the boat's bimini cover. It's a fairly easy place to reach and it stays out of the way. This act is usually accompanied by a faint female voice traveling through the Captain's first ear known to repeat the phrase "dumb place," which, unfortunately, quickly exits out the opposite ear. When one night fishes, it's easy to forget the temporary storage location in the darkness and, well, you know which way the warning went. Pack up, fasten imaginary seat belts, throttle in forward gear....clank crack SPLASH!! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done.
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