1 fish, 2 fish, 3 fish, brown fish!

If you are ever in the Bozeman area and need a fishing guide, have we got the man for you: Mr. Collins, Scott's dad's friend and a fellow retired teacher. He bravely agreed to bring all the gear and teach Zach, Maryn, and Bryn to fish. He was very determined that each of them would catch their first fish!

We started at this little stocked lake. As you can see, Scott and I arrived in style in our old car.

After only a few hits and no snagged fish, we moved on to another lake just down the road.

Zach was mostly interested in reeling his line in, over and over, and eventually he and Bryn decided the nearby hill required exploring. Maryn displayed the most patience, by far! After no luck at that lake (or the adjoining lake), Mr. Collins arranged with a friend for us to use his river-front property. So a few days later we were off to the Gallatin River for another shot at catching those elusive fish.

After a snagged line and some wading in ice-cold water for Mr. Collins, Zach landed himself a brown trout!

And then Maryn and Bryn caught theirs too, and some were even brave enough to touch it.

So after three different locations, four to five hours, many casts, one tangled line, a handful of worms, a few trips through the river to find the perfect spot, and one soaked Bryn - these three kids caught their first fish! Thanks again Mr. C - your perserverence paid off!