Matt's best day ever!

 Matt's whole goal in life has been to simply catch a trout on a fly rod. Okay, that may not sound like much but let me tell you fly fishing here in Minnesota is a lot tricker than Montana. I can honestly say after watching Matthew and Mike fish hours and hours over the last few weeks that if you can catch a trout in Minnesota you can catch a trout anywhere. They spook way easier and they are super picky at what they strike at. 

We went out again on Sunday to try and get Matt his first trout. If there is one thing he has that I don't have it is persistence. I would have given up hours ago. Not Matt! He wanted to catch that trout so bad. 

He checked out a book from the library that told us lots of great places to fish. We had no idea how lucky we were to pick the spot we did.

Shortly after arriving I noticed a fly rod sitting up on the shore by a little cabin. I said hey Matthew, I think there is another fly fisherman here. Right about then I saw a fly fisherwoman step out. She walked over to say hello and I recognized her. The Hiawatha group had told us all about her. Her name was Marlene and she is praised greatly among the group. Claron has told us all about what an amazing teacher she is and also how she has a beautiful cast. She spent the next couple hours helping Matthew perfect his cast. She was an amazing teacher. I have to say I was so impressed by her. She was so kind in asking if he wanted help. She even taught me a lot and I don't even fish(yet...according to her) 

 I just have to say as a Montana girl. Minnesota streams are so beautiful. They seriously look so perfect you would swear you were standing in a diorama. They have these bright green wavy plants under crystal clear water. Water so clear in fact that you can see the fish you can't catch!

 I just can't get over how beautiful it was out there. The concrete block sticking out of the water on the left is where Matt was standing when we first met Marlene. Mike had gone to the other side behind me to fish. 

 We had taken Chester with us and I wanted to share this picture. When Charlie was little he spent his first two years going to work with Mike everyday. He spend a lot of months curled up on Mike's lap like this. Chester reminded Mike of what it was like when Charlie was a baby. Matt's lucky that Chester is still here this morning! 

 After we left Marlene we took a break to grab some dinner and then we decided to try the spot that we started at two weeks ago. Mom had suggested we call it a day but Mike and Matt said...one more try. 

I was going to stay in the car with Chester but not more than 5 minutes after we arrived Matt hooked a trout. Lucky for mom he did not land it. It was for sure my motivation to get out of the car. Chester and I played while the boys fished. In fact, we were quite a distance away when I hear Matthew screaming "I got one" I think I had to half way drag Chester to run over to Matt and Mike. 

Sure enough Matthew had landed his first trout. A beautiful Brown Trout. I have to say trout belong in a Minnesota stream. 

 Not bad for your first trout on a fly rod Matt! 

 Here is dad helping get the fly out. I should mention too that the fly came from another fly fisherman that Marlene knew. He was walking out and stopped to give us some information. He said the fish were really biting on a "Skinny Nelson" and he gave Matt one. 

I have to say that Matt has learned so many lessons from the fly fishermen he has met. I totally get that it is bigger than fishing. They are all so kind and willing to help him. I am sure that if we would not have run into Jim and Marlene Matthew would not have caught his first trout. 

 Two casts later he caught his second! 

What a wonderful sight.