Fishing Progress Ridge Lake with Nathan

There's a popular lake called Progress Ridge Lake that I used to fish quite a bit from the banks, and had many fond memories here. However, what I remember most was taking my friend Nathan here one day. It was a nice Sunday morning at around eight, and I headed to the lake. My mom said that Nathan might or might not come, so I was simply getting some fishing done as I took in the morning sunrise.

Soon, I saw Nathan walking down to the lake, and I waved from the dock. I shook his hand in a very guide-like manner. You see, Nathan liked fishing but had never caught anything, even in places in which not getting skunked is just sad. He fished here last week with his father and got skunked, but came back today after his sister saw me catch five the other day. When we started fishing, I was the perfect model of a great guide. I was helpful, friendly, and answered any questions he would have, unlike my shut-up-hold-this-rod-and-do-exactly-what-I-tell-you-to-do-when-I-tell-you-to-do-it attitude I have with some other friends. When we started, Nathan would cast his bait out and instantly retrieve it to see if there was any left. I told him to let it sit and be patient, and we waited for our first bite.

Now, what really bugged me was that the fishing today was terrible. We couldn’t catch anything, and to make matters worse, the guy next to me caught one on a bait that I didn’t have. He caught it using a bobber, and I was so desperate to show my “client” some fish that I hastily put one on his line. Other than that, our tactic changing options were pretty bad, with Nathan only having a few spinners and a bottle of Pro-Cure Bait Scent. I kept telling him stories about all the great trout I caught here and how it was fantastic the other day, but I could tell I was losing him. Now, normally I hate those annoying guides who go on about how you should have been here yesterday. I hate this because 1. It makes you feel terrible about your timing, 2. It shows the guide is looking for excuses, and 3. It in no way improves the fishing. It’s not like the fish go “really, we were biting like mad yesterday? Well, maybe we should keep our streak going, Bob!” However, on this day, I was feeling a little bit of sympathy for them.

Despite this, about an hour later I hooked one and asked Nathan if he wanted the hand off. He refused. A little surprised, I reeled in the rainbow and had him take a photograph.

 I turned the fish loose, and was now determined to get him into one. A couple of hours later he got one, and he was elated. It was his first fish, and I felt genuinely happy to have gotten him into that trout. He got addicted to that feeling, and although we caught no more trout that day, he told me about an hour before we left that he “calls dibs on the next one, regardless on which rod.” It was cool, although he never did pay me $200.00 for guiding.