Instead of going to the pumpkin patch at Faulkner's this year, we decided to try someplace else. This year we went to the Mildale Farm Fest, which is a free one put on by JCPRD and hosted by Mildale Farm in Edgerton, which is a beautiful property with a huge commercial barn and a sloping, beautiful green grass yard, and a couple ponds. There were lots of activities (crafts, hayrides, petting zoo, story telling, etc.) but there was also fishing. I took Joshua and Clara, with the idea that we would primarily fish. Joshua loves it, and Clara has been really interested in it, so I thought today would be a good day for her first real fishing trip. She was pretty excited about it, as you can see here.
I still only have one fishing rod for the kids, so we alternated. Joshua struck first, and it was kind of a dream come true. Since we started fishing, he's been wanting to catch a largemouth bass. I'm not sure why. I think he heard about that fish somewhere, and he really latched on to it. And his first fish today was just that! He wasn't too sure about touching it, as you can see. But he was pumped to have caught one.
Then it was Clara's turn. Joshua coached her (well, mostly I coached her, but he liked to give tips tht he could think of, which I'm not sure were actually that helpful).
Then, the fish started rolling in. On their next turns, they each caught one. Joshua was more willing to hold his than last time, but Clara wanted no part of that grossness. And then...
This happened! Check out this bad boy that Clara hooked! It's a big channel catfish! And yes, it's massive. I wasn't sure what she hooked, but I could tell it was big, though at times I wondered if I was reeling in a log or something. I did most of the reeling in, because I was worried she was going to lose the pole, or even that the pole or line would break.
Here you can see a close-up. I wished I'd brought a scale or tape measure to find out exactly how big it was, but I'd estimate it was about 18 inches long. Clara was so excited to catch such a huge fish, and I even got her to reach out and touch her finger to it, but no more than that. I'm not sure she could have held it anyway, given how heavy and floppy it was.
Joshua finished us off with a sunfish. We took one last shot with Clara, but couldn't get anything before time was up, as the farm was closing. Joshua passed the time by stringing the worms out on his arm.
We had a really fun time, and it was by far our best fishing expedition ever, and certainly an impressive debut by Clara! She said she really liked fishing, and since there probably won't be another opportunity this year, we'll be all ready for next year, as I'll buy my fishing license early in the year to give us plenty of opportunities.
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