Granddaughter Maddie showed great interest as I gathered
stuff together for the weekly CADDIS fly tying session. Looking me dead in the eye she asked "Pappa will you take
me fishing now?" Wondering just how many more fishing trips we will be allowed I could only opt for playing
hooky.
The water was very still two hours before dark as we eased the pond boat out. A little
action among the willows caught our attention and Maddie cast her "silly bee" her regulation distance of 12 feet.
From there on it was game on. She caught bass after bass and could do no wrong even with
all the dropped paddles, miscasts, splashy releases, and screams at the jumpers.
Crows were eagles. A bullfrogs groan was surly a goat. Every distant engine was uncle Cooter's four wheeler on his way to join us. Three captured minnows swimming up the flat bottoms keel groove took on the importance of a salmon migration. Certain and unquestioned pronouncements from a five year old always make me smile.
She hooked 15 and landed a dozen even though wound to the rod tip. We've let this pond overpopulate with willing little bass. Size isn't as important as the body count when you're young.
When it was so dark that all I could see was a big white grin and one little finger held high against the sky that little voice begged " Just one more Papa! ".
