“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”
– A Chinese proverb
“You can teach a man to fish and give him a fish at the same time. They’re not mutually exclusive. And he’ll learn better if he’s not hungry.”
– An internet meme
I’ve never been much of a fisherman, but my sons have taken the bait, and hard.
It didn’t take me long to teach them everything I knew about fishing, plus a few things I made up on the fly. Since then I’ve been trying to get them out on the water so they can teach themselves, and connect them with other folks who could help them learn more.
On Black Friday my neighbor George Riley texted me a picture of a beautiful collection of rainbow trout that he landed while fishing at a busy Wallace Pond at South County Park in Toledo. He asked if we’d like to join him the next day.
I didn’t have to ask my sons twice. They quickly gathered up their poles and gear. My daughter wasn’t quite as interested in fishing, but when I pulled out the kayaks, that was more her speed.
On Saturday afternoon we took the drive through the charming downtown of Toledo and across the mighty Cowlitz. We met up with George under beautiful skies and on a shoreline that was surprisingly sparse, compared with the “combat fishing” he had experienced the day before.
We joined him on the banks of the lake. His stringer already had a beautiful ‘bow he was holding onto for folks down the way who didn’t bring a bucket or a chain to hold their catch.
My sons immediately set up and started casting, their eyes on the water and their brains set to thinking like a fish.
Amid talk of slip-sinks and demonstrations of casting techniques, my daughter and I set out in our kayaks, exploring the far shoreline of the 14-acre former gravel pit that is now a lovely little lake.
We paddled out to an island in the middle of the pond and landed on the far side, which gave us a little privacy from peering eyes from the shoreline fisherfolk. We hopped out and stretched our legs, then took a seat under a few spreading alder trees that pop out from blackberry vines on this charming little islet. We found a freshly “pruned” alder branch that a beaver had converted into a little pile of sweet-smelling chips. We watched a small flock of Canada geese that were warily watching us. At one point they apparently decided the neighborhood had gone downhill since we arrived, so we saw them take to wing, circle the lake, and settle down in a green space a little closer to the Cowlitz River and farther from these two aquatic invaders.
Off we set again around a small promontory, slowly paddling up to a vacant swimming beach and playground.
After some fun on the play equipment, we hopped back in the kayaks for our return trip.
I took the long way around the island and encountered a small gaggle of mallards, whom I followed for awhile as they quacked and kept me at an appropriate social distance.
We returned to find the intrepid fishermen reeling in the rainbows. I tip my hat to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which had stocked the lake a few days earlier with 2,000 Goldendale rainbow trout, raised from eggs at the Mossyrock Hatchery.
As the boys continued to fish, my daughter and I took a quick drive up the road to pick up dinner from Betty’s Diner. It’s one of our favorite burger joints and it’s always a delicious addition to any adventure.
Eventually it was time to end the day’s fun. I talked George into showing the boys how to gut the fish, which we did down the way on one of the docks. My oldest and I took turns practicing. Our youngest just watched for now, but he’ll get his turn.
Most anglers had gone home by that point, but we were warmly greeted by a small flock of muscovy ducks, a domesticated breed with white, gray and black bodies and bright red fleshy faces. We passed them a french fry or two, and based on their enthusiastic response, we weren’t the first.
In a final act of generosity, George gave us the entire catch — his fish and ours. With a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers, these beauties went into the freezer. When we finally fry them up, we’ll be able to enjoy the bounty of this great day one more time.
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Brian Mittge’s column appears each Saturday in The Chronicle. Contact him at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
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