Fishing

We agreed that the highlight of our day ( I'll spare the bad parts) was fishing at the pond this afternoon.

Some of the garden weeds were annihilated in the search for plenty of worms, and we headed over. First cast the Willow caught a small largemouthbass, about 6 inches. The Firebird had plenty of bites but didn't land a fish. His cast is really getting there. Except when he shifted over to the right hand side trying to get near the weedshoreline, and got hung up in a tree. Yup, our mystery man missed one. I managed to get the line to snap beyond the bobber, at least. I had only brought three spare hook set ups and one extra bobber. I had forgotten the swivels, though, so I had to knot his line directly to the hook leader.

The Firebird gave up shortly and asked permission to wander to the dam, which I granted. Imagine my suprise when he returned in exuberant spirits exclaiming the he had clung to a tree and put a foot in the water rushing over the top of the dam. :- AcK! TG he did not go over, although the water is not that deep yet, that could be life threatening at certain times of the year, as it is a long fall to rocks, sure concussion and probably drowning. Well, he has been informed not to do THAT again!

So he took up tree climbing, while I tried not to watch. I love to climb trees, but I was afraid I would start flipping out if I could see what he was up to.

I took over his pole and landed a small 5 inch sunfish-or sunseed as the Willow calls them, a combination of Sunfish and Pumpkinseed. Cute, huh?

Well, the Willow and I kept on, she likes to fish as much as her Mom. :D

I made most of her casts for her-she is coming along, but it can be a tricky fishing spot what with the trees, and weeds close by on either side. I had my hands full a few years ago between baiting both their lines (something I still have to do), casting, unhooking fish, and rescuing casts from weeds and trees and retying line...that is why I don't have my own pole. Usually I have to announce that I am smoking a cigarette and if they need anything they will have to bait their own hook or wait five minutes. LOL. Then of course one will land a fish as soon as I get the smoke rolled. hehehe.

I gave Willow a good cast and told her to watch it, as they were hitting as soon as the line hit the water, and then I saw her bobber go down. Like, out of site down. We had been working on how to set a hook today, and she nailed this one. I kept waiting for the bobber to reappear, realizing that she had something big on there, and the line started to head to the weeds on the right. UH OH. She was standing on that side, no time to give her direction, so I snagged the line in my hand and started hauling it to the left, hand over hand while she kept reeling. My line was in the water on that side, and sure enough, when the fish couldn't break right, it broke left for the weeds on that side.

The Firebird was watching the whole thing from his perch in the tree-me running back and forth on the shore, hand-hauling line, Willow reeling like mad, and then he shouted, "I see it, it's HUGE!"

Then my line was snagged too, but I had the fish in close enough the Willow could bring him in the rest of the way without it making the weeds, trailing lines and weeds. He must have turned to run as soon as he hit the hook, because the teeny tiny hook I had on her pole was sunk in his jaw. hard up in the side. What with the worm slid up on the hook and the tiny shank, and the jaw flexing as I tried to get the hook free, I thought I was going to have to leave the hook in. The fish was very good, quite still as I cursed myself trying to hurry to get him back in the water as quickly as possible. Finally the hook was freed and I slipped him back into the water and he swam slowly off.

He was probably just under a foot long.

Peko was having a fit! Everytime we caught a fish, he barked like mad. Although he loves balls, he wan't too concerned about the bobbers flying into the water, but a FISH!?!? It was funny.

After the bass swam away, I called it an afternoon, saying, "Well, we aren't going to top THAT!" and both lines were hopelessly tangled-nothing I wanted to fix sitting on a damp log.

Thunderstorms rolled in shortly afterwards, and another torrential downpour at one point.

I guess the rain isn't keeping the fish from biting. ;)

Sorry no pix-I left the cam home due to threat of rain. I had my hands full, anyhow.