Opening Day

I can’t wait for the Major League Baseball season to start next week (Go Royals!). But Tuesday was opening day for another sports season that I anticipate almost as much as the beginning of baseball season. That’s right: the first fishing trip of the year!

My tackle box has been packed and ready to go since early January (no joke). I would have been on the shore of a pond back then, had it not been 10 degrees outside with six inches of snow on the ground. Despite the conditions, I thought rather seriously about breaking through the ice just to see if the bass were biting. So when late March rolled around, I couldn’t wait any longer. When I saw the weather forecast for this week, I called my fishing buddy and made plans for Tuesday night.

When we got to our favorite fishing hole near Maize about 5:30 Tuesday afternoon, we were greeted by 35-mph winds, which carried away our hopes of catching much. After spending 15 minutes ducking behind the car while battling the wind to get our rods rigged up and lures tied on, we threw out a few casts. To our surprise, we started pulling in some nice crappie. And after about half an hour, the largemouth bass started biting. It was on! Two hours later, we had caught and released 18 fish between us.

So, if anyone needs to find me on a warm evening or pleasant Saturday morning in the next several months, check the shore of the nearest lake or pond.