John and Taylor woke up at 7 a.m. to get things ready to go. Quite early for anyone to rise and shine in our household, yet both were in good spirits when I got home from work at 7:25 a.m. Fishing poles, tackle and bait, sunscreen, bug spray, snacks and water all found their way into the back of the Gas Hog for a trip over to Swift Ponds, one of the premier places to fish in Windsor.
Upon arrival, Taylor and John participated in the kick off event. Kids got a cool green T-shirt, a fishing hat, tote bag and a $10 gift certificate to JAX Outdoor store. There was a brief talk about fishing safety and the derby rules, then it was time to fish!
If you look closely, Taylor and her buddy Mariah are between
the two orange fishing poles.
the two orange fishing poles.
For the next two hours everyone went nuts with their fishing poles. That's really the only way to describe it. Amazingly, no one lost an eye or had to be taken to the ER with a fish hook embedded in a body part. Not too shabby, considering that most of the participants were under the age of 10! John and Taylor blew their old fishing record out of the water, catching 10 fish in about 90 minutes. I think the old record was something like 1 fish in 2 hours, but who's keeping track? :)
After the first catch of the day, our neighbor (Mariah's grandpa) told John that you kiss the first fish for good luck before throwing it back in. Someone caught a candid of John performing this superstitious ritual. I know what you're thinking.........I am One. Lucky. Woman. ;)
Catch a fish, pick it up. Give it a kiss, have good luck.
Who am I to argue with the method behind the success?
Taylor usually has much more fun casting than she does trying to reel in and land a fish. Makes for a pretty good team, doesn't it? Taylor prepares the line and does the casting, John waits patiently and then hooks and lands the fish. I'm not sure where I'll fit into this scheme, because really, what's left to do? I might be the cheerleader who keeps track of statistics and nags people about their sunscreen application. Sounds about right. Someday I might also be the person cleaning a fish or two for dinner. Blech.
Trying out the new pole...
I've been teasing John about this picture. I couldn't figure out
which one of them was the Big-mouth Bass.
I was corrected. The fish is a Small-mouth Bass.
Question answered!
At the end of the morning, everyone was fished out, tired and hot. Time for some refreshments with your BFF! Taylor and Mariah had a good time together at the fishing derby. In between castings, the two practiced leap frog and cartwheels, made up rhymes about fishing and giggled about how gross the fish were. I'd completely forgotten about the age where it's actually fun to be grossed out by things, but that's exactly the age those two are. A standard response for almost anything is, "EEEEEWWWWWWW! Grooooooooooooooooss!" Giggle, giggle, giggle.
Fishing buddies!
So, there you have it. Fish, friends and fun on a beautiful day in northern Colorado. I am still planning to insert myself into this equation before the summer is out. Somehow, my version of fishing always includes a boat--might be my addition to the Anthony fishing trials of 2008....
Kristin
After the first catch of the day, our neighbor (Mariah's grandpa) told John that you kiss the first fish for good luck before throwing it back in. Someone caught a candid of John performing this superstitious ritual. I know what you're thinking.........I am One. Lucky. Woman. ;)
Catch a fish, pick it up. Give it a kiss, have good luck.Who am I to argue with the method behind the success?
Taylor usually has much more fun casting than she does trying to reel in and land a fish. Makes for a pretty good team, doesn't it? Taylor prepares the line and does the casting, John waits patiently and then hooks and lands the fish. I'm not sure where I'll fit into this scheme, because really, what's left to do? I might be the cheerleader who keeps track of statistics and nags people about their sunscreen application. Sounds about right. Someday I might also be the person cleaning a fish or two for dinner. Blech.
Trying out the new pole...
I've been teasing John about this picture. I couldn't figure outwhich one of them was the Big-mouth Bass.
I was corrected. The fish is a Small-mouth Bass.
Question answered!
At the end of the morning, everyone was fished out, tired and hot. Time for some refreshments with your BFF! Taylor and Mariah had a good time together at the fishing derby. In between castings, the two practiced leap frog and cartwheels, made up rhymes about fishing and giggled about how gross the fish were. I'd completely forgotten about the age where it's actually fun to be grossed out by things, but that's exactly the age those two are. A standard response for almost anything is, "EEEEEWWWWWWW! Grooooooooooooooooss!" Giggle, giggle, giggle.
Fishing buddies!So, there you have it. Fish, friends and fun on a beautiful day in northern Colorado. I am still planning to insert myself into this equation before the summer is out. Somehow, my version of fishing always includes a boat--might be my addition to the Anthony fishing trials of 2008....
Kristin