Author
Steve Chapman wrote, “If you want to be with your kids, take them fishing…but,
if you want to go fishing, don’t take the kids”. Coincidentally,
I read this while on a business trip during the week leading up to planned
fishing of Canby Pond with my two boys. As I've shared previously, Canby Pond
is an ODFW stocked pond legal to fish only for kids 17 and under*. Over the
past 3 years the pond, located just 15 miles south of our home, has become an annual kick off to the fishing season for my boys.
Ready for 2014 fishing!
My Google Calendar had the week of March 10th high-lighted since mid-January as it was a scheduled stocking week for Canby Pond. Both boys have seen a lake stocking first hand and are well aware of the fact that the number of rainbow trout in a lake or pond can vary. Add to that their attention span of... well, a 5 year old and a 3 year old, and an abundance of fish under the surface is an advantage.
Bogs on the bank!
Time on the bank early Saturday morning the 15th was a quick 30 to 45 minutes, satisfying the desire to catch a fish and be in the outdoors. At 7:30am, the boys and I packed the gear in the truck and headed for breakfast. Secretly, I think their favorite part of "fishing with dad" is that we always end up with a big appetite and dining out to fill that void. A stop to Home Depot for yard supplies followed breakfast and the perfect morning was complete and I guess I can claim that the lines are wet for 2014.
I suppose I could claimed to have "gone fishing" and been disappointed with no fish to clean. However, the time spent outdoors with two adventurous little boys was priceless. Come to find out, the lake wasn't able to be stocked that week as planned. It's interesting how ones outlook evolves as just a few years ago, I would have found myself upset... but as I sit here documenting the experience, I realize it wasn't the fish the 3 of us were after.
"Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after" ~Henry David Thoreau
*Interestingly, on one occasion, I saw an angler smoking a cigarette on the other side of the pond. I so badly wanted to ask for ID...as either he was too hold to fish the pond or too young to smoke. At the time, I didn't say anything as I didn't want to raise further awareness of the infraction to my boy. Looking back, I kind of wish I had...and will likely do so if given the opportunity again. If he has the guts to break one of the laws, I have the guts to ask him about it...
