Remember What It Was Like To Fish Like A Kid?

When we finally reached the bank of the spillway, I gathered up my charges: four freckled, tow-headed boys, jabbering with excitement, all hyped up on soda and candy, rods at the ready. We’d stopped at the convenience store for nightcrawlers, where the kids begged for drinks. But then, what the heck, I figured, it’s summer, and you’re only 9 years old once. Next, we picked up bobbers at the Five & Dime, which has an entire aisle devoted to novelty candy. I insisted that they all share just one package—so they chose a complete gummy meal, with gummy cheeseburger, gummy hot dog, gummy fries, and gummy condiments. We walked right past the ice-cream shop on the way to the water, but I had to stand my ground somewhere. At the spillway, on a muddy bank, the boys caught one bluegill after another, faster than I could unhook them, untangle lines, and take pictures. It was chaos. Then, to each of their main lines, I tied a dropper and added a Hare’s Ear Nymph from a fly box in my vest. The madness doubled as the boys hauled in fish two at a time.