The Perfect Day with Dad

It's not every day that you get to spend time on the ice with one of your hero's of all time.  Over the years I have had some great fishing trips with dad. Trips in both Alaska and on the flaming Gorge have been burned into my memories. On this particular day, I took a day off work in the middle of the week to go on this fishing trip because my family had incredible success fishing just a few days before.  My little brothers and dad caught a pile of great Lakers in an area we just started fishing toward the latter end of the freeze.  I had sent some of my rod set ups and my fish locator with them one day when I had to be at work. Of course, that was when they really layed into the fish. They caught over 10 fish that day (which is the focus of another post) and they sent me text messages and pictures all day.  It was killing me!  It's one thing to be out-fished by your brothers but when they were using your gear and were fishing in the exact holes you were fishing in a few days before while you are at work... that's just wrong!   I couldn't handle it so I made arrangements that day to have people fill in for me at some meetings at work the following day and I took it off. 

That was one of the best decisions I have made this year! When we first got on the ice dad immediately dropped in the hole he fished the morning before.  I returned to the hole I drilled a few days earlier and I set up my Humming Bird fish finder and dropped a line.  Seconds later my fish finder started beeped and shut off!  I was dead in the water!  Without a good fish finder I felt handicapped and on this day I just couldn't afford any delays. I had my honor to defend!   Right then, I mean as soon as I pulled my fish locator apart to change the batteries,  dad hooked up on a good fish and he started hoopin' and laughin'... just rubbing it in.   I fumbled with the locator and had it back in action in no time.  A short time later I finally got my first hit of the day.  I was so tense and pumped up from the self-induced competition with my brothers that my wrists and forearms snapped quicker than a rat trap. Unfortunately, my reel had iced up without me noticing and when I jerked to set the hook my rod doubled over, my reel not slipping enough drag, and crack! It snapped in two!  That was a brand new rod just on its second day out!  The funny thing about it is that when it snapped I instinctively grabbed the line by hand and tried to set the hook again but to no avail.  The fish was gone.  I learned long ago to always bring a backup rod so this little setback didn’t cost me much fishing time. 

To make a long story short we caught 7 fish: two around 5 lbs, three in the 15-20 lbs range, one at 25 lbs, and one toad that came in over 35 lbs.  I still think that fish might have been pushing 40 lbs but we threw them all back.   I had a great time with dad and don’t let him tell you anything different… he got out-fished by his boys two days in a row!  Thanks dad lets go again soon!