Sometimes you catch a fish...

I fished all the time with my grandpa when I was a kid. It was a cornerstone of visiting my grandparents.

I was 10 years old when we drove to Galesburg, Illinois for a few days to visit Tom, my grandpa’s brother. Tom was the reason for our visit, but our fishing gear found its way in the trunk with a, “you never know”.

The next morning, we knew.

We found our spot and hooked our worms. Before casting, I let out my line an inch more and my hand slipped. The line released and the lure dropped into the tall grass in front of me. When I reeled it in, a toad was on the other end of the line.

Swirling and petrified, the toad was finally freed by my grandpa once he caught his breath from laughing.

Out of all the fish I caught, this was my best catch.

It’s unexpected. It’s shared. It presents a new kind of problem on an otherwise typical day.

I told everyone about my catch. I still do.

That’s because the best fishing stories don’t require fish.