Fresno lake is a man made reservoir about 14 miles north and west of Havre Montana. It is the main water supply for Hill County, a county in the Northern Badlands about a third the size of the entire state of New Hampshire. Things get bigger the further west you travel.
The old man had a 1968 Chevy Impala SS convertible complete with a hemi fuel injected 4 barrel carb that sat on top of a formula 409 engine. It was a pretty car that had balls. The old man would chuckle at the Montana Highway patrol.
In early summer the old man took his children, a preteen boy and a toddling girl fishing along a beach front at the foot of a bluff three quarters around Fresno Lake. This was a pre-chosen fishing hole that only he and the boy knew about. It was their secret.
Two coolers where taken on the trip. One filled with bait, ice, and drinks, the other packs of hot dogs, buns, the proper condiments, and snacks for the toddling girl. She didn't mind what she ate so much as it tasted good. There was a traveling hibachi in the trunk sitting next to the most important items, the fishing poles and tackle boxes.
The rangy crew piled out of the car and the boy could hear the old man grumbling something under his breath. He glanced up at the old man who looked down at him with eyes that know. There seemed to be an exchange of an idea being passed between the two. The boy started smiling and the old man began laughing a big belly laugh, and they both opened the food cooler at the same time. The boy grabbed a package of hot dogs, handed them to the old man and said, "Yes!"
The Old Man, the Boy, and the Toddling Girl all began throwing whole hot dogs and parts of hot dogs out into the waters of the lake, the toddler had one in each hand and one being chewed. It must be time for lunch. The girl walked back to the cooler and let out a blood curdling scream. She was back pedaling as fast as her little legs could move. The old man moved like lightening and was at the cooler before the boy could react. This is when above the screaming could be heard the rattling. Found under the cooler was a large and startled Diamond Back Rattlesnake. It must have crawled under the cooler when no one was watching to keep cool. The old man checked the girl over, she was fine then produced a hand gun magically from some hidden area of his jacket and shot the snake dead. The girl was holding her ears and the boy stood, mouth gapping open, with the look of astonishment on his face.
The old man skinned and cleaned the snake and broke out the hibachi. Snake was now on the menu as it seems the hot dogs became fish food. It was time to eat. The toddler was happy and eating cut carrots, cookies, and the remaining cold dogs. The old man and the boy munched on snake and looked at each other for a brief moment, "Chicken" was the comment the old man came up with followed by a giggling from the boy. The girl just smiled and stared at the two. After all she was only 2 years old, and would eventually grow to question the sanity of both.
Time to fish. The wager was on. The winner pays for dinner. The old man was always the winner of such bets, and the boy was just learning the secrets of landing a big one. Casting as far as he could the boy heard that satisfying clunk of the reel locking in place. The old man's cast was twice and far, but the boy ignored his taunts and just smiled and began slowly reeling in the line. The line came in, nothing. The toddler walked up to the boy and handed him a spoon lure, "Grampa said you wanted this."
The old man had already landed 2 fish, a sun fish, and a Northern Pike about 7 inches long. Northern's look like a cross between a dinosaur and a barracuda, all bones and teeth, don't get your fingers stuck in the mouth.
The sun started laying low on the horizon and it was time to crack open the bait. In the drink cooler were a few Pepsi's and a container of nightcrawlers and another of little fishes. A mix of the two was in order. The girl grabbed a Pepsi and handed it to the boy to open with a toothy smile that showed one missing in the lower middle.
The boy baited the hook with the old man watching, and again they cast their lines out as far as they could, and began reeling slowly into shore. Almost instantly they both had a hit and began battling the unseen foe on the end of the line. The old man reeled fast, then waked back further on shore and drug the fish inland. The boy followed suit, they both had a pretty big Northern attached to the opposite end. Again and again they pulled in the lines. Each time a fish was caught. Then it was time to stop fishing and clean the catch.
The old man took a flat board out of the trunk of the car and began showing the boy how to clean a Northern Pike. First to make a cut from the bottom to just below the gills to clean out the intestines and and stomach. There was a hesitation, disbelief, and the boy showed the old man his fish. The old man showed the boy his fish. In the stomachs of each of their fish was found whole and parts of whole hot dogs. It looked like the pike had just inhaled the dogs without chewing. There they were in front of the two fisherman, "Incredible"
"Chicken" was all the Old Man would say as they packed up to go home with the boy and the toddling girl laughing. He was paying for dinner.
Peace and Balance,
John
No comments:
Post a Comment