Catch of the Day

When my husband showed me the route to a fast food joint he wanted to try I asked about a nearby body of water on Google maps. It turned out to be Armco Park. Driving by the sign many times over the years I thought the name indicated an employee-only company facility. Was I ever wrong. The website told me it’s part of the county park system. And entrance is free! My husband agreed to a quick visit after lunch.

A resident crane.

Amenities include a huge number of shelters, lots of playground equipment, a golf course, baseball fields, hiking trails, and a fishing lake. That last caught my attention. My last fishing trip happened over a decade ago. A daylong fishing pass costs a mere $7. Proceeds from those, various watercraft rental fees, and boat ramp access charges (all reasonable) are said to go toward stocking the lake as you are about to see.

An unhappy grass carp...

It took me several minutes to remember how to thread a fishing reel that Tuesday night. Come Wednesday morning I gathered sunscreen, insect repellent, a little cooler complete with peanut butter sandwich, my tackle box, fishing rod, and headed over. The drive didn’t take twenty minutes. Finding an attendant took almost as long. Instead of being at the boat house like his colleague the day prior, this fellow was busy chatting with a fisherman and completely oblivious of my arrival.

"Come on, human...
Enough photos, already."

Anyway, I got my ‘paid’ sticker and a box of live worms. Around two hours later I relearned some casting skills and caught a single tiny fish. I came home happy. Several worms remain, too, so I plan to return soon. Wish me luck. Perhaps I’ll catch a tasty walleye or catfish large enough to bring home and cook.

"Let me go! Now!"
And so I did.

So those fishy images are all of my catch. ~grin~ By the way, Culvers makes tasty burgers and one of the best root beers we ever drank. Their diet version tastes intensely rich.

Have you tasted root beer soda? Do you like it?

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