Teaching the Neighborhood Kids to Fish

I'm a retired fisherman, and I live near a small pond in the middle of a suburb. This summer, I noticed kids hanging around the pond with sticks and string, trying to catch something.

So I put up a sign: "Free fishing lessons, Saturday at 9 a.m. Rods provided." I expected two kids. Fourteen showed up.

I taught them to bait a hook, cast a line and be patient. That last one was the hardest. They caught sunfish, bluegill and one very small catfish that a girl named Zoe insisted on naming Sir Whiskers before we let him go.

We've done it every Saturday since. Some of the parents come too, now. A dad who grew up in Vietnam showed us how his grandfather fished with a bamboo pole. The kids call me "Captain." I've never had a better crew.