I Had Missed Fishing

  When I moved to Colorado I had thought that I would be able to ride my bike to a lake, or stream and fish for my dinner. Boy was I wrong. There just are not lakes in Colorado like there are in Michigan. Where there are lakes, in Colorado, they are man made and are not that pretty to the eye. Most of the lakes fourth side is a long continual cement wall. Not exactly a place to go for a vacation. Or for a picture perfect view. Then on top of that, they are not even called lakes. In Colorado they use the lakes for drinking water, so what is know as a lake in Michigan is called a reservoir in Colorado. Since the reservoirs are man made, the fish population is not naturally sustainable. I believe that the government stocks the reservoirs twice a year. Once in the Spring and Once in the Fall. When you want to catch fish you better plan on going on a day right after the stock date because if you go to late the fish are all fished out. It is a bad scenario.

When I moved to Michigan I called up my good trusty friend Scott. We have been childhood friends, and we love to experience the joys of hobbies together. Scott even visited me in Colorado, and we really had a great time snowboarding and rock climbing. When we were young we would spend much of our weekends fishing when we were not snowboarding, skate boarding, or biking. After an evening of dinner and hanging out, I found out that Scott has been ice fishing. I never had been ice fishing before, but really wanted to get out.

Fishing is just different in Michigan. There are lakes almost every direction that I drive from my house. Lake Michigan is five minutes from my house, Muskegon lake is 3 minutes, and Mona lake is 4 minutes. It is so available, and if you are good at it why not go fishing. Scott and I heading out to Muskegon Lake for my first really ice fishing evening. He taught me a lot about fishing for pan fish, and perch. We ending up catching a total of 9 fish, a combination of sun fish and perch. For all that do not know what a perch is or have not had the joys of devouring a plate full, it is the most delicious fish I have ever had. I would rather eat a plate full of perch than have a year supply of candy for free.

Thank you so much Scott for teaching me the ways of ice fishing and lets go again.

About two weeks after Scott's and my fishing evening my sister, and soon to be brother-in-law, Caleb, came to visit and do some wedding planing. I really wanted to do a bonding type of activity with my "brother-in-law". We ending up making our own fishing poles, and heading down to Muskegon Lake with my father and doing some fishing. It was a good time. It was a little slow at first and I was a little afraid that we were not going to catch a single fish. I was watching closely at the sensitive tip of my pole to catch a bit while I called Scott to get some fishing advice, then down it went. I jerked up my pole stood up, and a nice size perch came out of my hole.

The place that we fish at is a little funny. I always see chanties out in the deep end of the lake, but when Scott took me we went in between the docks at the marinas. Five feet of water is all it takes to get a dinner plate of fish.

Watching my pole closer as the hope of catching more wells up in side of me. It is such a weird feeling. All it takes is one catch and you are convinced that you are going to catch more. I think that is why fisher man can fish all night. You can not leave because if you stay five more minutes you will catch another. It least this is the on going battle that happens in my head.  I caught a few more fish, but the other guys were not doing that great.  I started to pray that the LORD would bless my father's and my brother-in-law's fishing.  I really wanted them to have a good time.  I ended up moving and drilling a hole closer to the floating docks.  Why did I move.  I was not catching a thing.  My dad pulled in a small perch, and then so did Caleb.  I said another prayer,  "LORD I am ok with not catching another fish while I am out here today as long as you let Dad and Caleb catch some nice fish."  I second myself, "Unless you want to give me a big one that is ok too."  I waited for a bit, but the move did not seem like it was a good one.   I just sat waiting and watching.  Dad and Caleb each pulled another one up.

Then nibble, nibble, nibble I jerked my pole and stood up, but this time the fish did not just come flying out of the hole.  The tip stayed down in the hole and my pole started to bend more and more the more I stood up.  I bent my knees and started to fight this fish.  I looked at the boys and said, "I think that I have a big one."  I was not very smart, and was just trying to muscle this fish out of the hole.  I did not try to tire it out or anything.  Its head finally came up to the hole.  I tried to pull it out of the water, but my 2 pound test snapped in half.  "NO." I said in worry as the fish just bobbed its head in the hole.  I carefully tried to stick my finger in the gill and pull the fish out, but it jerked off my finger.  I got all excited and knew that if I did not do something in the next five minuets that I would for sure loose this fish.  I reached my hands down the sides of the hole as far as I could go.  I claps my hands and pulled them out as fast as I could.  Sure enough the fish flew out of the hole and onto the ice.  My adrenaline was pumping.  I was so excited.

The fish ended up being a 13 inch perch.  It was really nice to see a perch that large.

And this is my fishing story.