Getting Back on the Horse

Like the old saying goes, “If you fall off a horse, you have to get right back up on him, or you’ll never ride a horse again.”

I was a little gun shy about going back out in my little fishing boat, by the way, Aidan has named it.  In fact, he asked me for a paint brush yesterday because he wanted to paint “The Scavenger” on the side of the boat.  I tried to explain to him that a stencil is needed for something like that, but he was convinced that he could do it free hand just as well.  Need-less-to-say, we’re going to wait for the stencil.

Anyway, a couple of days ago, while Christian was at Scout Camp, Aidan wanted to have his friend, Tristen, over for the day and to spend the night.  Sarah suggested that taking them fishing in the evening would really top off their day.  Uh-huh!  But, that would mean I would have to go out in the boat. 

“Perhaps, we could go down to the point and fish from the side.”  I suggested.

“Yes, but you could also take them out in the boat, which, would be a lot more fun.” Sarah answered back.

“It won’t be that much fun if we sink.”  I mumbled to myself.

I asked the boys if they wanted to go and wouldn’t you believe it, they jumped for joy.  I started to get my fishing gear together and hooked up the boat to the truck and got everything ready to go.  I told the boys that as soon as Sarah got home from work, we would head out.

As we were bouncing down the road, I got a taste of what my dad must have gone through with me.  I just knew he was up there in heaven watching this whole scene unfold and having a real chuckle.

“So…” I started, “Why did you wear your bathing suits?”

“Well,” Aidan spoke first, “Tristen, here, decided that he wants to go swimming, too, and I agree.  So we’ll cast our line out on one side of the boat and we can swim on the other side.”

“I hate to spoil your fun, but you can’t fish and swim at the same time.”

“Why not?”  They asked.

“Well, because it will scare the fish.”  I answered, realizing that this was almost a recording of the conversation between my dad and I many years ago.  “Besides,”  I added, “who’ll reel in the fish when you hook into one?”

“You can reel it in.” was Aidan’s simple answer.

After a lot of serious conversation, we compromised and decided that we would fish for about an hour and then we could swim for about an hour then it would be time to leave.

With everyone safe and sound in the boat, life jackets securely strapped to the boys’ chests, we putted out to the spot where we have caught a few fish in the past.  We found our spot and I dropped anchor.  I put a worm on Aidan’s pole first and got him already to go.  He cast out to a perfect spot and started watching the bobber bounce against the trickling waves.  Now it was Tristen’s turn.  It took a little longer to set him up, as I had to start from scratch with him seeing as how the pole he was using was one of the poles that took a real beating when the boat went down.  He was patient, however, while I restrung the line on the pole, attached a swivel, hook and a bobber.  We finally got him out in the water. 

While I was getting my rig set up, I watched the boys.  I understood why fishing was a difficult sport to master for nine year olds.  Both of them just sat there staring at a little red bobber in the water.  How many boys at that age can just sit and do nothing for any period of time.  I can even recall my own frustration as a kid their ages fishing with Dad.  If I wasn’t reeling in buckets of fish within the first 30 seconds, I was done.

I tossed my line out in the water, fully expecting to just let it sit there, while spending most of the time baiting and re-baiting the boys’ hooks, in between working on getting them untangled or uncaught.

No sooner did my worm hit the water, when I got a huge hit.  I played with the fish for a moment, then gently gave it a little tug and he was hooked.

“Looky, here guys, I got me one.”  I said, as I pulled the little crappie into the boat.

“Can I fish over there?” Aidan asked.

“Certainly,” I said.  Just reel in and we’ll toss it over on this side of the boat.  I went back to putting my fish on the stringer, as he started reeling in.

“Whoa!” Aidan yelled, “I got one.”  He lifted the little crappie out of the water and flung him in my direction for the de-hooking.  “I think I’ll keep fishing right here.” He added.

I was getting a little concerned for Tristen seeing as how we had continued to fish for another 30 minutes or so without him even getting a nibble.  Of course, I could easily understand why as I watched him repeatedly cast his line about 40 yards from the boat and then immediately start reeling it in as if he had a fighting barracuda on the hook.

“I think you’ll have better luck, Tristen, if you let the bobber sit there for awhile.” I told him.

“Nah, I like doing it this way.”

In the meantime, Aidan, having caught no more fish, was done and kept begging to go swimming.  Tristen said we couldn’t go swimming until he caught his fish, and so the battle went.

An hour or so had gone by, so I told the boys we’d head back to shore so they could swim for a little while before we had to go.

“OK.” They said.  “But, Tristen wanted to cast out one more time.  Vroooom…there it went.  Of course, he instantly, as soon as the worm hit the water, started reeling in for all he was worth.  I had to smile to myself.  Then all of a sudden, with no warning, his pole bent forward.

“Tristen!”  I yelled.  “I think you got one.”

“Really?”  He answered back.

He slowed his reeling and sure enough, he pulled up another crappie.  I just shook my head.

With each of us catching a fish we were satisfied with our haul and started for home.  (They decided swimming in the pool would probably be more fun.)  And the boat didn’t sink.