Take a girl fishing...
Travis Frank
Every summer I designate at least one day to get my sister and her friends on the water. I call it take a girl fishing day, and they absolutely love the chance to do something out of their every day routine. Not to mention the beautiful sun-rays that are cast over the water. I look forward to this day each year because their excitement to fish is so incredible. To share this with others is great, and the girls just love it! In the past we have had as many as 8 girls on the water. This past trip had a few kinks in the girls' schedule, but we decided to enjoy the Sunday weather anyway. Becky and Sarah hopped in the boat and we were off to enjoy some tunes, sunshine, fish and laughs.
Our mission was to catch anything that would give us some action. We spent about two hours trying to catch what I figured to be the easiest, which was sunnies. The only problem was that I couldn't for the life of me find one that wanted to bite. As I pulled the anchor I decided to grab the big sticks. With pontoons, jet ski's and tubers surrounding us, the foolish thought came over my head and I thought we would try it any way. Since we couldn't get a sunny to bite, we might as well go for the grand prize and a giant fish. As I approached the exact spot I wanted to cast, the girls decided that they would first see what they needed to do and learn a few things from us by watching us cast the abnormally large fishing lures. Let's just say that this was a big mistake on their part. Mike's first and only cast of the day resulted in a 43 incher that received simultaneous screams from the girls throughout his entire battle. It was awesome! The girls were impressed to say the least. Obviously that action got 'em excited, and my sister was instantly onboard to cast the big baits.
Sarah was still a little hesitant and decided to keep on watching and learning. I explained that so many times the fish will eat the lure right by the boat, and that you have to be ready as well as know how to work the lure. Four casts after Mike caught his fish, and my fifth cast of the afternoon this exact scenario came to life. As Sarah was leaning over the side of the boat, I brought my lure boatside to see a wide open mouth charging in behind it. Yep, you guessed it. The fish latched on and and the hoots and hollers were again heard from across the lake. She had a front row seat to witness what I think is the single coolest strike in fishing. A very healthy 46 incher was soon in the net and the slimy high fives were bouncing from all four of us. Does it get any better than that? I think not!
That was all it took to get Sarah involved and soon we had two new muskie freak members in the boat. I've said this many times before, but I just love teaching women how to muskie fish. They learn so much better than a man does. This is funny, but the steriotype holds true. They listen to the directions that I give, and pick up on all the details instantly. Sorry guys, but I'm just being honest! Sarah and Becky weren't afraid to ask questions, and soon they were both casting perfectly and drawing flawless figure 8's with their rod tips in the water. About 15 casts into Sarah's muskie career this almost gave her a boatside strike as the fish swiped at her bait twice at boatside. A feat that would had made me the proudest man on the water. Unfortunately, the fish had other ideas and only left us wondering what could have been. With dinner on the table at home we decided to call it a day. An afternoon on the water with the girls that won't ever be forgetten! I think you might see these two holding their own muskies very soon! Until then, keep on livin' the dream!