When fishing bass in farm ponds there were times when I would catch crappies or bluegills and there were times when ferocious bullfrogs would attack my bait. The poppers or small floating lures seemed to be of great interest to the frogs as food. When reeling in these baits, the frogs at certain times would explode from their underwater vantage points where they had been watching from. Bullfrogs will lay in wait for bugs, smaller frogs and minnows and when they get close enough they come out to attack them. I have watched these frogs as they would set on a lily pad or moss patch as if they were a part of the weeds. They would be perfectly still until an unsuspecting food source would happen by at which time they moved quickly either by catching the food with their tongue or jumping and grabbing it in their mouth.

Thus came my experiences with bullfrogs on a fly rod. Frogs, like the fish I was after, are opportunists; they take their food when and where they find it. They don't just set and watch a potential food source go by thinking they will catch it later. It might not come by again. It's now or never. As I fished one day at a pond I noticed a large bullfrog setting along the edge of the pond, but I didn't think much about it. All I noticed was that it was a large bullfrog as I went on fishing. The bullfrog was about eight feet from where I was casting for bass. He sat there for about fifteen or twenty minutes and never moved. As I was retrieving the lure (a small floating lure) a bass came up and hit at it. I was using my fly rod with the lure and when I jerked the pole up to try and set the hook the lure popped up in the air and flipped up on the edge of the weeds along the edge of the pond. Before I had a chance to pick it off the top of the weeds the bullfrog had taken three long jumps and had the lure in his mouth. The frog, which weighed about two pounds, hooked himself and it didn't make him happy. He jumped, flipped and tried to dive under the water but because I was holding the pole up he was unable to do any of his maneuvers that would free him from his predicament. After a few minutes I was able to get him up on the bank where I could get a hold of him and remove the hook from his mouth. After I released the bullfrog, he wasted no time getting back out on the water. When I got back to fishing that frog avoided my lure. It seemed to me he had learned his lesson but I sure he went to another spot to try again, where his food source didn't bite back.

I think there is a lesson for us all here and that is don't stuff anything in your mouth just because it looks good. It may be harmful to your health.

Some years ago, while fishing on Indian Lake near Iron River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I had a rare opportunity. This opportunity was to see three bald eagles as they were flying across the lake.

Indian Lake is not a large lake and is set similar to a large bowl. The lake has a ring of hills around it and that particular day it was green with the pines and the leaves of spring. The day was a beautiful and sunshiny; the lake especially quiet and clear. While I was setting out upon the lake in my boat, a bald eagle came flying from the east. The eagle was carrying a spotted, whitetail deer fawn. It had caught the fawn in its talons and was now attempting to take it back to its nest to feed its young.

As the eagle came over the ridge of trees, I saw two other eagles. These eagles were attempting to take the dead fawn from the first eagle's talons. As the first eagle flew, the other two kept trying to dive underneath of him in an attempt to snatch the fawn from him. The first eagle, however, was clever. He flew down, low over the water. This was his attempt to prevent the other eagles from getting underneath him and taking his prize. The three eagles flew across the lake, and then up and over the ridge on the other side of the lake. This was a distance of over a mile, and the eagle still had the strength to hold on to the fawn, as well as go from lake level up and over that next ridge.

It is the strength of the eagle that was so amazing. As it carried its prey, it also had to struggle to keep the other eagles from stealing the prize away. I am thankful to have seen this sight for it occurred to me that seeing this type of incident is rare. There are few people who get to observe the eagle as it attempts to live and survive in the wilderness. The fishing was good, but that was only part of the experience of fishing that day. To see the Bald Eagles, with their 7 foot wing span, their dark brown bodies and their white heads and tails, as they traveled through the bright blue sky was a sight worth more to life than silver or gold. There are probably people who would argue with me on this last statement, but they didn't see this amazing sight. People who enjoy the outdoors and what it has to offer are more likely to agree with my opinion of this experience. I don't know if the eagle got the fawn back to its nest, or if it lost it to the other eagles. I do know the last that I saw the eagle, it was still holding the fawn and heading west.

One of the joys of taking your grandchildren out for a day of fishing is knowing they will always remember the trip and appreciate it. As an example, I will tell you a story about my granddaughter. When my granddaughter was nine, she went fishing with me. It was a special day for both of us when she caught a largemouth bass that weighed five and one half pounds. She was a very happy and excited young lady. That fall when she went back to school, she wrote a short report about her fishing trip. Here it is:

"I remember when my grandpa tout me how to fish. Now every time I go to Michigin I go fishing with him. When I fish it reminds me of my grandpa. Thank you grandpa." 10/4/04 (Spelling is hers)

I have her hand written paper, along with a picture of her with her bass, in a picture frame, on a shelf, in our family room. These are the types of things that bring joy to a grandparent's life. This is why it is so important to pay attention to your grandchildren while they are young. You need to share your joy of the outdoors with them. It is also important, while you are young and have children, to take them with you when you go fishing. You will find you have as much joy watching your children catch fish as you have in catching them yourself. Share your time with your children and grandchildren while they are young, and when you are old you will never regret it. Ignore your children, and you may spend your later years being treated as you treated your children. Now is the perfect time to spend time with children. Now is the time to show them to love and respect the out-of-doors. Tomorrow will be too late. Take a child, any child, fishing. To know that my granddaughter had these thoughts just because I took time to share with her a fishing experience is worth the time and effort. Try it and you will like it.

Fishing is a sport that anyone, including children, can participate in and enjoy. Fishing can be a learning experience where children have the opportunity to catch fish and learn to respect the outdoors at the same time. Children can learn that there is an abundance of fish in many shapes and sizes. (It kind of reminds us of the different shapes and sizes of people who fish for them.) They can learn that fish, like people, start out small and then grow larger. Some of the fish are long and slim, others short and wide, and there are fish of all sizes and shapes in between. (Just like us.)

Fishing can be a family sport that can bring important memories for all family members. When a small child catches a fish, it is a very exciting time, a time that is shared by all who are there. My father started me fishing when I was three and I still enjoy it today, sixty-four years later. Once fishing is a part of your life, there is an excitement to it that stays with you. It isn't always catching the biggest fish that makes a fishing trip a success, but just being there to enjoy the day. For instance, there is the excitement felt when you see your child or grandchild catch their first fish. This excitement is contagious and makes the fishing trip a successful one. Furthermore, the excitement that is felt by the catching of that first fish doesn't end that day, but the excitement continues throughout that child's lifetime. That catch is a story that will be told over and over to each person the child meets.

As you are not competing with someone else, fishing can be a very relaxing sport. If people are fishing for relaxation, every fish is a trophy, no matter what the fish's size. A successful fishing trip isn't measured by how many fish were caught or how big they were, but by whether or not the people who went had a fun day and enjoyed being outdoors.

Why go fishing? Fishing can help to grow a healthier generation by getting people outdoors. It's an enjoyable sport and it gives people a place to go. People can go to a park to fish, or a lake where there is a fishing area. They can take the children and a picnic basket to have a fun time. It is a way to get children, not only out and away from videos and computers, but a way to get them to exercise also. The goal is to get people out of their houses and into the great outdoors where there is fresh air and lots of space. Today, too many people are content to sit day and night within a confined area with no physical exercise. It is time for people to look to the outdoors and possibly fishing.

Contentment in life comes through relationships. These relationships begin in the family. Every child needs to feel they are loved. Taking a child fishing is a very good way to show love to a child and to let them know that they are important. Take time to take a child fishing.