gone fishin'

When I was little we lived down a long dirtroad in a tiny, white house with black shutters. Even further down that dirt road was a small pond that my Dad used to take us fishing in. He taught me how to bait the hook, cast the line and watch the bobber for just the right time to pull in the big one! Once when we were fishing, my Mom caught a water moccasin...as soon as she reeled it in she dropped the pole and took off down the dirtroad running for the house. It scared her to death! Apparently when she dropped the pole she managed to wrap the fishing line around her ankle, so every step she took running the water moccasin also flew down that dirtroad behind her "chasing her". I remember sitting there on a 5 gallon bucket with my Dad watching it happen, caught between being scared for my Mom and being amused by her hooping and hollering like she was.....finally when she was out of sight my Dad just started laughing. Then I started laughing too. We laughed the rest of the day and my Dad told that story for years. My Mom still gets mad when she hears it mentioned. Ha!

Fishing has always been one of my favorite things to do. Still is. We have a fishing hole close to our house here that we have been going to the past several weekends. We will pack a bag of snacks and grab some hotdogs to use as bait. Yes, hotdogs! I had no idea fish even liked hotdogs! But they do! Then we hop on our bikes and a few minutes later we get to our fishing hole!

Dylan and Karsen both love to fish too. They are great casters, always careful to watch behind them to make sure they don't hook each other! I love seeing how excited they are everytime they catch a fish. Dylan was somewhat underwhelmed with this catch. LOL

Look how proud Karsen is! She was the winner for this day. Yes, they were keeping count. Dylan caught 3, Karsen caught 6, Mommy caught NONE! Daddy caught a HUGE catfish that broke the line. This thing was so big it looked prehistoric. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I would have never have believed it! Our goal is to catch him again by the end of the summer!

We are "catch and release" kinda fisherman. We don't keep them and eat them. In fact, none of us really like fish. Karsen always brings bread to pinch off and throw in the pond. The fish will come to the surface and eat it. Then Dylan will cast in that direction in hopes of ensuring a big catch. They are quite strategic and serious about fishing already! HA!

You can't go fishing without a few essentials. Tackle Box. Check! Water and snacks! Check! A big, strong, man that is willing to bait the hooks and take the fish off the hook to throw them back in! Check!

This has quickly become our favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It feels like we are out in the middle of the country somewhere instead of right in the middle of our neighborhood. I love it! I told the kids we should make this a summer tradition. Or at least until we catch that monster catfish again! If that happens, I will definitely post a pic!