Willard with the Cubbies ... 6-20-08

[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]For a month or so now my sister, who is a Cub Scout leader, and I have been trying to get her boys out on the water to pass off a fishing badge. Between bad weather and scheduling, it has been hard but last night we made it.

Launched at about 5:00 PM and came back in at about 8:30. The water was calm for the most part, temp at about 76 degrees, and life was good.

We were in Mr. Steve Reid’s big ole pontoon boat. And man, is that thing ever luxurious. Never in my life have I fished in such comfort ... and that was even with five little rug rats running around!

We only landed 6 fish all night but that did give each boy a chance to “catch” one each and one boy got two. We drew numbers from a hat (1-5) and the boy with number 1 got to be the one to “catch” the first fish by running back to the rod with the fish on and reeling it in. What a hoot it was. Those young boys were just mesmerized by the boat, the screaming reels and bending rods, reeling them in, the fish, touching the fish, and all the many other things that young boys love.

Here are a few pics I snapped for family to see:

Reeling in the first fish:
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First catch of the day ... a little wiper:
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Second fish of the day ... another wiper:

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Watching the third boy bring in his fish was fun:

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Third for the day was a nice walleye:

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Fourth fish was a nice wiper with an attitude:

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Fifth was yet another NICE walleye:

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And the 6th fish was another small wiper going to boy number 1 (sory I didn’t remember any of the boy’s names).

We put the small wipers back in the lake to grow bigger and kept the three largest fish. Here are a few picks of these future fishermen just before the fish went under the knife:

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At the filet station, the boys watched intently as a side of fish was carefully removed and given to each boy along with a BFT sticker.

I want to give Mr. Steve Reid a BIG thanks for donating his time, truck, and great boat to help these six young boys get a taste of trolling for wiper and walleye. Steve is one of the nicest guys I have EVER fished with. And he was extremely helpful. It was as if he could read my mind. When I needed the net, he all but put it in my hand ... move a rod ... done, speed up/down ... you got it. Old Steve was just the kind of guy I would like to be. If any of you ever get a chance to fish with Steve Reid, by all means, don’t pass up the opportunity. Maybe someday, he will join BFT Utah too.[/#002850][/size][/font]
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[Saberfish]

[#000000][size 4]Good show![/size][/#000000]
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[size 4]I have to take my hat off to anyone who will take the time to take a kid fishing. Every one of those boys will remember the experience.[/size]
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[size 4]Nice pictures and good report.[/size]
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[GEEZER]

Good on ya Coot!

Helpin' kids learn to fish & watching them have fun doin' it is more fun than fishing yourself isn't it?
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[BEARCLAW]

That's awesome Coot! Bet those boys will remember that for a long long time.
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[Theekillerbee]

I'll bet those boys had a blast! Nice work Ralph.
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[FishNCoach]

Some of my best memorys was at a young age like that, the bug has been planted[sly], wished I could join you, Like I said to you, watched from the Video-Cam you all leave, a cool thing to see....(I think they liked the ramp as well as the boat) thanks for taking the time I'm sure my aunt will thank you for a long time. Nice Pic's[laugh] [fishin]
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[mactuna]

A lot of happy faces, great pictures.
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[CubbieMom]

Dear Ralph and Steve,

Thank you for taking my son on this fishing outing at Willard Bay! I appreciate so much that you would give so freely of your time, your boat, and your fishing expertise so these boys can have an adventure they will always remember.

Thank you, too, for taking the pictures and posting them. I was able to save the pictures to my computer and the text to Luke’s memorabilia folder. It is so thoughtful of you to share the experience with us families, that we can share in the fun and excitement of that day on the lake.

Luke was so happy to have caught a fish! He came home with a HUGE grin on his face and a sporting a zip-lock bag of "fish meat" as he called it (walleye), which he was very proud of. Luke and I cooked it for lunch the next day, and it was fabulous! Yum – I love fish anyway, but this fish was particularly delicious.

Luke and I read through the post together and enjoyed the pictures. It is fun to hear him talk about the fishing trip. It was a unique, neat experience for him and I appreciate so much that you and Steve took these Cubs fishing.

Thank You!

CubbieMom
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[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]Wow CubbieMom ... you kind of make this ole boy feel just a little soft around the gills with your kind words.

I can tell that you enjoyed letting Luke join us out on the water. Ya know now, he'll probably invest in a boat before he buys a car! And fishing gear over CD's and such![:p]

Now, about that walleye ... some of (if not THEE) best tasting fresh water fish in the state. And ther are lots of guys who would like to just catch their first one! Maybe Mr Luke could give them a few pointers ... huhh Luke?

Glad Luke and the boys enjoyed the trip.
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