When they were in college, Nathan and a few of his buddies came up with “key questions” for their future mates. The questions are focused on making sure they all married meat eating, willing to go camping and fishing and dog liking women. All seemed overly important in college! Not the faith, family and personality trait questions I had envisioned making sure my future husband would properly answer. And no kidding on my first date with Nathan, when he was well past college and a 29 year old, clean cut corporate sales manager, he managed to ask me all of those “key” questions in a very saavy and polished manner.
One question was, “Can you bait your own hook?” Yes I had put a worm on a hook before catching sun fish at our local dam but knew nothing about the wild world of fishing. However, our neighbor at the farm and good friend was a professional fisherman so sharing that tidbit of information with Nathan moved me up the “potential wife” scale.
With out ever actually seeing me bait my own hook, Nathan asked to marry him eight months after that first date. Since that time, I have baited my own hook…with more than a worm I dug up from my grandma’s garden. First I learned to call worms “night crawlers” and found out you PAY money for your bait. I have used leeches and minnows plus all sorts of colors and sizes of fancy garb that must be carefully chosen and purchased after hours of analyzing at Cabela’s or Scheel’s by Nathan of course, not me.
I still know very little about baiting my own hook but I love my fishing fanatic husband and learned that I love being out on the boat with he and our family in the summer. I have even caught a few fish in past years. However the past couple summers have been hectic for us with moving, having babies and building a house. The camper and boat have mostly sat parked which is a direct result of Nathan putting his favorite summer past time aside and putting his family first.
This summer Nathan and his dad have not had the boat out once which is a summer tragedy because both of them love their boat and fishing down time together. And both work long, hard hours all summer. Down time is important.
Knowing Nathan would not leave me at home with a new baby to go fishing, my thoughtful mom suggested last weekend that she stay a little longer than planned so Nathan would spend a day fishing. Nathan grinned and happily agreed.
Our friend Eric has a boat ready to go and early Sunday they headed west to the river. That would be the Missouri River which is full again with water after being very down and dry for the 7 plus years. Nathan did not have trouble remembering his favorite spots along Beaver Bay.
And look what they brought home! Big walleye. Sun tanned faces and smiles. Plus, we ate the absolute best walleye on Sunday evening.
And look what they brought home! Big walleye. Sun tanned faces and smiles. Plus, we ate the absolute best walleye on Sunday evening.
Nathan knows some of our blog stalkers are his friends. To those of you…he asked that I say “Casey, these were caught with crank bait.” Evidently, Dr. Casey has not had much luck fishing with crank bait. Of course I have no idea what that really means and I am sure most of you don’t but…Casey and other college buddies are laughing. And the Daddy of our house is a happy fishing man this week talking about his walleye fishing on the river and planning some upcoming fishing time with his dad and our family before the summer ends too soon.
So, are those crank bait comments intended to bring blog-stalkers out into the public eye? Come on – walleye on a crank bait? Who ever heard of such a crazy thing? I think that Pinke has gone crazy talking to the ceramic tile and grout in your walk in shower for the past three months. Not too surprising that now he’s talking about the fabled “crank bait”. Nothing but a myth – you know, like the Ents of the Fangorn Forest.