Cora’s First Amazing Trout

Can one fish change everything? Something? I think it can, and Cora’s first amazing trout may be proof of how much we all need a little joy in our lives. And possibly a trout on the end of a line…

“I haven’t caught anything,” ten year old Cora said, with a look of snowballing sadness many good anglers show when fishing with others and others are doing all the catching. It was that first fish, that first trout, the one that came late in the day, that made all the difference. You need not be an angler to understand. Cora was fishing for the first time. Being a city kid can be tough, especially without solid support at home. Paved roads don’t always lead anywhere and they suffer from lack of trees to climb and play under. But on a random Saturday, while an osprey watched, maybe everything changed for Cora.

a pretty wild brook trout, cradled and released

Bruce Bain is the President of the Narragansett Surfcasters, a Rhode Island fishing club, whose members spend as much time giving to their community as they do wading the surf for striped bass and bluefish. Among the many charitable events they manage or particpate in, each year they host Take A Kid Fishing Day. Typically a dozen daughters, sons, nephews, neices, and grandkids cast around the Carolina Trout Hatchery pond, hoping to land a rainbow, brown or brook trout. Bruce brings his grandaughter each year. Barely after their Christmas tree is down, she starts asking, “Pop, when is kids fishing day?” This year, 24 kids were mentored, encouraged and cheered by NSC members.

“She doesn’t lead a charmed life,” Bruce said about Cora, a sweet sort of relative who he knew would love a new experience. People in her life care for her basics and others understand some have more than others. Bruce is wise and generous, typical of NSC members, so he invited Cora. With a push button rod, a mess of wiggly night crawlers and a stocked pond, Bruce patiently walked Cora through the basics: holding line with one finger, casting, reeling, watching the bobber and maybe setting a hook.

Patience requires so much time…

“She had that face, she had never fished before,” Bruce said. After a while, 23 kids had caught something. Some caught more than one, which is why these volunteer days are so special, and the laughter is so infectuous, unless you’re still catching less than one. Take a few dozen kids and a handful of grownups to a pond, shut off all the noise, be free from division to focus on a simple, kind act and everyone laughs. Taking someone fishing does that; it erases and fills in, it cleans away some things then paints on new memories. Fishing is also way more fun for a ten year old when they’re catching something.

“You have to watch the float,” Bruce told Cora. Lots of us fish; of course we know a bobber connects to a hook and a wiggly worm and when a trout takes notice, even the bobber jumps with excitement. It’s not hard to watch one but kids are so easily distracted and there are countless trees shading animals and pretty flowers, around a pond with turtles peering back at little kids and circling osprey above a stocked pond. There exists a circle of life in all places, but in the woods, far from traffic lights, day long sirens and constant risk, a young girls eyes can be opened to so many new experiences, sights and sounds. Still, Cora was missing out on the catching part.

Marty to the rescue. Bruce Bain photo

That’s when NSC member Marty Wencek walked over to Cora and may have just changed her life. Marty is a tall, patient man, who shares that “be humble” DNA with other members. Members don’t look for press or praise. He coached Cora, reminded her of the basics, encouraged a bit of patience. With eyes on a bobber, waiting and waiting, Cora caught and released six trout in a row.

“Her smile was so unbelievable,” Bruce said. I could hear him smiling when he said those words. This was Cora’s first amazing  trout. Picture two grown men, talking about a young girl catching her first fish, both silently running a finger through the corners of their eyes, both understanding the harmony of the whole deal. The alchemy of good people, timing, a love for being outdoors, which is classic Narragansett Surfcasters, and some healthy worms just may have fused to create a new angler. “It probably changed her life,” Bruce added, knowing full well that learning how to catch and handle fish, to respect nature, and how to be kind to someone in need, can change everything. The Narragansett Surfcasters are a wonderfully positive force. On Take A Kid Fishing Day, they brought a sweet girl from a paved front yard, shared a fishing rod and some kindness, taught her patience and encouraged hope, all while creating memories and the type of perspective that builds great people. After all the catching, Cora went back home to streetlights and sirens. Where will she go from here? Will that first amazing trout make a difference in her life? Time will tell, but I’d gamble to say Bruce will be buying an extra trout rod, just in case.

For more information on the Surfcasters, click here.