I Once Caught a Fish THIS BIG

I was not expecting this evening to turn into an adventure.  After all, we only started out by asking our friends if they wanted to buy Girl Scout Cookies.  They kindly ordered a couple of boxes.  We didn't think that getting the cookies to them would turn from delivery to life-long memory! I guess we forgot to consider that these friends live in Layton so no matter how we got the cookies to them it would take some traveling.  And after all, these are our Christmas-Tree Hunting friends, and any time together with them at all is both rare and desirable, so if we were going to see each other at all why not at least spend the evening together?  At first we planned on enjoying some supper together. Easy - soup, bread, no problem.  But then Mary, the matriarch of the Layton-dwellers, had a great idea.  Why don't the Preslars head north, meet at Mary's mother's farm and fish for our dinner out of the trout pond?  Our kids LOVE fishing, this cute little pond is teeming with huge trout - how fun!  She made salads and a pie, I made scalloped potatoes, we were in the car by 4:45 and had lines in the pond by 5:30.

Of course Stomper had a fish out by 5:32 or something.  The fish must have been starving.  Stomper made like two casts and before we knew it he had a big ole' trout flipping around on the grass.  Triumph!  Then within 10 more minutes Troy had snagged another one and persuaded Bundle to kind of help him reel it in so she sort of felt some claim to that fish.  But then poor Bitty wanted to catch one with just a net.  She tried for a while but obviously wasn't very successful.  We took a break for dinner - the trout (talk about fresh!) were quickly gutted and wrapped in tin foil and thrown onto the nearby camp fire.  Everyone ate potatoes and salad and then when the fish was done started on that.  Bundle ate more than anyone else - she probably ate half of a 4 lb trout!

By the time people were eating trout, Bitty was getting desperate to catch a fish.  She started using a fishing pole (when it's not fly fishing, can I call it that or will I get in trouble?  Is it always a rod?  I don't know but I'm sure to screw it up!).  She stood by that pond for way more than an hour, casting and reeling, casting and reeling - I was really proud of her for not giving up and not totally having a meltdown because she was so disappointed.  Just as we were packing up dishes in the dusky evening, she started hollering - she had a bite!  The huge fish splashed violently while Troy and Stomper dashed to her side - just in time for the fish to unhook itself.  I saw one moment of I-Am-Going-To-Cry on Bitty's face until we all cheered for her for getting a strike and she went back to it.  Now I am trying to get everyone into the car and all the stuff loaded up so our bedtime wouldn't be completely shot, but Bitty just kept casting.  Just as I got the last few things in the car I headed down the grassy hill to fetch Bitty, only to see the group of kids gathered around Troy and an ecstatic Bitty who was beside herself with joy.

Yes, just as I was ready to pull out of the driveway, Bitty (with Troy's help but she reeled it in) caught the biggest fish of the night.  The thing was huge - Mary guessed it was 8 pounds or so.  Totally worth it for Bitty and us too - the smile on her face illuminated the car the whole way home, she was so thrilled.  We are looking forward to grilling it for dinner tomorrow night.  She asked if we could make it "extra fancy."

So bedtime was pretty much shot after all.  Not all homework got done, the kitchen is a mess but you know what?  I couldn't be happier.  Partly because we now do not have to go back tomorrow night to help Bitty catch a fish.  Another time soon, I hope, but for this trip, all dreams and wishes were fulfilled.

Thanks Burnetts!

Side Note: should I be disturbed at how completely enthused Stomper was to plunge his pocketknife into the brain of the fish?  It was his favorite part!  Was that too graphic?  Sorry....