A Birthday on Ice...

The other day I was told from a friend that his son had one request for his birthday. He wanted to go fishing with Travis. Well I felt honored to say the least and was excited to get little William in the house. For a 5 year old, this is a neat adventure. The typical birthday party when you are that age is Chucky Cheese or something similar. To top it off, I was also being joined by 3 of his birthday party friends. Now most people might think thatit is a tough task to get that many young fisherman in one house, and they are probably right. For me however, I look forward to these days on the water as another chance to grow our sport. I remember when I was that young and would do anything to be out fishing. I just like to return the favor when at all possible, and I like to see the enthusiasm that kids have when they get to catch a fish. You just can't beat that smile!

To make our day a little easier and different than most, I decided to set the house up on a sunny hole. This was an obvious decision for any young child fishing experience, because action is key to their fun. When you are 5, your attention span isn't that long, and boredom comes easily. I also had a special treat for the kids. I put the underwater camera down the hole, then ran a cord to the big screen television. Now, on a 30 inch television screen, the kids were able to watch all the fish underneath them, and watch the fish eat their bait. This turned out to be even better than I hoped. I seriously was addicted to this television screen, and so were the kids. Bringing the underwater world to life on that television screen was better than any program I have ever watched. We watched a minimum of 10 fish at all times on the screen, and the kids were catching and missing fish like crazy. It was a hoot!

What would a birthday party be without presents and a cake? Well, Kristin being the wonderful mother that she is, brought out cupcakes for the whole crew. The friends exchanged their gifts between bites from the fish, and their turn with the underwater camera.A very neat way to have a birthday party that I won't soon forget. I have to thank Tim for his gear and allowing me to set it up for the kids. I also want to give a great big birthday shout out to little William for turning 5 years old. The birthday crew consisted of Dalton Timko, Ashton Muller, Sage Parrish, and Birthday Boy William Petire. Their parents came for the fun times as well, so thanks to Erik Timko, Karina Muller and Kristin Petrie for allowing me to share in your birthday memories. Catch you all on the water next time, until then, keep on livin the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com