Thoughts of Lake Michigan Bring Warm Memories

My childhood is filled with memories of Michigan Fishing. I remember my father taking all of us kids on long weekend fishing trips. There were so many lakes that were only a few hours drive. I want to pass the tradition on to my kids.

When I was young, the one thing I could count on was fishing. I swear my father knew every secret fishing hole in all of Lake Michigan. I remember one time we were out on the water, and no other anglers were catching anything, my father quietly motored our boat to a little cove off the shore. We sat there for a few minutes, then cast our rods. It was no longer than 5 minutes and I felt a little tug on my line, the tug got stronger. I felt that familiar thrill shiver through my body. I loved it. I had a fish on. I yanked the rod to set the hook and started reeling. The trout put up a good fight, it took me over 10 minutes to bring the fish close enough for Dad to catch with the fish net. It was beautiful. The colors were like the rainbow.

The great thing about Michigan Fishing is all the lakes to choose from. There is the great Lakes, that was a big deal to fish there, usually we went on our friends boat, because you just felt safer. Our boat was great for the smaller lake closer to our home. But, it was fun to go on the big lakes, it was like being on the ocean. One of the first times I went out on the Great Lakes I was very small, my Mom made sure all of us had life vests. I was so excited to catch some fish. I was sure that I would be the first, it was almost like a race for me. I always wanted to be the one to catch the first fish. Today was no exception, I got all ready and cast my line in the water. It was not 2 minutes and my brother yelled that he had caught one. I was bummed all day, until I caught one myself.

Even now, thoughts of Lake Michigan bring warm memories. I always wondered why some of my friends never went fishing. Didn't they know how it felt when a fish was on. It was so addictive, I loved it. There is nothing like Michigan fishing. There was one time, my father had planned a big trip to the upper peninsula. We had planned for weeks, we usually only went there once a year. So, this year we were so excited. The weather was not cooperating with us, in fact we wre in the car driving to the lakes when the storm hit. We ended up having to turn around. I was so bummed. I was about to cry, I was looking forward to this. My Dad must have noticed how upset I was, because we went to a smaller lake nearby. It was crowded with other anglers, but I did not care. All I wanted to do was catch fish like trout and walleye. I loved it.

I have talked to my siblings about our experiences growing up and all of them have the same type of memory. We loved to fish and we loved that our Dad took the time to take us and spend time with us. It is a tradition that I want for my kids.