Gone Fishin'

Gone Fishin'

I just read one of those advice columns on dating and it listed several unusual first date ideas.  That got me thinking about one of the best dates I ever had... we went fishing.

As it turns out, I did not know a lot about fishing before my date (who turned out to be my future husband) took me to a pond in Northern Illinois.  It was called Wadsworth Lake, although it was nothing like a lake by my standards... I'm from Wisconsin!  But, it was a nice pond and had plenty of blue gills, perch and other pan fish swimming around waiting to be caught.

He taught me how to bait the hook, cast the line, be patient waiting for a fish to bite and lure the fish onto the hook.  At first I caught nothing.  The day was pretty warm and sunny, so I loved being outdoors.  Then, I began to catch fish.  It was great!  We tossed the little ones back, but kept the hand-size or bigger fish and I ended up with a bucket full!

The nice part of the date was that we were alone and could talk about everything without the pressure of sitting in a restaurant and knowing other people could hear our conversations. 

It was also a great date because we were sharing an activity. He was the teacher and I was the student, but I am a fast learner so we ended- up with more fish in my bucket than in his.

He even taught me how to clean a fish and prepare then for the frying pan.  All skills I have to this day and try to share with my sons.

It was a great date.  Too bad the marriage didn't last as long as my love for fishing.