Thrills and Gills

The weather this Easter was so nice I asked my daughter if she wanted to try some fishing. She seemed eager and even more so after grandma decided to join us. My mother hasn't been fly fishing in over a year so she was almost learning all over again. The water looked great but I wondered if maybe it hadn't warmed up for the fish to be active. Kora was doing great with casting and it wasn't long until fish started hitting her fly. The fish were so aggressive and fast she was getting frustrated and determined at the same time when she missed strikes. Her persistence paid off and she had her fist bluegill.

Kids and bluegill just go together. I can't totally explain it but after fishing for them awhile I can't help but think they were meant for one another. Kora's smile seems to agree.

It only took a few more casts to land another and after her third fish she had figured it out. I was amazed at how she intuitively started to learn line control and how to manipulate her fly. She was getting to where she could anticipate the fish's behavior and almost predict when a fish was going to hit a fly. She really made several big strides with her fishing skills with this one trip alone. 

My mother was getting the hang of things as well and it didn't take long until she had a gill of her own. My daughter was catching so many fish she started to act cocky and wanted to make it a competition. She did end up catching the biggest fish and thought her shirt was the luck charm.

I know the real fun of the day for her was getting to fish with her dad and grandma. I felt blessed to have such a great day and have the fish cooperate.

I'm hoping this trip will give my daughter the bug and make her want to get on the water more.