Boys and Fishing

There is just something special about boys and fishing. Upon second thought, there is something special about boys, Dads, and fishing. Michael bought our first son a fishing pole when he was about 2. It was a Mickey Mouse pole, and Matthew fished with that pole every chance he had. Our children have long moved out of the toddler stage so now we have teenagers that love to fish. The older boys are always hunting a farm pond to fish. Our neighbors have been more than generous to oblige this craving. We have a pond, but there have been no fish in it since we moved here. It was always our intention to stock the pond, but that was never a high priority for our budget. My mom's Christmas present this last year to Michael was the gift of fish for his pond. Obviously winter wasn't the time to purchase the fish so he waited until yesterday to purchase his gift.
He bought 100 catfish, 100 Georgia Hybrid Bluegill, and 3 Grass Carp. Our pond has always had an algae issue so we need to add 5 more carp to help get that under control. We didn't want to use chemicals so the carp was the natural choice.
Here is a picture of the fish as they were being released. It was a major milestone to release the fish for more reasons than one. When Michael and our 11 year old were headed out that morning to purchase fish, our 4 year old asked if he could go too. Michael and Jacob waited for the little guy to finish his breakfast and all 3 of them headed out the door for their adventure. When they got back, Michael parked the truck at the top of the field to come grab the camera. Seth, the 4 year old, was holding a bag of fish. According to the 4 year old, the truck was sitting crooked which made his seat go crooked which made the bag of fish go crooked which made Daddy not very happy!!! In adult language, the said 4 year old dropped his bag of 100 fish into the floor board of the truck. Michael was back out at the truck and he said he heard a gushing of water and he knew there were problems. They were able to save 99 of the little fish from the truck floor board, but one fish got stuck and was inaccessible. That should smell great when the soon to be 17 year old drives the truck on Monday!

grace and peace,
julie