A few months back, I unexpectedly ran in to some good friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. They are a husband and wife that live near our family farm and my small hunting/fishing cabin. I have known the husband for over twenty years and he has been gracious enough to let me fish one of his farm ponds. I've known the wife since we got our Master's degrees in education almost 20 years ago. When the wife told me that her son wanted to learn how to fish but that neither her nor her husband had much fishing experience, I saw an amazing opportunity. When she asked if I could take her son on a small fishing outing and show him a thing or two, I jumped at the chance.
It felt like I had the opportunity to pay back a little of the generosity that the family has shown me over the years. The pond they let me fish is a good one and it seemed like a no brainer to take the young man, named Grant, to that pond. I had a feeling that I could put him on some nice fish. I also hoped that I could show him a few things to help him hit the water on his own in the future. We set a date and time for us to hit the water and we hit the water early on a late July morning. I brought my youngest son, Cody, along because Grant and him are only a couple of years apart in age and I try to never turn down a chance to get my boys outdoors.
It was an oddly cool morning for late July and there was not a single bit of wind. Grant wanted to fish with a spinning rod and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to throw a lure that I love. It's easy to cast, fun to retrieve, and a topwater lure as well. I'm talking about a whopper plopper. It took all of three casts before Grant was hooked up with a nice bass and then five more casts before he hooked up again. Cody also got in on the action and brought in a couple of bass himself. Every fish absolutely hammered the whopper plopper and the visual eats only added to the fact that most bass fought more like four pounders than two pounders. We covered some more water and each boy caught a few more.
Eventually, we covered most of the pond and the bass bite slowed down. I asked Grant if he wanted to switch things up and chase some bluegill. His exact response was, "I've never caught a bluegill." My jaw almost hit the ground. I couldn't believe that he lived on a farm and had never caught a bluegill. I took it as a challenge to change that. We rummaged through his tackle box and found a crappie jig and a bobber. I rigged up a lighter action spinning rod and he started casing for his first bluegill.
We tried one spot and didn't get bit. We fished another spot and obtained the same result. But at the third spot, Grant hooked up with a fish. I wasn't close by when the fish hit, but his yells of excitement, as well as Cody's, could be heard from 50 yards away. By the time I arrived, Cody had landed the fish and Grant was grinning from ear to ear. At first, the fish looked like a 13 inch bass in the net but as I got closer, the color didn't seem right. When I finally arrived at the net, I saw the largest bluegill that I have ever seen in person. The tale of the tape was 10 inches long with a weight of one pound. Grant had not only caught his first bluegill, but had caught a Missouri Master Angler Award winning fish!
Grant's mom and dad were impressed by Grant's bountiful morning. They were very appreciative for me taking him fishing but I told them that the pleasure was all mine. I also told them that taking a little time to take their son fishing was a drop in the bucket to what I owe them for letting me fish their pond for so many years. And if I'm being honest, I think I might have had just as much fun as Grant! Speaking of fun, if you or someone you know also ends up catching a Missouri Master Angler Award winning fish, feel free to apply for and award through the Missouri Department of Conservation's website.
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