When I go fishing, I expect to come home without any fish. In fact, I’m often surprised if I even get a bite. But when I go with my boys, they seem to catch something on just about every cast.
That wasn’t the case Monday night. For once, they had the same luck I usually do – none whatsoever. Granted, we didn’t take worms this time, and that’s what we’ve used on just about every trip we’ve taken up ‘till now. But this time, we only had a couple hours to fish, so we darted out of town as quickly as we could. In the hustle, we forgot to stop for worms.
I tied a tiny crawdad-looking thing to Colby’s line, and a sort of a grub to Logan’s. I thought they looked like something a fish in those parts would find attractive, but I was wrong. Of course, why should I expect any better results than that? I picked the lures, after all. And I’m a terrible fisherman.
I think I did get one nibble, but it was when I was using the tip of my rod to try to get Colby’s lure unsnagged. My jig was still out in the water, and when I wiggled my rod, I felt a tug. I think the fish thought it was going after Colby’s lure. When it realized it was just mine, it let go.
My kids are still pretty new to fishing, so I hated to see them come home without any fish, even though they’ve caught plenty every other time we’ve gone out. When kids are young, it’s important to help ‘em catch something fairly often. As they get more involved, they can start trying new things and maybe not catch as many fish, and it’s not such a big deal. That’s why we started out with worms, and it’s why I wish I hadn’t forgotten the worms Monday night.
But we’ll go again pretty soon. The good thing about the boys getting skunked was that they’re ready to try to turn their luck around. They want another crack at those elusive trout. This time, I won’t forget the worms.
