09/05/2024
Sometimes all you need is just one.
Grandma and Grandpa from Iowa came up to Door County with their son, six daughters, all of the spouses and a bunch of grandkids for a Labor Day weekend family trip - 28 total!. Several wanted to go fishing so they coordinated a trip with Wacky Walleye - Marc Jackson and myself. What was supposed to be a Sunday trip was delayed to Monday because of high winds and big waves. Monday was the exact opposite with flat calm, sunny skies and hot. Grandma, Grandpa, one of their son-in-laws and his 5-year-old Henry were in my boat. Marc had 3 others from the family and they started off pretty strong with several fish in the boat. Fishing near each other and communicating as to what was working we were still looking for our first bite. As the hours passed my determination/frustration ratio wavered, but watching Henry his spirits were still high. After seeing Marc's boat net a few more fish my second guessing increased, what was I missing? why were there no bites? As I was reeling in the baits to try a different area, one of the trolling boards showed a fish was on. I called Henry to the back of the boat and gave him the rod and instructed him on what to do. Like a seasoned veteran, he brought the fish to the net and the celebration began. Henry shaking with excitement at his first ever Walleye, Grandparents and Dad beaming from ear to ear this pic was taken.
Soaking all this in my mind circled back to when my Son's caught their first fish, and my Grandson and Granddaughter caught their first fish. Getting to be a part of this Family's memory and hearing Grandma say, "Perfect day on the water, weather was great, fun conversation and Henry got his Fish - I am so happy"
Priceless.
