The Season Begins

We've been enjoying a warm spell here, and what better way to enjoy it than by getting outside. Sebastian and I loaded up my new truck and headed to Yellowwood to see if we could find any hungry fish.

My new used truck. I may not have chosen red if I was ordering from the factory, but now that I have a red truck I really like it. On the morning after I brought it home Sebastian asked me "Are you going to ride in your fire truck today?" Sure am. I plan to put some miles on it this season exploring Indiana waters and revisiting some favorite Michigan streams.

Sebastian piled out of the truck and started running up the hill. I got him to come back and get some things to carry, and then he was back up the hill like a shot.

The lake was beautiful. It may be February, but this is a spring lake.

We threw out some bee moths under a bobber and watched and waited.

Sebastian had a snack to pass the time, and I fished some spinners on a little spinning rig.

Being new here, I was wondering what one could expect at this lake. Then along came two guys in kayaks. They were geared for action, and were throwing what appeared to be big white plugs up against the bank. They looked like they knew what they were doing, so apparently one can expect big bass waking up and working their way into the shallows. I made a note of that.

Meanwhile our bee moths were being shunned, and my spinners seemed embarrassingly tiny after those big plugs. We decided to declare our fishing season officially open, and go hike the trail.

Sebastian loved the time last October when we hiked this trail, and was eager to get started. I made him pose by the trail marker again so I could compare the photo with one I took then. Looks to me like he's grown some over the last 4 months.

Now.

Last October.

We had a great time just following the trail, looking around, and enjoying each other's company.

It was hard to get him to turn around and head back, even when the sun dipped behind the ridge and the temperature began to drop.

He agreed, though, when I started asking what we might have for supper. We made good time getting back to the dam. When he saw where we were he took off over the dam and down the hill.

I tried to keep up with him, but it turns out he had a plan. He was making a beeline to the creek below the spillway on the other end of the dam. He got there before me and started across.

That wasn't in my plans, and I made him come out. We both got our feet wet in the process. At the truck he was mad at me, and refused to turn around for another photo.

But, as is so great about four-year-olds, by the time we were loaded up and on the road he had forgiven me. We told stories about our hike and laughed at all the funny things that had happened. He had just been jabbering away about something when suddenly there was a profound silence from the back seat. I looked around and he was sound asleep.