On one miserable cloudy misty day Dad, myself and my little brother Tony went fishing on Birch Lake. We moved around a lot that day but I don’t think we caught any walleyes? Well, besides bouncing around sitting in the very front of the boat I was cold, tired and hungry. Tony was around five and he was feeling like I did. He started raising a fuss and wanted to go home but dad was a die hard when it came to fishing. I was siding with Tony but Dad was set on staying out there till he caught something? 

It was miserable! 

Now Tony was getting pretty upset and I was sure Dad would cave in and head for home, but I was wrong. He slipped his fishing rod under the boat behind Tony’s back and hooked Tony’s fish line. Then he carefully pulled the line up, took the minnow off, and tied a candy bar he had in his pocket to the end of Tony’s line. Dad pulled all the fish line in till the end of Tony’s fishing rod started jerking!

Now by golly Tony got excited and Dad was guiding him on how to reel it in. He was sure a fish had bitten! Tony finally reeled in a nice Snickers bar, and Dad convinced him there might be more down there if we just stayed a little longer!

I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t sitting up front groaning and whining about this and I’m sure dad wasn’t telling Tony, “Mike doesn’t know how to catch things like this!” 

Dad was asking Tony, “How did you catch this?” All the while smiling and doubling over with laughter at me in agony!

Oh my God, I wanted to go home. I was freezing, Tony was excited and Dad was grinning.

I was going to tell Tony that he didn’t catch that candy bar and that Dad had put it on his line. Just as I was going to spill the beans, Dad grabbed the end of an oar and tried to reach me in the front of the boat.

He shook his head at me “NO!”

Tony made it awhile, and then he started to complain a little, and sure enough he caught a big Oh Henry this time. Well I know I was grumbling now in the front and all that did was put a bigger smile on Dad’s face! We fished a while longer and then Tony caught the last of the candy bars, a Butterfinger, and finally, we started for home! Tony was excited to show Mom what he had caught. I never even got a candy bar, which Dad had bought for us at the bait shop.

At home Tony was sitting between Mom and Dad on the couch holding his day’s catch.

Now I know I had told Mom just prior to this how unfair this was and I know she didn’t smile, but I’m sure she had a slight smirk on. Anyway she asked Tony if he might share one with me?

To which he quietly replied, “NO! I caught them and I’m going to eat them!” 

Sometimes life is unfair! If the candy bars would have been anything other than 3 of my favorites, who would have cared?

I can still see Dad grinning ear to ear!