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 Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 7:01 pm
The lake wasn't large by any means, hardly larger than a pond, but it was perfect for fishing. Large trees provided shade to the brackish water; while Isaac was not entirely familiar with inland fishing, he did not think it would be much different than open-sea fishing. Even if he was wrong, Gretchen had said she could fish (or had before) - and Isaac did not seem worried that any failure to catch a fish meant no dinner. They would be fine. A fallen log was the perfect seat, and Isaac guided Gretchen to it, whistling softly. In his free hand he carried his rods and tackle-box. "This is a good spot, I think," Isaac said, mostly to himself as he set the boxes down.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 7:18 pm
Gretchen couldn't help swinging their hands as they walked, humming along to his whistling. She didn't know the song, but that didn't really matter. It was a light, easy thing, and if every note didn't match up perfectly, well. Who cares? The spot he picked for them did look good--not just for fishing, though the bit lily clustered shore line to one side suggested they'd have good luck--but in general, as well. The view was nice. The lake was small, but it was peaceful, secluded. "Perfect." She gave his hand a squeeze before letting go, moving towards the log so she could take a seat to watch him get the rods ready. Not that she didn't know how to do it herself, she did, but these weren't her's. "Are you going with bait, or lures?" Elbows on her knees, she rested her chin on her laced fingers.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:27 pm
Isaac cracked open his tackle box and ran his fingers lightly over the vast array of lures and hooks and weights that filled each compartment to bursting. "Lures. Crankbait," Isaac answered absently, busying himself with dressing their lines. His hands moved with an odd grace; the knots he tied were quick and precise, his fingers going through the motions as though he were running completely on muscle memory. "I think there will be bass here," he continued, making quick work of the lines simultaneously, tying one knot here and another there, "I have read they are easiest to catch with this sort of lure." He held one up. For all intents and purposes it looked like a small silver fish with two hooks along the belly.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:41 pm
She watched him avidly as set about selecting the lures and tying them to the lines. Careful knots, expertly placed weights, it was an easy sort of familiarity. A comforting reminder of countless trips to lakes and rivers and hours spent in peace and contentment. "I think you're right," she agreed, lifting her head to glance out over the water. It didn't matter that she didn't know where they were, it had that look. The sort of wonderful little secret spot that was absolutely teaming with fish. Not just bass, but crappy, pan, and cat fish as well. Not to mention the frogs she heard singing all around them in their bass call, and the turtles sunning themselves on half submerged logs. The flash of a silver lure caught her attention, and with great care she reached out to catch it between her fingers, pulling it in for a closer look. "Oh this should do lovely." Simple, but sometimes simple was the best sort of bait. The silver sides would drive the fish nuts.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:06 pm
Finished, Isaac handed the smaller of the two rods off to Gretchen. The one he kept for himself was longer and very obviously well-loved. "I have only used this rod in ocean fishing," he hoisted the one he held, "but I think it will work fine for lake fishing. That one," Isaac pointed at the one he'd given to Gretchen, "I have never used. It is a touchy rod, I think, which is why I have never used it. Maybe you will have better luck with it," he chuckled. "You cast first," Isaac watched her carefully, with interest.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:18 pm
Gretchen handled the rod, when handed to her, like an old pro. Her grip was comfortable, her handling of it easy and sure. A quick check of the reel, to see how it released, if crank locked or needed a manual manipulation. She tested it, then pulled on the line to see what sort of weight the drag was set too. When she was finished, apparently satisfied, she got back to her feet. "Touchy, eh?" All Gretchen heard was challenge, and if she lacked bravery in the face of danger, she was a stubborn thing, determined, ready to face most other obstacles head on. An unavoidable side effect of the accident and the resulting long road to recovery. A glance over her shoulder, making sure there weren't any trees close by, then she was bringing the tip of the rod back over her shoulder, eyeing the water for a good place to toss the lure. When she found one she flicked her wrist to send it sailing through the air, falling with a soft plop not too far off from where she'd been aiming. "Not for beginners," she agreed with a thoughtful hum, reeling in slowly as the tip of the road bounced to give the lure an enticing wiggle to catch the diffused sun light. There was a subtle upward tick to full lips, that usual serene smile, but she was focused now on the lake, the line, the lure in the water and the feel of the rod in her hands.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 8:27 pm
Isaac bit back an outright laugh when Gretchen spoke. She made him laugh, and it was one of the things he most appreciated about her - especially considering the darker path other aspects of his life had taken. He would always have Gretchen to make him laugh. They fell into silence, Isaac casting his line shortly after Gretchen had hers. He let out a low sigh of utter satisfaction and lazily jerked his rod in order to send his crankbait to dancing beneath the surface of the brackish water. This was good. Better than good, this was perfect. "Whoever catches the first fish does not have to cook," he said suddenly, his voice low and filled with mirth.
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Beejoux rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:10 am
The quiet worked just fine for Gretchen. She was content to listen to everything around them. Not just nature, but the soft clicks of the reels and the plop of the crankbaits as they hit the water. The island had its jungle, the beach, but the ambient noise there was so different. This was familiar in all the best ways. When Isaac did speak up, issuing the challenge, she lashed him a small. "Deal. Though unless you brought along a pan in all that gear, it'll be an interesting meal if left to me." She could clean a fish, provided she had a knife, and she could cook pretty good, but she'd never tried frying up a fish directly over open flames. She continued to reel in her line, twitching the rod to lure in their dinner, but she'd have to recast and try again.
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bipolar bee rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 7:47 pm
"Cook them on the coals," Isaac laughed and gave his fishing rod a soft jerk. "The skin will keep the ash off of the meat; you only need to skewer the fish before you place it down. It is not very refined, but it is a good way to get the job done." He shrugged. "Or you can lay down a few sticks close to the fire - green wood does not burn quickly - and set the fish atop it to cook. I will show you, because you are cooking dinner, because I am catching the first fish." Isaac sounded more than a little smug.
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Beejoux rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 7:58 pm
The tip of Gretchen's pool stilled as she paused in her attempts to listen. As much as her dad had loved camping, he had not been the biggest fan of full on roughing it. So even if they had been responsible for catching their own meals, there had always been a way to cook whatever they caught. A metal grate to rest over the coals, cook ware, utensils. Isaac was giving her all new ways to cook the food she caught, and she listened eagerly. Right up to the point where he so smugly declared that she would be cooking their dinner. This would earn him an amused snort, a roll of her eyes as she resumed the familiar bounce of her line through the water. "We'll see about that."
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bipolar bee rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 7:12 pm
Isaac tugged on his line, gave the reel a few clicks.
"Mmm, we will see. Do not worry if you do not catch any fish. I may be persuaded to share my catch with you." He made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a stifled laugh.
"I would not let you starve, after all."
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Beejoux rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 7:17 pm
She couldn't stop smiling. Her cheeks were starting to ache with it, and still she couldn't stop. Even as she shot him a look, shook her head and sharp exhale in humor. "You talk a big game, Buttercup. But I still don't see a fish on the end of your line."
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bipolar bee rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 7:20 pm
Just as she finished talking, the tip of his fishing rod dipped. The smile on his face smoothed out, and Isaac's entire demeanor changed. He looked akin to a big cat, all feline grace and lithe muscle. Isaac waited, just a moment, until his rod dipped again - and then he jerked back and immediately began reeling in.
At his jerk backwards, the line moved through the water and it became obvious that he had, indeed, caught a fish.
He did not smile until the fish was brought ashore. Isaac quickly removed the hook from the mouth of a startlingly large bass, and then hooked his fingers through the gills and lifted it aloft.
He then graced Gretchen with the smuggest smile in the world.
"Oh, ho, yes, you were saying, my sweetest sunflowery-est sunflower?"
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Beejoux rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 7:37 pm
She was the tip of his rod dip as well, and the smile froze on her face, then melted away as it dipped again. He jerked it up, the line wove through the water in a most tell-tale manner, and Gretchen let out a groan as she watched him start to reel it in. "Son of a.." The curse never left her lips. Very seldom did she actually swear, but it had been there, at the tip of her tongue, in the lit of her voice as he hauled the bass up and freed the hook. Not only a fish, but a very large fish. She eyed it, tried not to be impressed, failed, then looked up at him knowing exactly what she'd see on his handsome face. "You're gunaa to be impossible to live with for the whole of the weekend, aren't you?" Against her will the corners of full lips were twitching upward again. "Alright, you win." She knew when she'd been beat. "Is that going to be enough for the both of us, or are shall we keep at it a while longer?" She started reeling again, though slowly, making that last cast count, at least. A valiant effort, but the crankbait was empty when she pulled it free of the water.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 3:45 pm
"I think that this fish will be enough to feed the two of us," Isaac chuckled softly as he watched Gretchen's lure reappear from the murky depths of the lake - completely empty. "I have brought a few other things to eat along with it - potatoes, mainly - but I am certain we could find some fiddleheads or mushrooms to eat along with it. I do not know the mushrooms in this area, though, so that may not be wise to do." He hopped down off the log and watched her carefully; his hands were full, so he could not help her down - something that was easily remedied once the fish was quickly dispatched with a sizable rock to the head. Isaac put the fish down on the shore and reached a slimy hand out to Gretchen - either to take the rod she had in her hand, or to help her down. "I can clean this fish, if you like, or you may while I start the fire. I will let you choose; and I promise I will not be entirely impossible to live with for the weekend," he teased quietly.
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