I’m so proud of you Morgan and Lilly! Today, you caught your first fish.
We visited some dear friends Margie and Mike on their gorgeous hinterland block in the mountains today. After a delicious lunch - all sourced from their garden or swapped with neighbors, we wandered down to their dam, a picturesque waterhole edged with purple lillies and large stone blocks.
Mike had put in several generations of fingerlings in the last few years so knew it would be teaming with fish - but whether they would bite is an entirely different thing.
Morgan and Lilly have had fishing rod kits for a few months - but never had the chance to use them. Mike was very patient in teaching Morgan to cast out and gave him a number of tips about where to cast and what to avoid in the dam ( the weeds!) After setting everyone up with rods and using only fresh bread as bait, we stood and watched the burley ( a few slices of bread thrown at different parts of the dam) They fairly quickly were attacked with some ferocity from underneath the muddy surface.
Morgans line was the first hit and with a calmness I am sure I couldn’t muster in the delight of such a momentous occasion, he reeled the fish in by himself. Although not a legal size, it was a good sized fish and gave a good fight on the way in.
Lilly was overcome with squeals and delight when her bait was taken soon afterwards. Daddy helped a bit when the line started to get tangled up when she forgot to reel it a
nd tried pulling it in physically. After gaining some composure, she reeled her first fish in and then proceeded to wave it round the bank, the poor thing getting flung about like a rag doll.
Even though Lilly then went on to catch another fish, sh
e was most put out that fish didn’t leap onto her rod every few mins and kept asking -” when will a fish come onto my rod?” ahh patience dear grasshopper!!
IT was a leisurely way to spend a sunday and one I know the kids won’t forget easily. It was so special to have shared the first fish moment with Mike - as he had promised in Morgans Blessing Book to teach him to fish.
Well done Morgan and Lilly - so proud of you!
