Every Fish's Worst Nightmare

Meet Adam.

You may know him as the eleven-year-old Lego building, bird-watching, appliance deconstructing, math whiz kid... 

but did you also know that with his dad's help that he is turning into quite the avid fisherman as well? 

Last year Adam's scout troop signed up for a fishing derby.   Glen's always loved to fish and the idea of a contest got him and Adam rather excited.   Despite never having participated in an event like that  before, they ended up finishing 6th place (out of over 100 participants) overall!    

They had such a good time and were tantalized by their strong finish, so Glen immediately marked the 2014 fishing derbies on his calendar and started taking the kids fishing more often!   The kids loved the fun outdoor activity and were immediately hooked (pun totally intended) on the newfound ways to spend  beautiful evenings!   We usually end up fishing at Burke Lake or Lake Fairfax, but a few weeks ago we even went out towards Luray and fished in the Shenandoah (where the above pictures were taken) just to practice for the derby! 

Then on Saturday morning while Emma and I were still at girls' camp, Adam, Ellie, and Glen headed to the lake early and staked out their spot for the July 2014 Derby.    34 fish later (mostly bluegill), Adam was named grand champion of the day (and Ellie was 41st)!    

They were a tiny bit disappointed that the grand prize wasn't an all-expense paid fishing trip in the Chesapeake Bay like it was last year, but he got over $500 worth of fishing gear and lures, so no one at our house is complaining!  

Way to go, Adam!