Casey was ready to earn a few “Outdoor Points” after hearing all of my stories for years. I had told him about how many fish I used to catch at night. The wife was working out of town and we decided that this was a good time to go. I brought the fishing poles and tackle box to work. We had to work late. Being golf professionals, summers are long hours and few days off. We wrapped up work just after dark and headed over to a local pond that we had permission to fish. I set up a pole for catfish and dropped it in the water. I gave Casey another pole with a small spinner on it. We talked about how the fishing reel worked. It was hard to show in the dark, but he caught on quick. A few misdirected casts, but otherwise no unusual problems. It took about 20 minutes, but finally Casey got his first bite. He hooked the fish and brought it in. It was about a 9 inch bass which for this pond was standard and a good first catch. I took it off the hook and tossed it back in the water. I sat back down and a few minutes later, he had caught another. This continued over the course of an hour and he ended up catching six fish. A great start for a beginner and the pond was starting to get active as it got close to midnight. Casey began to tease me that he was catching SO many more fish than me. Well, I am normal competitive outdoor guy so that wasn’t going to fly. I reeled in the catfish line and cut off the hook and tied on a different small spinner. 30 minutes later I had caught up with Casey at 8 fish a piece. We both continued to fish and the fish were getting more and more active. After another hour, I was up to twenty fish and Casey was at a very respectable fifteen. He laughed and said, “Well maybe I am not winning anymore.” We fished for a few minutes longer and decided it was a great first night for him.
Casey had caught the bug. The next few days were miserable for him until we went again. Now he goes even when I can’t and we are getting him into hunting as well. Those “Outdoor Points” continue to add up…
Dirt Road Dispatch 