Northwoods daddy

I'll be the first to admit it. I'm a Minnesotan who doesn't fish or hunt. I know there are many of us who are this way. I just happen to a brother and brother-in-law, who both have boats, multiple fishing rods, bows and arrows, and boatloads of firearms. I, however, just bought one fishing rod for myself and one for Goobs last friday night. I also got some fishing tackle and a fishing license. I was ready to go!!!

We were going up north with my brother, his wife and kids, my sister, her husband and kids, and my mom and stepdad. My brother and his family were in one cabin and the rest of us were in this larger cabin/building, called the "Chalet." It was an interesting weekend, to say the least.

The jist of the whole weekend was that Samok Daddy was going to teach Goobs to fish off of the dock. I had visions of some male bonding that would really bring us together...Daddy and son fishing...you know one of those scenes in the movies. The long and short of it was that I got his fishing pole ready-with the help of my brother-in-law (I think I have it down now). We got this stuff called "Gulp" instead of nightcrawlers at the local bait shop. "Gulp" is a small jar full of fake grubs that emit a foul stench that fish love. You just put the "gulp" on the hook, throw it out there, watch your bobber, and wait for a bite.

We got on the dock, put the gulp on and got the line in the water. We waited and he kept saying"Come on Daddy, get the fish." I tried to tell him that we had to wait for the fish. I don't know if that registered with him. The whole fishing thing lasted about 15 minutes. He looked at the bobber and looked at his cousins, who were playing in the beach area. After looking at both the bobber and his cousins, he said, "Daddy, I want to play now." 15 minutes!!! All I got was 15 minutes of father/son bonding. All these visions I had of being "fishing dad" were flushed after 15 minutes. Of course...he's not even four yet. And really...I need to spend a little more time fishing before I can be considered any kind of dad/fishing mentor.

Patience is a virtue.