We spent the day on the Mississippi River, and it was a beautiful fall day. What we hadn’t counted on was the first real frost the night before. The fish shut down, and no amount of patience or lure-switching could change their minds. Some of us hooked a fish or two, but Bret was the only one to actually land one, a nice 18″ smallmouth that kept us from going home empty-handed.
The afternoon and evening more than made up for it. We gathered at Dan’s house for refreshing drinks on the deck and a competitive round of bocce ball, with Dan and John taking the win. Dan and Tracy’s daughter popped in with her fiancé to drop off their cat, Chef, for the weekend, which added a bit of entertainment for everyone.
Then came dinner. Dan and Tracy prepared bacon-wrapped filet mignon, hashbrown casserole, asparagus, and mushrooms in a sauce that earned rave reviews. (Did Bret lick the serving bowl clean? We’ll never tell.) We finished with chocolate ganache cake by the fire.
A highlight for many was having our youngest team member, Julia, name the “oldies” songs that played throughout the evening. This sparked plenty of 80s and 90s music conversation.
Last year, dozens of bass were caught. This year, we got one. Either way, the day was never really about the fish. It was about the laughter, the good-natured teasing, and time together that doesn’t fit on a calendar invite. Congratulations again to Bret, and here’s to better luck (and a later frost) next fall.
