we don't fish unless we are at our friends house with the pond.
with grown ups who can take the fish off the hook when we catch them.
i just can't do it.
they had to wait all afternoon for Mike to get home from work to fish.
and when he was still in his truck they said "can we fish now?!!"
they love that part of the day.
my friend adam was there for a bit and helped with the slimey stuff.
any fish is a good fish.
remeber these two from Country Living oh so long ago???
still fishin' buddies after all these years.
annie caught a large mouth bass….
weird.
you could see the gills and the worm on the hook!
we tried to get jackson to throw it in for us but he was sure he did not want to.
i am with you jackson!
craig and Joel came after work too.
annie was telling him how big her catfish was.
we had a big dinner all together….kids every where…. yummy food….perfect weather….
excellent day in my life.
and waffle's too.
(except when he kept getting in the water where we were fishing and then got wrapped up in our lines and then took off and ran around me and craig and was all twwisted up in the dumb fishing line and broke the line and a hook in his fur…. ugh. we are so bad at this fishing thing… even our dog doesn't know what to do!)
i searched back for other fishing with our family….
first time… waffle's first time…. this one has a video 🙂
i am in love with these pictures and memories.
what special friends we have that will take the time to make these memories with us!
so tell me, do you fish?
do you take the hook out yourself?
am i just a big wimp and need to get over it already?
or do you agree that it's nasty and you don't do it either?
she - you’re really pretty…and this is coming from a 15 year old girl so you know you have to be really pretty for someone like me to say that
shea B - I caught my first fish, a rainbow trout, when I was almost three. I’ve loved it ever since. I eventually started baiting my own hook and then moved on to taking the fish off the hook. I’m 33 now and I still love to go to the river. My two little girls, who are 1 and 3, had their first fishing experience on Father’s Day. They squealed with delight while reeling it in and then freaked and burst into tears when they saw the fish flopping around on the ground. Memories! I’m glad you let your kiddos experience things even if you’re not a big fan.
s - can’t put hook in worm or take fish off hook. funny story…when i was a kid, wanted to cast overhead like my brothers, caught my head instead, and what freaked me out the most? the HUGE nightcrawler in my hair. had to sit in dr’s waiting room with a hook and worm in my head (one of my brothers must have been smart enough to cut the line – I don’t recall having to hold onto the pole!) problem is, to get a hook out, you have to push it past barbs, so they had to push it in further, cut barbs, and take it out. I don’t recall any pain, just complete mortification and the whole ick factor with the worm! no idea how my mom handled it – I would probably would scream all the way to the dr’s if it happened to one of mine!
elizabeth - those fish are beautiful!
Dani - Nasty! And that comes from a true country girl! I just can’t do it. Baiting the hook doesn’t bother me. I don’t like to touch the slimy fish that is flopping all around! We have a pond… but unfortunately it’s full of humongous snakes! So, no swimming in it for us!
Melissa - We fish. And I remove the hook. It makes me a cool mom….and I have three boys so it kind of a requirement. LOL
Mike looks younger now than he did in ’09.
Melanie - I lived in the country when I was a kid and did all that gross stuff — putting worms and insects on the hook, taking fish off the hook. When I fished again as an adult, I realized I am just too grossed out by the whole thing, and especially don’t like murdering worms to do so. And UGH! taking the fish off the hook? Just can’t do it anymore. So no, I don’t think you need to just “get over it”.
sandy toe - I love those pictures of the fish and kids- so bright and pretty!
sandy toe
joyce - Great photos. Yes I dont do the slimy stuff either!
Anna - Ummmm that’s what dads are for! I have wonderful memories fishing with my dad. Even at 31 he still takes the fish off the hook for me!
Amy @ Little for a Little While - Completely nasty and I have never baited my own hook or unhooked my own fish. Yuck!
mollie's mom - I cannot stand to bait the hook or take the poor fish off the hook so, of course, every.single.time I fish I have amazing luck catching fish. Go figure!!!
I am in love with that pond 🙂
marcie
lisa currie-gurney - Annie still has a polka dot bathing suit!!!
Hugs From My Heart
Michelle From Australia - Living in a City of over one million people, my idea of fishing is going to the Fish Markets and buying something ready to cook. As long as it is product of Australia or New Zealand or South Africa where we know that health and hygiene standards are enforced.
Lynne - Love, love the picture of Annie showing her dad how big her fish was! So sweet!
Elizabeth Grandon - Love it! I fish, but mostly just the casting, reeling, and taking pictures…I let me husband take the hook off. We fish for larger types like Musky, Northern Pike, etc. so it can get complicated with taking the fish off…He LOVES IT, and I love relaxing on the water/taking pictures/and occasionally fishing 🙂 I should blog about it soon!
Lori - My boyfriend has gotten me into fishing and I like it 🙂 I went Deep Sea Fishing out of Port Aransas, TX this summer. However, I’m totally with you on the nasty. I definitely don’t take the hook out myself. That’s what boys are for 🙂
Janet - I have learned to love fishing. My kiddos even convinced me to take them – by myself – without my husband, the hook and worm guy. 🙂 I always make sure I have my trusty yellow kitchen gloves and a big towel. That way I don’t have to “handle” those slimy fish. I even have my own little “tackle box” with a small plyers to reach in for those swallowed hooks. The kids have a ball and I don’t have to get all gross – everyone wins!
Janet – WI
Rach - I loved fishing as a kid. So fun and such good memories. I can relate most in this post to the picture of the little boy next to Annie though. That’s my youngest right now. Always trying to get into things. Can’t imagine what he would do with a pond and some fish.
Routhie - I love fishing and have gone my entire life, mostly with my father and brothers, but really, my entire family loves it. Being from TX we mostly fished in lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Having said that, it takes me a while to brave baiting my hook (they use live shrimp) and I absolutely do not unhook my fish. Ew. Having said that, a friend has offered to teach me how to fly fish with the stipulation I get over these things. We shall see.
roganne - you are totally right…fish are slimey and gross. there is something really creepy about their eyes too…{shudder} they obviously shouldn’t be trusted 🙂
Jenny B - I haven’t fished in a LONG time, but used to go often with my dad and friends when I was a kid. We camped on the Buffalo River several times, and fishing was a daily event during those trips. My grandparents lived on a farm and had a pond. “Pops” would take me fishing there whenever I wanted to go. In all those times, I have NEVER – NOT EVEN ONCE – baited my own hook. No, thank you. 🙂
Heather - I love fishing! I grew up in central FL where there are lakes everywhere, not to mention the Gulf of Mexico, so there were lots of places to go. It was a special thing I did with my Dad. We never kept anything we caught- it was just the experience of being up early while it was still cool, enjoying the quiet and stillness of the water. The worms and hooks don’t bother me at all, but I still get a little skittish sometimes using crickets as bait. 🙂
sue - I hate fishing. That hook looks nasty for the fish and it must hurt it.
Krista - Their home is absolutely beautiful, the pond, the flowers, everything!! I must be reading your blog FOREVER, because I totally remember you posting about being in Country Living, and then seeing it in the magazine when it came in the mail… doesn’t time fly!?!
Heather S. - Don’t fish. Not my thing. If I’m going to sit around and do nothing, I’d rather be on a raft, reading a book. 🙂
My daughter has the same suit as the cutie in the pic with Annie. Such a cutie!
Judy - I don’t fish. I don’t want to learn. Yuck. And I’m not a patient person:). My 18 year old son has started fishing with his friends. I got a text from him one night at midnight asking if they could clean the fish in our kitchen! I said yes, as long as you clean up.
I slept right through it. And in the morning the kitchen was spotless! Such good guys:).
The garbage…not so much after a couple days of 100+ temps. I feel sorry for the garbage man!
Thanks for sharing your awesome photos!
happygirl - Haha, fishing. I love fishing, but I don’t care if I catch any fish. I just like to be out there with a pole in the water and being quiet. And, the best way to photograph fish is to have the holder, hold the fish out arms length in front of them. Makes the fish look HUGE. It’s all about size, doncha know.
shiela - so cool to enjoy the nature & everything in it…instead of being bombarded/hypnotized by all the high-tech gadgets these days, especially living in southern california! wonderful fishing time…wish i was able to do that when i was little….
Lisa - I grew up fishing with my dad and we had to do everything if we wanted to fish.
That was his rule. 🙂 He would help if we needed it but we had to try.
It is still a little gross to me but I do it. I have some of the
best memories fishing with my dad and now my kids are the ones looking
forward to it every year!!
Mickie Lara - That looks like such an awesome place. Just another time that I find myself wanting to crawl into your summer pictures (even just to sit out under the tree and have coffee in the morning…)and enjoy some of those places. I was a Kansas girl too but never saw a pond like that one! And, yes I like to watch my husband and both grandpas fish with my son but…I can not participate at all. Not with the worms, not taking them off the hook or even throwing them back in. I’m too wimpy but oh well… that’s what dads and grandpas are for!
Jessica - We fish with my father-in-law at his lake house. I’ll hold the pole, but like you I don’t handle any fish. I love that my children will have these memories of fishing with their grandpa!
christiejayne - Wow! I have that Country Living edition, and I totally remember reading your little blurb! Crazy!!
Alice H - and Annie is still in a polka-dot suit!
I remember fishing with my grandpa when I was younger. I loved it.
And now that I am a mom to an 11 year old boy and a 2 year old boy, I like to take them fishing. Luckily, I don’t have to touch the worm or fish because my older son doesn’t mind doing that. Even my 13 year old girl enjoys it!
jen - we fish. originally from vancouver – fishing is big there. i worked, on and off, in a local fish market for 10 years {through high school and between careers.} i actually caught one myself last summer in vermont after having my line in for about 30 seconds – i wasn’t very popular back at camp as the boys had been trolling the lake for about 3 days and nothing – sorry guys!
call me next time to help with the lines and the gutting – i’m pretty good at that! 😉
Sharla - What a beautiful place!
laura b - We don’t fish either. I went once as a child and was really bored. However, I would like my kids to try it out to see what they think. But I’m a bit overwhelmed, like you. The whole worm on a hook. And what to do with the fish when you catch it. Yuck!
Han - I don’t fish. I’m not sure I have the patience for it but I’d love to try it once just to say that I have tried it.
Kim - My kids love fishing. I don’t. I don’t do worms or fish. Thank goodness for my husband. He takes them fishing every year, mostly when we are up at the cottage. I’m much better at cheering from the sideline.
Gretchen - I fish. Started as a child, and my late husband got my son hooked. I bait the line, take the fish off, throw them back. Fishing is a great way to learn patience. Love sitting by the water and soaking up nature!
stephany - Yep. We fish.
I started young with my dad…fishing streams and beaver ponds in the Colorado Rockies.
I have fished all my life.
I put the worm on, take the hook out…it’s not enjoyable, but it’s part of fishing.
We started our kids fishing last year (our boy was 3 and our girl was 1 at the time).
We fish at least once a month from April-October.
The Tualatin River is walking distance from our house, so we just throw some worms in…we catch sunfish, catfish, carp, large and small mouth bass, and crawfish.
I’ve blogged about it a few times…you can search for fishing on my blog.