If you ask any of my boys (not Hallie), they will all tell you how much they love fishing when they’re in Idaho. It’s not something we do in Arizona – nor do I have any interest. But my brothers and my dad love to fish so when we’re in Idaho, my kids get their fill of catching fish.
It helps that my brother has a large pond stocked with fish on his property so any time the kids want, they grab a pole and catch a fish. I have to remind them that most people don’t have that luxury and often people will sit for hours and not catch a fish (which is why, in my opinion fishing is not normally a fun activity.)
When we were planning our summer, my brother offered to take Bennett and Hunter on a two night fishing/camping trip. It wasn’t working with our schedule and I was disappointed they were going to miss out on the excursion. And then by some small miracle, our schedule opened up and my boys were jumping at the chance to go camping with their cousins.
In preparation, my dad took the boys out in the backyard and taught them the art of casting. Briggs, surprisingly, was the one who took the most interest and practiced over and over again.
Later, both Briggs and Cannon put that practice to good use at the pond and caught so many great fish. And the excitement never wore off.
But nothing compares to the fishing trip the older boys went on. When they piled out of the car, tired and smelling like fish, my brother proudly asked Hunter to tell me how many fish he caught. With confidence in his voice, he stated 111 fish. Bennett then gave his number: 56. My nephews and my brother then shared their numbers – collectively, they caught over 700 fish. And they didn’t keep one of them! My boys told stories of late nights, cliff jumps, and so many fish.
Once again – I think they’re getting a warped perception of what fishing is usually like. Hunter did say the fun started to wear off the more fish he caught and there were several points he was ready to be done. Which just goes to show he’s not a real fisherman, because a real fisherman is never ready to be done!
I am so grateful for a dad and brothers that teach my kids new skill sets and give them one-of-a-kind experiences. My kids will have to wait another 11 months before they can pick up a fishing pole again.
