Lady Luck!

Sunday started out like most spring days along the banks of the Fox river, cool and windy, but as afternoon approached the blustery winds brought warmth up from the south. I waited till after lunch to grab the rods down off the garage wall hop in the Trail Blazer and make my way down to the river. Smallmouth bass would be the target species of the day. The first stop was below the bridge on Spring St. in South, Elgin. I tied a white spinner bait to my new rod and reel combination and began casting the eddies and rock structure in and around the bridge pilings. Working this area for an hour or so, with no fish to show for it, I decided to look for slower moving water.

Returning to the car, I headed up river to Elgin, and took up residence on shore, near the Grand Victoria casino. The water was moving much slower there and I anticipated that I might have found some better structure and conditions that the fish might be relating to. Within fifteen minutes I had a good sized smallmouth bass grab on to a chartreuse spinner bait (the white one was now hanging off of the river boat's tow line) and make its way toward the surface. The fish exploded above the water and threw my spinner bait like the shooter throws dice across the craps table. I stood there for a minute and pondered the thought that it was a good idea I went fishing instead of gambling. For on this day luck was not to be on my side.

After another hour or so I returned home with no fish, no pictures, and only the memory of that smallmouth bass leaping in the foreground of the Grand Victoria casino. I played a little catch with my son, working on his pitching, and soon Shirley called us both in for Sunday dinner. As we walked in the house he turned to me and said; "Dad, I love days like today, when you go fishing and I play with my friends and then we end the day by playing catch together." It was those words, spoken from my nine year old son, that made me realize that just maybe lady luck is always on my side!