He's 12 years old, going on 20. He lives at a time when everything is NOT alright in the world. A time when crime and violence are commonplace. A time when wars and threat of wars are always in the air. A time when drugs and alcohol are so available, and when the right choices are not always easy to make. Peer pressure is tough and being accepted is of most importance. Owning the right pair of shoes and wearing name-brand jeans is a must.
He's at the age where his emotions stay in turmoil. He's not a teenager yet, but neither is he a baby. At times, it seems his shoulders tote the weight of the world. Nothing is as tramatic as losing the Mighty Mite Football game, making a "B" on a test, or 
not being able to locate his GameBoy. And on the other hand, there is nothing as exciting as getting a call from the cutest girl in school, spotting the deer in the woods before Daddy or catching a bigger fish than Mom.
He has a competitive nature, not unlike his mom or dad's. He came by it naturally. He always wants to be number one... he has to be the best. A perfectionist. Casey's a very independant little boy, to say the least and he's every mother's dream. He's my son.
When I first started taking Casey fishing, he showed little patience for the sport. If the fish weren't biting... then he just wasn't going to fish. I was distraught that my son did not appear 
to inherit my love of the outdoors or my stamina to stand for hours in the chilly river water in pursuit of whatever might take my bait. I would have to remind myself often that he was just a child, but I fell in love with fishing at such an early age... why hadn't he?
Then the day came. I had invited Casey, who was nine at the time, to go along with me on a little fishing adventure to Lake Cherokee in Cherokee Village, AR not far from our home. Just Casey and me .... spending some quality time together doing something special. A friend of mine, Dave, from a local restaurant had given me a great fishing tip and I was anxious to try it out. The restaurant served some of the best yeast rolls I had ever eaten and according to Dave, I wasn't the only one who loved this bread. He shared with me that he would often take the rolls home with him at night after the restaurant closed and use the bread for bait. He said the fish in the lake loved it! He gave me a bag of bread and Casey and I headed to Lake Cherokee. 
The fish in this lake were fed often by the land owners who lived around the lake, so to see whether or not the fish would be interested in our bait, Casey and I began tossing pieces of the bread into the water and within seconds, fish were swarming the top of the water in a frenzy, eating the bread and begging for more. Smiling, Casey and I knew that the fishing was going to be fun today!
Following Dave's instructions, I showed Casey how to roll the soft bread into a ball around the hook, cautioning him not to get the hook in to his small hands. Soon we were ready... and the games 
began. Casey immediately challenged me that he would catch the biggest fish of the day. Laughing , I accepted his challenge and we began tossing our bait into the water.
Fishing with bread was not as easy as my friend had made it sound and it took us several tries before we figured out how to keep the bread from coming off our hooks at each cast. The fish were pretty good at stealing our bait and even though we caught several nice fish, I was a little disappointed that we were not catching some whoppers. But then it happened!
Something had taken Casey's bait and it was big. So big that I insisted that Casey let me have his rod. Determination immediately set in and he rebelled. "No!" he said, "I can do it! It's MY rod and MY fish!" I had to refrain from taking the rod from him anyway. I didn't see any way possible for this small child to reel in such a monstrous fish. I feared it would drag him straight into the water. More distressing was the fact that he was fishing with only 6 LB test line on his spinning reel. I just knew that he would lose his fish. But Casey knew his set up and knew what to do. Releasing his drag and letting the fish have some line from time to time, Casey decided to let the fish tire. 
I watched in total amazement as my little boy fought to bring the fish in. Allowing the fish to tire seemed like a good plan, except that Casey was also tiring and I would have to remind him from time to time to hold his rod up. It seemed like an eternity before we were able to catch our first glimpse of the fish that he had on. It was a carp... and a big one! I ran for the net, knowing that we'd have to have it to lift the big fish onto the dock. Casey was excited. As Casey brought the fish up to the edge of the dock, I leaned down to net it, but the big ole' carp was not ready to give up and he immediate took off for deeper water. When the big fish started stripping drag again, I saw panic in Casey's eyes. He did not want to lose this fish.
Thirty minutes or more had passed before Casey was able to bring the 10 pound carp near the dock the second time. Fearing the fish would once again take off to deeper water, Casey guided the fish to the edge of the dock, while I lowered myself 
down into the water with net in hand. The carp immediately bolted under the dock and through the steps which was a serious mistake on the carp's part. While entangled in the steps, I attempted to place the net over its body to find that the fish was larger than our net! Casey and I both scrambled to tackle the big carp and bring it onto dry land. It was a joyous occasion and needless to say, Casey definitely outfished me that day, as he has on many occasions since. We never got a photo of that big fish, but the memory of Casey's triumphant battle to land that 10 pound carp will last forever.
He has turned into a serious angler and at the age of twelve can out-fish most adults. On top of that, he is as knowledgeable about his gear, the proper bait to use and the fish which he catches as most pros. He's a true angler. 
I don't fret over Casey's future. Casey has been taught the value of life, right from wrong, and Christian morals. He's a straight "A" student, enjoys the pleasure of reading a good book, thrives on adventure, and loves the outdoors. And though I know that Casey will still face many struggles in life and be challenged from time to time to make the right choices, I know that he will always strive to be the very best. Being second best won't be an option.
I watch his facial expressions. He has many faces. He has one that says, "Teach me more!". Another that speaks determination. Then there is the perfectionist and the winner. Occasionally, I see one which speaks confusion and hurt, even a little mischief. But the one I love the most? The one which says, "Thanks Mom for taking me fishing!"
© October 2003