Where did the week go?! Neither P or I can get our mind around that one. Yep, we're home already but it seems like just yesterday I was so stressed out and frantically trying to get everything done!
Ho hum.
Well, we did actually have a beautiful week. We had a couple days of on and off rain with last evening being one of those torrential downpours that we've seen so much of over the last month. However, the one day it rained we went on a road trip and trekked around a small quaint little tourist town and window shopped under the awnings as the sprinkles came down..we got our morning and evening fishing in as well as one hell of a night of partying with the neighbors and a night none of us will ever forget!
Last night, well, we finished up with dinner two hours earlier than usual for the week and were all going to head out for our last evening of fishing...as soon as we got all the food and stuff cleaned up down came the rain. There were distant rumblings but this rainfall was spectacular. All the kids at the resort were running in the mud puddles, the older ones jumped in the lake and the neighbor and myself went fishing as the rain hindered our view five feet in front of us. Needless to say, my raincoat couldn't withstand the force of that rain and I ended up standing in the rain fishing. And for what? Nothing! Raindrops on the end of my pole and drowning my bobber. It was sooooo worth it!
The rest of the week we had windy days with sun on and off and capri and t-shirt weather. I cannot complain considering the weather we had the week before.
Now fishing was less than wonderful. Our neighbors are a big group consisting of five adults and six kids...last year they went home with sinful amounts of northern while we were catching bass and learning a new fishing technique. This year...hmmm. The fish either died in a freeze over the winter, they were hiding or they shrunk. Oh, we caught fish...a few two pound bass, some northern over two pounds, and P even caught some crappie. P also caught a 4 1/2 pound bass, I caught a 3 1/2 pounder and a three pounder...but other than those, the bass were not much bigger than a pound or two. Our neighbors couldn't bring in much more than tiny little bass and northern all darn week! Fishing has been pretty spotty this season. We're really hoping next year will bring back some of those lunkers. Although...
Our 11-year old boy. Man is that kid a fisherman or what?!!!!! This child LOVES northern fishing. I cannot stress the word 'LOVES' enough! He lives to catch one of those pigs. Remember last year he caught the 5 1/2 pounder? Well, I have a tale or two for you!
The first morning we took him out with us he was complaining because P and I were bass fishing. He wanted to northern fish! We told him he could do just that on the other side of the boat where the water was deeper. He wasn't convinced....he thinks we have to fish in 20-feet of water to find those things. Remember too, last year he caught his biggest fish off the dock....
Ok, so, finally he decided to put on a lure that P and I originally used to bass fish with a couple years ago and quickly discovered it not only caught bass but northern as well. He tossed it out for about 30-minutes or so and got hit. Lets just say he pulled in a lunker--a five pound northern that put up one hell of a fight.
If that wasn't enough, then second day there he threw a sucker minnow on his ultra light pole and casted off the end of the dock. P and I were sitting on the other dock this time when we hear him say, "Oh crap!!!" and he came running to the dock, picked up his pole and his ultra light was bent all the way to the handle. He pulled and fought and we quick stepped it to his dock as we heard the neighbors and the other boys ooohing and awwwing over the size of this northern on the end of our son's line.
The younger boys were instructed to quickly get a net which they did. They scooped up what seemed like an endless length of northern flesh and oh shit, it quickly slid out a hole that was created by the northerns weight. At this point, P quickly jumped in our boat as we all anticipated this thing shaking the hook and swimming to his home chuckling at the circus us humans were putting on. My bubble was beginning to burst when that fish fell back in the water thinking it would wriggle it's way out of this situation it got itself into! Northerns are notorious for wrapping around anchor ropes and dock posts and whatever other obstruction they can find and quickly shaking that hook out! Doggonit was all I could think!
So P searched for this thing after he grabbed the net and it was heading underneath our boat and in my mind the idea of actually getting a good look at this fish was fading.....Then I heard, "there it is! it's under the dock, hurry up, hurry up, scoop it up!!!!" That net was in the water like lightening and P successfully hoisted that pig out of the water!
Seven pounds and 32-inches of succulent meat waiting to be cleaned and frozen for a nice sit down dinner! Yes, our boy caught a seven pound northern off the end of the dock. The best part? He put his pole down to mess around with his buddy. He had no idea there was even anything messing with his minnow...just suddenly heard his pole moving and caught it in time to land what became not only the biggest catch of our vacation but also the largest fish anyone in our family has caught so far. He beat his father's record of a 6 1/2 pound bass. Now the two squabble over the species and who has the biggest in each species but for our boy and myself? Rubbing in the words 'seven pounds' brings huge shit eaters to our faces and we snicker each time we remind P that he's not in the lead anymore!
I think the most surprising and exciting event of the week was our 15-year old daughter. She HATES to fish..she won't even touch a plastic worm! We did however get her to come out in the boat with us a couple times. This of course was only because P and I promised she wouldn't have to touch anything...she only had to fish!
She casted her cute little pink Rapala for a bit but was seeing no action while P and I were getting hits and catching fish so she decided to fish like us. Using those worms with a Texas rig she began to feel the twitches..she would give the tiniest squeal of excitement with each twitch...and then she got hit hard. Her squeals quickly turned to nervous excitement.
She was dragged into the lily pads on the first one and lost the fish. After we got her casted back in the same spot she was hit again. I was sitting next to her and each time she got caught up in the lily pads I would yank on her line so she was sure to keep that fish on the hook...in the process I wound up breaking the tip of the pole but I didn't care! I wanted her to catch that fish SO bad! And she did! It was a two pound bass and she was as proud of that thing as a six year old child on Christmas morning! The pole I broke just happened to be my second pole for spinner baits but I still don't care that it broke! The joy in seeing our daughter get so excited was worth more than any old pole that can be replaced!
Our vacation for next year is scheduled and again coincides with our neighbors trip. The kids have friends that go there as do P and I and they are a great group of people! We're all looking very forward to next year's trip; hopeful that the fishing will be better but more hopeful for good fun and good friends! It's really different to go to a resort and be greeted with hugs and hand shakes and people so genuinely happy to see us. While it was very hard to say good bye to everyone, the knowledge that we'll all stay connected throughout the next year leaves us all feeling that we're creating some really great moments in our history. Here's to some really wonderful memories being made in each of our lives!
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