A New Intro To Fishing...

Today was much the same for me. Get the boat, throw some ice in the cooler, and prep the rod and reels before the guests arrive. The only difference was that I was preparing their rods to fish for the day, then they would take them home. An unusual request came from Don Webb about two weeks ago. He said he wanted to get his family out on the water, and wondered if there was a way to get them rods that they could call their own. He wanted high quality equipment up to my standards so that the kids would know they had the best. Then teach them how to use it, catch fish with it, enjoy it, and send them on their way. Along with the this request for his kids came the same request for himself and his wife. His wife June loves to fish, but he didn't know how. Along with the rod and reels, he also wanted a tackle box filled with all of my favorite lures. To top it all off, he was going to lure them to the lake (no pun intended) without any of them knowing what they were about to do, and surprise them with a morning on the water. Are you still with me? It gets better.

We hashed out all the details over the phone, and i came up with my plan. I requested the assistance of Dawn over at Cabin Fever Sporting Goods, and after explaining the situation we figured out the best plan of attack. After all, it isn't easy to stock an entire family with high quality fishing equipment on a whim. We had to special order much of the large order, and once it came in, assembly was required. That took place last night, but allowed Dawn and I to catch up on the latest and greatest. That brings us to this morning and the completion of the two week escapade.

The surprise went off perfectly. With boat in water and the last fishing lines being tied together, the fam came without a single clue of what was going on. It was cool. All 6 of us hit the water in search of whatever would latch on to our lines. We had a quick tutorial and soon realized the kids were far superior to the adults in the casting department. When it came to the catching part, it was clear that MOM was the victor. She struck first with a large bucketmouth. A feat that she has apparently come to recognize as her strength in life. Soon after, everyone was involved in the action. A few tangled lines, large, medium and small panfish on board, and several laughs to boot. As quick as the morning started, we had reached our end As we approached the dock I explained to them that they would be keeping all of the equipment. A surprise that nobody saw coming, but all found very cool. Dad walked away looking like the hero, (which he rightfully should for his very clever and unique idea) and another successful day on the water was had. Does it get any better than that? I think not!

Thanks for the great idea and fun adventure. Also a big shout out to Dawn at Cabin Fever Sporting Goods for all the help in making the day possible. A very neat day that many of you could clearly duplicate. From the once again windy shores of lake Waconia, Keep on Livin the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com