Gone Fishin'

Fishy, Fishy, In a Brook

Fishy, fishy, in a brook
Daddy caught him with a hook
Mommy fried him in a pan
And baby ate him like a man.


When we go camping, we make a menu for the entire week. We all bring our own meat and then try to distribute the side dishes among us all. We also try to keep it as basic as we can so that there isn't a big fuss over dinner and time is spent visiting instead.


On Thursday while we were camping, dinner on the menu; fish, steamed potato-squash-mushrooms-onions in a foil bag, sliced tomato's and a green salad. When making the menu, we had planned it for that Thursday so that we would have plenty of time to catch the fish. If we didn't catch any, we were fish out of luck and would make do with what we had planned only without the fish.


Mike's wife, Florence tried to pitch in and do some fishing too.


Here is our daughter-in-law Melissa (Adam's wife) looking at the river. She was such a trooper this year; she doesn't like camping. The thought of bugs, dirt and not being able to shower or sleep on a comfortable bed, well let's just say, she not keen on the idea. BUT she did it this year. I think she did it for Charlie because she knew how important it was to him. Melissa says she would go camping if she had a trailer or cabin. She is so cute!


They fished and fished. I love this picture. I have a picture just like it, only with Charlie and Diandra in it. Too Sweet!


Here is Charlie, our second oldest, Mike, and two of our grandsons coming back from crossing the river.


The California Department of Fish and Game's Wild Trout Program (now the Heritage and Wild Trout Program) was established by the California Fish and Game Commission in 1971 to protect and enhance quality trout fisheries sustained by natural reproduction. They plant on Thursday.


They manage plans that identify actions and policies necessary to protect native trout habitats, and maintain or enhance native trout populations.


Here are three of our grandchildren Calin, Cameron and Aurora, watching them fill the buckets with the trout to put back into the river.


The nice ranger let the kids get a closer look.


The kids got to also see them be planted into the river.


Here is a bit of Trout Education with the help of my son Rob. There are so many different kinds of trout; California Rainbow, Golden, Paiute cutthroat, Lahontan cutthroat, Warner Lakes redband, Steelhead, McCloud River redband, Goose Lake redband and Eagle Lake rainbow trout. A wild trout is a trout that was born in the wild and spends its life cycle in the wild, regardless of the origin of its parents or ancestors. A native trout is a trout that was found here originally, prior to human influences. A wild brown trout is not native to California. A coastal rainbow trout is a native California trout (even if it came from a hatchery). A golden trout born in the Little Kern River is a wild, native trout.


Here is another one of our grandsons doing some serious fishing. He is watching and waiting for that pole to jerk so that he can
"reel er in!"


Here is our oldest of son's, Adam, helping Ryan with his pole. Boy did this bring back memories of Charlie with our three boys!


Here is a fish that Charlie caught while he was fishing with our nephew Gavin who is three (he dropped his fish in the dirt because he was just a little afraid of touching it). This little fish should have been thrown back but it was his first catch and we decided it was a keeper this time.


As you can see we caught our fish for dinner! Charlie wanted me to get a photo of his hand against the fish so that Rob could see how big the fish were. Sorry Rob, I know this is making you wish that you were there with us even more.

*Some of the photos of Mike and the kids were taken by Florence.