22 Months = A Fisherman!

Learning how to hold the fishing rod.

First catch of the day- a sunny.

Watching Bapa bait the leech.

Braden's biggest catch of the day!

On Braden's big 22 month milestone (last Friday), I happened to take him up to my Dad's lake home for a few hours for his first fishing lesson. I have wanted to take Braden up there all summer long on a weekday now that my Dad is retired. The time is drawing near where I should probably stay close to home, and after one bad weather cancellation, we finally made it happen last Friday. Braden and I made the 70 minute drive in the morning. We counted semis on the highway, we saw parachutes (or sky divers) in the sky. Braden does well in the car because he likes to soak in all the sights as we drive. We arrived at about 10:30 and stayed until close to 3. It was a gorgeous day out on Horseshoe Lake, WI. It was sunny and hot, but not overly humid. We lathered up in sunscreen and climbed onto the pontoon not too long after we arrived. I guzzled water, Braden drank two juice boxes (a treat that we don't have at home), and for Bapa - well a Bud Light of course.

Once out on the lake, Bapa gave Braden his very first fishing rod, Sponge Bob nonetheless. Once we anchored, Bapa "the ever-so experienced fisherman" showed the 22-month old how to cast, reel, bait and catch a fish. Within the first five minutes, bang...two sunfish were caught. Braden caught a total of four fish in just a short amount of time. He reeled in one all by himself. We will have to work on his casting though, he isn't quite old enough to do that solo, or put bait on for that matter. The rest of the time we took a nice tour of the lake on the pontoon so we could feel a little breeze on our face. It was a beautiful day to soak up the rays and take in all the pretty scenery out on the water, we were one of the only ones out there that day.
Ahhhh, if only every day could be spent on the lake. Braden had so much fun. We didn't even make it 5 minutes in the car upon leaving until he was fast asleep. Of course, we ended our visit with Bapa with some ice cream floats and Braden showing off his sprinting skills, so who wouldn't be tired after all of that fun?

So, on Braden's 22-month birthday (if that's what you call it), he officially added "fisherman" to his fine-toddler skills. I wonder what 23 months will bring? Maybe "brother" as a new title?!?!