Nice kids
Drake and I went back to the millpond where I used to fish as a kid to see if we could catch a few using circle hooks and nightcrawlers. More data, continuing to prove the circle hook and bait boasts a 96% lip hook rate, rivaling any and all other forms of fishing.
We caught several fish, and a variety of species. It was a nice day, sunny, warm, and breezy, but we were in a protected area so it was very pleasant.
About an hour into it, a group of teenage boys came toward us with their fishing rods. I thought the worst, as my experience has been that teens nowdays don’t have too much respect for others, and I was sure they were going to crowd in, get loud and vulgar, and cause us to leave.
I was wrong. They took a turn on the path, went upstream to fish, and left us alone. Sure, I could hear them crackin’ up a bit, but so what. That’s kids, and all I wanted was a little consideration which they gave me. Kuddos to you guys, and your parents. We certainly and absolutely appreciate your consideration of us.
We fished for a while longer, of course Drake was in the water most of the time along the waters edge. We got tired and decided to leave. The boys had moved to a spot directly across the river from us, were fishing quietly, so I decided to try something I usually don’t get the chance to do. “We’re leaving soon, and this is a good place”, I said to the boys. “You might want to come over here”.
“Okay”, one of them said with a respectful tone. They packed up and headed over.
We had done very well, and they had been struggling. I risked it. You never know how this will go, but I said it anyway. “If you guys want, I’ll give you the crawlers I have and show you how to rig and use them”.
“You’re kidding”, one of them said.
“Nope, here they are, and here’s how I’m rigged up”, I said. First, you start with a circle hook when you use live bait. It almost always hooks in the corner of the mouth….
I spent the next 10 minutes explaining rigging, where the fish were, why, and where to cast. They listened with genuine interest. It was fun talking to nice kids. I felt better knowing when I left they were going to do well, and felt better knowing there were still kids like that left in this world.
