---

   Spring is a time of endless chores. The lawn needs raked and the grass almost needs mowed.  The storage shed needs re-arranged and the patio furniture should be brought out and cleaned.  By Sunday afternoon, I had done about all the chores I could stand for one weekend.

   I was thinking it was about time to take a break and go fishing when my son stopped by. He needed help with one of his last spring chores, getting the boat ready for the season. Sure, I could get away for a bit to help him with the boat.  My wife was working in her flower beds and does not really appreciate my help with her horticulture projects. I do not weed out what should be left behind but have been known to leave behind especially attractive specimens of weeds. Last year I carefully cultivated a weed to almost three feet high before my wife convinced me it was not an exotic plant that only bloomed in the fall. 

   It took approximately five minutes to ready the boat for the summer season. Damon thought we should take it for a test run, just to make sure all was ready when the women and children wanted to go boating.  A light breeze was blowing on the almost warm spring afternoon when we cast off on the maiden voyage of the year. We started fishing as soon as we left the dock and started catching fish immediately. Damon was using a large buzz bait, hoping to catch only the big bass, while I used a medium sized Mepp’s, happy to catch anything. He is much more choosey than am I. He caught a couple nice bass and I caught a crappie. He caught a couple more nice bass, and I caught a bluegill.  He was well ahead of me in both numbers and weight when I tied into a bass that sent my line running with the drag screaming.  My little Mepp’s had caught the biggest bass of the first fishing trip of the season. Damon is what a person would consider a bit competitive, even in fishing.  He fishes for the big ones, using heavy duty line, and a big lure, only a large fish would take. With the heavy tackle, he can set the hook like he is pulling tree stumps off the bottom with no fear of breaking his line or bending his hook.  A few casts later, the boat jerked sideways as he violently set the hook on a fish that had been nibbling, but not biting hard enough to be caught. The jerk on his rod launched a small bass out of the water and sent him sailing over our heads. He landed on the opposite side of the boat with a splash, and lay on the surface, temporarily stunned from his quick trip and sudden landing. It was not quite as big of a fish as he thought. It was not much bigger than the lure. After much laughter and ridicule, we got back to some serious fishing. It turned out to be one of those rare days that was almost perfect for fishing. I was out-fished almost two to one, and still caught enough that my arms were sore from reeling them in.

   It pays to take a break from spring chores once in a while.  The fish might be in the mood to be caught, and the wife might appreciate the break from supervising the gardening.

---