Happy Mother’s Day

It's been a long time since I've gone fishing with my mom. I remember the last time, I was much younger, but that trip was an experience I'll never forget. Ten years have gone by since that trip my dad, mom, and I took. My mom had been feeling ill but she came for the boat ride anyway. A few hours into the trip I remember my mom complaining that she needed to go to the bathroom really bad when all of a sudden my dad hooks up with an oversize redfish. He hands me the fishing pole while reassuring my mom that it won't take long. The battle seemed to last forever and my mom was getting more irritated and fidgety. My dad assured her, "It's almost over, it's almost over, I promise."

Leaving out unkind words that were exchanged between my mom who was in dire need and my dad who has an obsession, I eventually landed the fish and mom had an accident. You should have seen the roundness of my dad's eyes when he saw the mishap on the deck of his boat. All I could hear was my mom pleading, "I told you guys I had to go." Needless to say, after that incident I don't think my dad took my mother fishing quite as often.

And now to the present day, being that the month of May brings my mom's birthday and not to forget Mother's Day, I decided to invite her for a special day of fishing. You would have to personally know my mom to know that fishing is not high on her list, but surprisingly she said yes to the invite. I set the alarm clock right around eight-thirty in the morning, a lot later than usual. As I loaded the equipment and got the boat ready, my mom also got ready.

The drive to the boat ramp was certainly different. Here I was so used to being driven, but now I was in charge of making sure everything was in place. I was so used to having an early morning conversation with my dad about the day's game plan. In turn my mom was rather quiet and more sleepy than awake. Arriving at the ramp I observed the incredible number of boats that were out. I backed the boat into the water and then had to park a long way off. Getting back to the dock I quickly realized the boat was sinking with my mother on it. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to put the plugs in. I then had to run back to get the truck, pull the boat on the trailer and drain the water out for fifteen minutes. Lucky for me my dad was not around, or I would have never heard the end of it.

After getting everything right, plugs and all, we took off and headed to our first spot of the day. Not knowing what fishing skills my mom had retained, I choose a spot that could produce enough action and at the same time contain a friendly bottom for her unpracticed retrieve. After watching her cast a few times, I interrupted and gave her a few tips and techniques on the proper way of casting. She got everything down right but still lacked distance on her cast. I knew she would get the hang of it with some practice.

The first spot was not very productive so we moved to another. At this stop I hooked a small trout and proceeded to remove the hook from its mouth when I got scolded by my mom for hurting the fish. I told her that I was being careful, and the fish would be okay once released. My mom's casting abilities were still not yet fine-tuned. The only bites she was experiencing were from the pesky skip jacks, but for my mom that was all fun.

I had a chance to share some knowledge with my mom; I showed her the difference in the color of the water, pointed out the grass beds and shared how important they were for marine life. I taught my mom what potholes look like and informed her why fish like to hold there. I also explained to her how the spoil islands were created.

At this point the fishing was pretty tough so I made the decision to try our luck at sight casting for redfish. As we drifted, I pointed out a few darting sheepshead. Then came the moment we had been looking for. I noticed two big wakes and spotted two huge redfish swimming away from the boat. I made a well placed cast right in front of the largest one, and bam he took the worm. I set the hook, and the fish quickly peeled line causing the drag to scream out. While fighting the big fish my mom got super excited; she was cheering me on. After bringing the fish to the side of the boat, my mom helped me net it. It was so heavy that she had a hard time lifting it out of the water. My mom congratulated me on my catch and kept telling me how big it was. We took a few photos with the fish and called it a day.

Even though my mom's catch was all skipjacks, she commented how much of a great time she really had. I truly enjoyed taking the time to take her out and spending quality time together. I especially enjoyed teaching her what I knew about our vast backyard, the Laguna Madre.

Mom; Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day to you and all the mothers out there.