True Trophies

by Ashley Davis

There is an old adage that states, "You can go fishing or you can take your kids fishing. You can't do both at the same time."

There certainly is some truth to that when our children are little, but I have yet to catch a fish big enough to make it worth more than the looks on my children's faces as they enjoy the catch.

We arrived at the Silver Creek just as the stocking truck was leaving. The shoreline was filled with people, elbow to elbow- literally.

As we headed towards the only spot on the creek where we could maybe have room to cast in a worm, the driver of the game and fish stocking truck waved me over to him. He told me to take my children to the last bend in the creek before it goes up the canyon, that he had just dumped a whole bunch of fish there.

We excitedly made our way to the designated hole and quickly got our worms in the water. I did not fish much that day. I spent my entire time unhooking fish, baiting hooks, coaching them on how to set the hook, and otherwise enjoying the time out of doors.

My children don't care if the fish were stocked five minutes prior. Trophies mean little to nothing to them. They enjoy being with dad. They squeal with joy at the tug of the fish on the line. Without even knowing it they have hooked themselves on a lifetime of fun and adventure.

Oh to such a purist!