Week of 5/20 - A Good Week of First and Foremosts

The week of 5/20 was a good week of firsts and foremosts.

My favorite 'first' was taking care of getting my good friend, Josh Kennedy, rigged up with his new rod and reel set. He had mentioned several times that fly-fishing was interesting, but he actually took good steps to making it happen.

Josh and his boy Samuel last year at Big Lake

He bought a Redington 5W something-or-other (retail $180, $50 steal on Craigslist) that casts great, plus an old Marlboro Pflueger rewards reel his father had won. Just found the reel, backing and line kicking around his basement.

We hit Pony Creek down by Pacific Junction to try for some catfish on hotdogs Wednesday, and we got him on the water in the dark. Made me nervous. No fish on his line quite yet.

I was really happy for his messages the next day, however. He caught two teeny-tiny bluegill on the fly the next evening. As far as I'm concerned, they might as well have been 1 lb. blues. I was so excited for him! (He subsequently went out and bought a vest and a couple a pack of new flies.)

Another first that I enjoyed was my first lunch-break Largemouth Bass.

13 inches, nice solid fight.

I'll also call it a first on good work-break fishing. Nice chunky blues that run like the dickens! Check it out, FishNDave!

All-in-all, this was a good week, full of activity. Josh keeps fishing his head off, improving and practicing his cast. Recently caught about 6 tiny crappies. Kept them and buried them in his garden for fertilizer. The little blighters are helping his tomatoes out, plus it helps thin the population in the stunted pond he's fishing.

The foremost event of the week, though? My bro-in-law Zach asked me to be a groomsman. Of course I said yes! Happy to do so, bro. Congratulations.

Zach and Stephanie