Notes From the Dockside: Wax worms and corn dogs

Talk about it

We pulled up in front of the gas station and I yelled back to my two grandchildren that were buckled up in the back seat.

“Does anyone want corn dogs?”

I heard a cheer go up from the backseat and then Amelia shouted “I love corn dogs.”

She quickly followed up with a “can I come in too?” Her older brother nine-year-old Max said he would wait in the van.

Amelia is six years old and she is going fishing with Max and me for the first time. This is a major expedition for her so corn dogs are certainly warranted for a fishing trip of this magnitude.

She took my hand as we entered the gas station and went over to where they have the hot dogs, bratwurst, breakfast sandwiches, pizza slices, egg rolls, burritos and corn dogs. I got us each a corn dog and we went to the checkout to pay.

As I was digging out my wallet I heard Amelia in her soft voice ask “do we have wax worms?” Wax worms are an integral component to our fishing. I told her that, yes, I had gotten them the day before at the bait shop.

The young girl behind the counter took the money I handed her and I asked her “how can you go fishing without wax worms and corn dogs?”

She had a strange look on her face as she tried to put the two items together in her mind. She had that look of “oh gross” on her face and then a weak smile. I smiled back, took my change, scooped up the corn dogs, took Amelia’s hand and walked out the door.

We ate the corn dogs as we drove the rest of the way to the lake. Amelia was apprehensive. Last year we had tried to take Amelia fishing but when we got to the lake it was a lime green, almost florescent, color. It smelled bad too and the heat was intense. She would have none of it.

But this year the water is clearer and it is earlier in the summer so the temperatures are actually a little on the cool side. I take her down to the dock to show her the water. She is still not so sure about this but once she sees that the green is gone she seems relieved.

We go through the pre-launch ritual. The motor is raised and the straps are taken off the back of the boat. Max is experienced with this and helps me. Sunscreen is sprayed on arms, legs and necks and life vests are put on. Then Max takes his sister’s hand and they walk out on the dock. Amelia has to stay with Max and hold his hand while I back up the van with the boat and push the boat off the trailer. Once the boat is floating behind the trailer I give Max the bow line and I drive the van and trailer to the parking lot.

Max sits in the back of the boat and I am in the front with Amelia between us. She takes responsibility for the wax worms and hands us the container when we need it. My float bobs a bit and I set the hook. I can feel a fish pulling against the light spincasting rod. She crawls up front with me and I hand her the rod. The fish, a bluegill, splashes on the surface as she brings it in. She catches the first fish of the day.

She catches the first couple fish of the day before Max gets his first fish. The afternoon becomes busy. Bobbers bounce and dip in the water. The tips of spincasting rods bounce and fish splash on the top of the water. There are squeals of excitement and laughter and shouts of encouragement.

Amelia asks if she can touch a fish. She reaches out gingerly, touches the fish with her finger and laughs. I drop the fish back in the water and she gets me another wax worm.

A couple of fish later she asks if she could throw the fish back in the water. I show her how to hold the fish and hand her the fish but it slips out of her hand which elicits another squeal. But she picks the fish up again and this time drops it overboard into the water.

A little later the bobber sinks and I set the hook and can feel that this is a different fish. I hand her the rod and I can see that she is having a tougher time getting it in. In the water I see that it is silver and flatter than the bluegills we have been catching.

I yell that it is a crappie and Max yells that he is getting the net. Max jabs the net into the water and pulls up on it and the crappie sinks into the mesh as it clears the water. It is a nice size crappie and I take a photo of Amelia holding her big fish. Then she drops it back in the water.

It is now late afternoon. Both Max and Amelia have caught a lot of fish and they seem happy. My guess is that they have caught over three dozen fish. We are already talking about returning here in a couple of days and Amelia asks if we can have corn dogs again. Maybe she is thinking that the corn dogs brought us good luck. It seems to me as good a theory as any.

Who would ever want to go fishing without wax worms or corn dogs?

Editor’s Note: Notes From The Dockside is an exclusive feature appearing in the Hudson Star-Observer on the first and third issues of each month.

Tags: sports, outdoors, food