On the Pond with the Boys

It mattered none that the fish weren't eager to bite yesterday evening. My boys and I enjoyed a fine final-hour outing on the pond, with Nathaniel yielding his johnboat to 3-year-old Eli and me and taking his 7-year-old brother Asher out in the canoe.

Eli had been in the boat for a couple of quick rides before, but this was his first fishing outing with big brothers and Dad. We managed a few bites on a breadball-tipped micro jig under a bobber, but none stayed hooked long enough for Eli to reel them back to the boat. He didn't seem to mind and had a big time just being out there with us, holding the rod and practicing reeling. His favorite part of the trip was when he took over as captain and paddled us to "new spots."

Asher caught the only fish of the evening when he cast a Lindy Watsit Grub near a downed tree and began swimming it back to the boat. Asher, who is starting to seem a lot more like an 8-year-old than a 7-year-old to me, has become pretty proficient at casting and working lures this summer. Because he often fishes from Nathaniel's boat and casts toward shoreline cover, he has developed good accuracy that serves him well.

Nathaniel, who mostly played captain for Asher, had a bass on the line on the first cast he made after they launched the boat, but it got off before he could land it and he was unable to convince another fish to bite.

All in all, a fun outing for the Samsel men.