My dad has never been the most emotional person. He is very business-like and pretty straightforward. That’s what I like about him. However, this makes it difficult to have those father/daughter bonding moments- especially now that I am in college! This is why Easter weekend was awesome.
We, meaning my family, are members of a small fishing club in Mineola, Texas called Woodvale. Woodvale is certainly nothing special. It is out in the middle of nowhere in East Texas. There is a small lodge that has about forty (very small) rooms, a main living room, and a kitchen. Located right behind the lodge is a popular train track on which a train goes roaring by about every two hours. This causes the lodge to shake and is extremely loud. However, there still manages to be an amazing sense of peacefulness at Woodvale. Wrapped around the front is a white picket fenced-in porch that has rocking chairs and a porch swing that allows us to simply sit in the shade and look out onto the beautiful, small fishing lake that is just below. Although it is simple, there is nothing like that view.
Anyway, my mom and I tend to relax on the porch and read while my dad goes out on the lake in our small, yet spirited fishing boat. Over this past Easter break when we decided to take a trip to Woodvale, I decided that I was in more of a fishing mood. We got there around Friday afternoon and decided to relax for a while. Just after dinner though, my dad decided to go out in the boat. To his surprise, I volunteered to go with him. Unfortunately, it was a pretty quiet expedition with only one fish to show for it. It didn’t seem to matter, though. It was a beautiful evening with enjoyable weather and a gorgeous sunset that filled the sky with exploding pinks and oranges.
The next day, after breakfast, my dad and I decided to give it another run. We hopped in our motorboat, fishing poles in hand, and trucked across the lake into the middle one of three coves. It was another perfect day. The sun was high in the sky, partly covered by a random, carefree cloud floating by every now and then. We began casting our lures towards the bank of the lake. One cast… nothing; two casts… nothing; three casts… I was beginning to worry that it was going to be another unsuccessful fishing trip.
My dad periodically moved the boat up the bank until we found ourselves in another cove. We anchored by the lusciously green shore and began casting again. Suddenly, my dad got a hit! He fought to reel in the feisty fish on the end of his line while I frantically threw my pole in the boat and grabbed the net. Success! Our first caught of the day was a nice 1.5-pound bass! My dad managed to work the hook out of the bass’ tough mouth and held up his trophy. I applauded his catch and he gently threw it back in the water. With a splash from its tail, the bass was gone. Within minutes of my dad’s bass, I caught my first fish! I fought the bass as well as I knew how, and managed to get it into the net my dad was holding without letting it break the line.
There is just something about the feeling of working to reel in a fish and holding it in your hands that is just unexplainable. I could tell my dad was proud of me, which made it even more satisfying. After that, the fish began biting like crazy. My dad was up on me eight fish to five when we decided it was about time to go in. On one of my last casts, I snagged one more, bringing my count up to six. As we headed back in, I cast my lure out behind the boat to troll in. Unexpectedly, I felt a tug on the end of my line and shouted for my dad to stop the boat. I reeled in yet another bass, putting me only one behind my dad.
We finally made it back to the dock with the final count being eight to seven. I was so close to beating my dad, although, that did not really matter to me. I didn’t realize how much our fishing excursion mattered to him until I heard him repeat the story of our little competition to three different people when we returned. I loved that my dad was showing off our time together. It made me realize how much fun he and I both had. I may not have many bonding moments with my father, but I wouldn’t trade those I do have for the world.
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