Grandpa looked in the review mirror at the boat. There was a puzzled look on his face.

“Boone, did you just say “excellent?” What are you talking about?”

Boone never blinked. He looked at grandpa and calmly said, “Yes, I said excellent…Grandpa. We have two kayaks in back. Our fishing gear is in them with paddles. There are three hours before sunset. We can fish most of that time. Grandpa, do you know what this is?”

Grandpa was silent, but Boone knew he was thinking. As Boone watched his grandpa’s face, he saw a slow smile growing. It was silent for a few moments. Then grandpa said,

“Excellent?”

Neither of them spoke. Both were thinking about excellent. Fishing was excellent.

It’s not difficult to slide a kayak out of the back of a pickup, or carry it to the lake, there is a bit of a challenge to launching a kayak from a beach by yourself. Grandpa thought. Not Boone. But neither launched from the beach, the public dock made launching easy. Soon they were fishing.

Fishing is for those who are optimistic, people who think positive. Those who fish regularly believe the next cast will bring a fish. They especially believe this at the start of a fishing event. Boone and grandpa believed this. It worked for Boone. It did not work for grandpa.

While Boone made casts towards shore in shallow water, grandpa fished deeper. He wanted a walleye or possibly a large northern pike. Boone’s strategy paid off first and continued to be successful for the rest of the fishing trip. As grandpa searched his lures for the bait, he would use next, he heard Boone softly call out, “Got one.” It wasn’t a shout it wasn’t said in a boastful manner. Boone simply said, “Got one.” Grandpa watched as Boone pulled a small largemouth bass from the water. He watched as Boone removed the hook. He saw Boone release the fish.

Grandpa said, “Excellent.”

He did not raise his voice. He simply said the word. Boone nodded and made his next cast. There was never much talking between Boone and Grandpa when they fished together. Both liked the quietness. Words disturbed the peace.

When you are fishing and the person you are fishing with catches a fish it renews your personal motivation to catch one yourself. It worked for grandpa. But after six to ten casts, grandpa heard those words…again.

“Got one.”

Boone landed his second bass. This one was small like the first one. Like the first one, Boone removed the hook and released it into the lake. Grandpa watched the whole process. While he watched grandpa remembered something that happened every time he fished with Boone.

Boone always out fished his grandpa. Grandpa remembered that fact after he watched Boone reel in his third bass of the evening. Grandpa was still casting for the walleye that never came.

There were other things that mattered to those who enjoyed fishing.

Grandpa enjoyed the birds that flew over and around Stone Lake. An Osprey was in the group along with a drake mallard. There were the usual birds found near water-red winged black birds, a robin or two, and gulls. Those who fish also watch the sky. Grandpa did. There were clouds that hinted at rain, but water never fell from the sky. Grandpa also found delight in the water of the lake. Separated from the lake by a single thin layer of plastic kayak, it was possible to see into the water. Those who fish enjoy the mystery of the unseen. In the waters of any lake there are more unseen things than seen. Grandpa enjoyed mystery. Boone was no different.

Time ran out on the two fishing partners.

With clouds and sunset near, fishing from a low visibility kayak was not good practice. Grandpa had hooked zero fish. Boone had hooked, landed and released three. Trying to make the shutout seem less significant, grandpa thought to himself, “They were small anyway.”

With everything loaded in grandpa’s pickup, they began the drive home. Boone ended the fishing trip the way he started it with an audible, “Excellent!” Grandpa silently agreed.

This was how the first day of a three day fishing adventure began.

(More to come…please share with your friends…especially children.)