Fishing Prescott 4-6-11

[sandmannd]

Well the river came calling again. With the calls from River Dan the last couple of days I couldn't take it! Dan had to work today and wasn't going to be down there until about 4 PM. This worked out great for me as my daughter has school until 3 PM. So I asked Lizzy on Monday if she wanted to go fishing with River Dan and I on Wednesday. She was so excited and was talking about it for two days.

Now, I'll start by saying that River Dan is a great fishing partner. I'm so thankful that I him as a great friend. The time on the water with him is more than just fishing, it's therapy. Not only have a learned much of my river tactics from him but he's made me a better person over the years. I talk to him about the struggles I have with my older daughter and he's a great shoulder to lean on and gives me advice. He's always there to up your spirits and is just one of the best people I know. That being said, tonight was special for me. Sure, I was fishing with River Dan, but I had my favorite fishing partner in the boat....... my daughter Lizzy! This little girl is only five but she has really come a long way in how long she can tolerate being with me. She doesn't get fussy at all and is learning so much with me. She's a true blessing to have with me.

Now to the fishing. We started out slipping the current seem. We all had a jig and some form of plastic on. Didn't take Dan long and he had fish in the boat. We watch as a few other boats caught a few. Lizzy asked why she hadn't caught any and I explained you can't keep reeling in your line, that it has to be in the water to catch fish. That's when I got the look!!



But she did get the hang of it fast and was soon getting her jig down by herself and letting it bounce on the bottom.



I soon set the hook on my first fish of the night. I gave my rod to Lizzy and she got it about halfway in before it got off the hook. Se was a little disappointed but Dan and I assured here there would be more to come. Her spirits picked up quick when she saw Dan pull in the biggest fish of the night at about 20".



It wasn't long after Dan had the big girl that my jig got throttled! I set the hook good and Lizzy jumped into action! She as so excited to see the rod bend and to get it in her hand and reel it up. It took her a little doing but she soon had her first walleye of the year in the boat.



Dan continued to put on a clinic with many bites and quite a few fish. Most in the eater class with a few shorts mixed in. Lizzy kept asking him why he caught so many fish and not her and he would tell her, "That's why they call me River Dan". She would just roll her eyes at him.



Well the day started converting to night and we asked Lizzy if she wanted to go around 7:30. She said "Heck no, I wanna fish more!" You think I wasn't grinning after hearing that. We continued to have big bites and Dan got a couple more eaters in the boat. Lizzy felt like a big shot because she got to open the livewell for us to throw the fish in.



I, again, had the hard smack and didn't miss this one. It felt great and Lizzy again jumped into action. She fought this one pretty good and, before I could grab the net, she hoisted the biggest fish of her life up and into the boat!! This was a 17" sauger and I don't know who's smile was bigger in that boat as we were all grinning great! She didn't want to hold that one for a pic though as she thought it was too big. It was pretty dang cool to see her man handle the fish like she did tonight and we all had a great time together. We were making a last pass and Lizzy asked "Can't you just put the light up and fish some more?" so we did! We pulled off after eight and packed up. We both thanked Dan for a great night and took some fish home. All in all we had 9 keepers under 18" together. What a great night on the river! It was a great day to be outside and I got to spend time with a great friend and my favorite fishing buddy.

On the way home Lizzy had to call home and tell Mom that she caught some big Walleye and how excited she was. She then had to call her Grandpa and Grandma and tell them the story all again. She, of course, had to throw in how she caught all the fish and I didn't catch any. I'll take setting the hook for her and letting her reel them in any day of the week though!! We got home and brought the fish in for Mom to see and she had to pose with her catch for a couple more pics. Man was she proud.





Thanks again to Dan for getting us out and on some fish. I will tell you that if you ever want to learn the river systems, I would highly recommend getting out with River Dan.