Sweet joy of a child's first fish

The last weekend in April is one of the biggest events in state.

- Dave Graybill

Hundreds of thousands of friends and families gather together, some of them for the only time of the year.

What’s the occasion?

It’s the statewide opening of the lowland lakes to trout fishing. This celebration of the long- The new SunnyJo is a catamaran and will ply the waters between held tradition of casting a line Stehekin and Fields Landing -- the in the water with the hope of attracting a trout to a baited hook, upper part of the lake. The other boats, operated by Discover Lake still remains one of the primary Chelan, will continue to operate reasons that causes people to between the city of Chelan, Fields spend time outdoors.

For many years, my wife Eileen and I spent the first day of the weekend traveling to our area lakes. We didn’t take a fishing rod. Just a camera to capture the festivities.

We would encounter large groups of people that were camping at one of these lakes.

It was not uncommon for us to meet three generations of a family that had been coming to the same lake for opening weekend for 30 or 40 years.

Rain or shine, they keep returning. It is where memories were born, and each year more are added to the fabric of these families.

What started all of this? A trout.

The first trout caught by a youngster under the guidance of a father or grandfather, it caused that thrill, and it is a thrill that has been passed down through generations.

My mother used to tell a story about me when I was just two years old. I was missing from the house, and she looked all over, even the outbuildings. She finally found me standing on a rock in the middle of Mission Creek, holding a stick like I was fishing.