22.4.08

Gone Fishin'

When we moved to Mississippi, we bought a house in a lake community. So we have an 800-acre lake at our disposal. We didn't have a boat at the time, but we had a lake. Our plan was to get a boat so we could enjoy the lake. We've always wanted to get one anyway since both of us pretty much grew up on the water. Well, we got Hannah Kate instead! So now we still don't have a boat, but we still have a lake, and we finally decided to enjoy it. We took Mason on his first little fishing trip last Saturday. He watches fishing shows on TV with his daddy, and he has a small Scooby Do rod and reel that he practices with in the backyard. So we decided it was time to let him experience what fishing is all about.

Seth realized he didn't have a fishing license so he went to Wal-Mart to get one. Anytime he goes shopping for anything, he NEVER sticks to the list. So he came back with a lot of other stuff besides a fishing license, including a "Cars" life jacket for Mason.

As Seth was getting everything ready to go, I was mulling over the idea of whether or not I should go. I wanted to go, but that meant we would have to take Hannah Kate, and I wasn't sure whether or not that was a good idea. So finally Seth looked at me and said, "Aren't you coming?" I said, "Do you want me to come?" He said, "Yes." So off we all went. Now I know why he REALLY wanted me to go . . .

When we first started out, we went to the back of the lake where we thought the fishing might be pretty good, but the wind was blowing towards us so as soon as we cast, the cork would come swimming right back to us. There was also a lot of green gunk floating on top of the water so that made it even more difficult to fish. We decided to go around to the front of the lake and fish from the docks around the boat ramp and clubhouse.

Mason's first fishing trip presented several challenges. First of all, I was afraid that he was going to fall in the lake. He's the typical two year old who doesn't always listen to Mommy and doesn't always walk when you tell him not to run and likes to get too close even when you tell him to get back. So you can see he's sporting the life jacket. That provided a small comfort zone for the images flashing through my head of Mason going over head first into the water. But then I had to explain to him that fishing requires a lot of patience. You see, he thought he would catch a fish as soon as we cast his line into the water. And then he immediately wanted to reel it in. I kept telling him that he had to wait, watch his cork and reel it in when the cork disappeared underneath the water. He would have none of that. And he wouldn't be still. And then he decided he wanted to go swimming instead. So I began explaining to him how cold the water was and how we had to wait for it to get a little warmer before going swimming.

Yes, Mason, fishing is all about patience . . . and sometimes you just don't catch anything at all!

Remember when I said earlier that I later figured out why Seth wanted me to go? Well, guess who was the one casting Mason's line, making sure he didn't get too close to the edge of the dock and reminding him not to run on the dock for what seemed like the millionth time? I'll give you a hint ~ it wasn't Seth!

Finally, after an hour of being out there, Seth reeled in a small bass. Mason wasn't quite sure what to think of it. Seth tried to teach him how to hold the fish, but Mason wouldn't touch it. And then a few minutes later, he reeled in a brim. Mason was a little more friendly with this fish. He still wouldn't touch it, but he kissed it. Yeah, that didn't excite me very much. But I figured that kissing a fish probably isn't any worse than the grass, dirt, bugs and who knows what else Mason has eaten during his lifetime.

So what did Hannah Kate think about all this action? Not much. But she loves being outside though so she took everything in stride and even had a little nap or two.