FRIDAY THE 13TH NOT TOO UNLUCKY

I've never been a big believer in superstition.  Granted, I don't make it a habit to walk under ladders or break mirrors, but I don't worry about it too much.  So when another Friday the 13th rolled around last week it wasn't even on my radar.  I was on vacation camping with my family so it was all good.

My daughter and I planned to hit the lake early with hopes of catching some big ol' channel cats.  My twin boys were still in town at the last day of a week-long tennis camp so my boat was emptier than normal.  That's okay as it gave Ashley and I a chance to spend some time together before she heads back to her second year of college shortly.

We were on the water at about sunrise and it was a pretty morning.  Temperatures were in the mid-70s and still comfortable when we dropped anchor on a hump and started fishing.  It wasn't long and the action heated up.  Ashley was having a little trouble feeling the bite so I gave her my rod spooled with Power Pro line.  She liked its sensitivity much better and was catching nice cats routinely in no time.  It didn't help her confidence much when I grabbed her rod and started using it and doing the same.

"I guess it's not the rod, huh?" she laughed.

"I've had more practice," I smiled back at her.    

We had a blast netting fish and pitching a few back that most anglers would keep.  I was keeping a mental tally of fish in the livewell and we were in the mid-teens when I counted to double-check my math.  I told Ashley we needed to make the last few fish good ones to make the morning last as it was barely 8 a.m.  She agreed.

The last few cats added to the livewell were in the 6-7 pound range.  It was about 9:30 a.m. when we decided to call it a morning and go clean fish back at the camper.  Actually, "we" didn't clean fish but Ashley added moral support as she texted pictures on my phone of our successful morning to all her friends and a few of mine, her brothers and grandparents. 

"Wow, today is Friday the 13th, too," Ashley laughed when she glanced at the date on my phone.  "I guess it wasn't too unlucky, huh?"

 It was anything but unlucky.  There likely won't be too many more Daddy/Daughter (she doesn't call me Daddy much anymore, except earlier that morning when she tangled with a fish big enough to nearly pull the rod completely under the boat and she pleaded for help..."DAAAADDDEEEEEEEE!") trips as she finishes up college and starts her own life.  It was indeed a fine morning and likely one of the things I remember as she drives off to school again next month.