This is my National Fishing and Boating Week and the Outdoor Blogger Network.
I can still clearly remember the first time I ever caught a fish. Sitting on a dock at Lake of the Ozarks, I was fishing with a minnow strung onto the end of a pole with a bobber as big as a beach ball. I will never forget the thrill of landing that first crappie and I can still remember the smirk I got on my face when my dad called it a crappie, pronouncing it like crap. Hmmm…. Dad said a swear word and I could get away with it every time I went fishing. I don’t know which was the bigger draw for me – saying a swear word or watching my dad fillet up that one tiny morsel for my mom to dredge in flour and fry in a pan. Either way, I was hooked on fishing for the rest of my life.
It’s interesting to reflect on how our roles have changed since I was that 10 year old girl toting an old fishing rod around. Small acorn bobbers and jigs have taken the place of that giant bobber and the plain hook. Dad no longer has to remove my fish from the line and mom now does what we affectionately call “the Nonny dangle” as she waits patiently for me to shove a wax worm onto her jig. As a kid I had to be content to sit and fish off the resort pier. Now I enjoy the freedom of my own pontoon boat as I chauffer my parents around the lake in search of the next big catch.
National Fishing and Boating Week falls June 4-12 this year and I will be on vacation that week with my husband, as well as my parents, who join us for this annual trip. Mom and Dad have spent 2 weeks with us every summer for the past 19 years. During that time we have made a lifetime of happy memories as we cruised from one honey hole to the next.
One day it may be Redear or Bluegill…..
Another it may be striper….
Or on a really good day, it could be bass…
The best thing about fishing is that I was able to share my love for this hobby with my kids. It’s a tradition that started with my dad, I continued with my husband and we passed on to our children.
The common thread fishing line that strings it all together is the smile on our faces as we share the day. Whether it’s a shriek of “worms on the loose” when the bait gets knocked onto the floor, or a collective “Awwww” when the biggest fish of the day breaks the line, there is still plenty of laughter to go around. At the end of the day, as the sun sinks and sputters into the lake, we always head back to our cabin a little sunburned, slightly tired and yet very content.
So let me say “thank you dad” for taking me fishing and giving me a lifetime of happy memories on the lake. There is no place I would rather be.
Take advantage of National Fishing and Boating Week. I‘ll be out on the pontoon with my mom and dad, searching for the bluegill. What will you be doing? Make a memory. You’ll be glad you did!
