"Sam, Gampa and "Girl Things"
"Gampa? Is our fishing tackle, "spensive"?
This sudden and odd question was asked of me, yesterday, while my 6 year old Granddaughter and I were fishing for panfish on my neighbor's lake across from my house.
"Sam", (Samantha), was fishing with her 3wt.fly rod. I'd made the rod for her, by using the tip section of a broken butted 6wt.On the reel seat,was her Tioga #2.
"Expensive? Why do you ask, that, Sam? Why would you think about the price of what we fish with?"
" 'Cause Grama said all your fly fishing stuff is really 'spensive and you have a lot of it".
She was speaking, without looking at me, concentrating instead on her popper as she retrieved it slowly through the twisted limbs of a half submerged tree, where she'd placed it intentionally.
"Oh? Grama SAID, that, did she? Hmmmm. Well,Sweetie, your Grama worries a LOT about stuff, that she shouldn't, really, worry about. Besides, the cost of our tackle, doesn't mean anything, does it, if we're having fun with it?"
Sam continued to work her popper like I'd taught her the year previous. She started to say something else, when the water erupted underneath her offering and she squealed a small squeal, as she clamped her finger down to pin the line against the cork grip and lifted her rod tip to set the hook.
"Well, Sammy, I guess the PRICE of our gear sure doesn't matter, NOW, very much, does it?" I still find it hard to watch Sam fish. The way she picked up fly fishing and the way she can handle her outfit, especially when hooking and playing a fish, belays her 6 years. It's beyond my comprehension at times.
"GAMPA!! I can't TALK, NOW!! I've got a FISH and I'm BUSY!"
I retreated a few steps, ashamed for being so rude as to speak at such an inopportune moment.
Sam did allow me to net her fish, but my Ghillie skills were only shortly needed as she unhooked her 7th Crappie of the afternoon, herself and placed into our "catch bucket".
"Thank you, Gampa, for getting my fish for me!"
"You're welcome, Sam, nice fish, too!"
"He's okay, but my second one is bigger". Sam doesn't put much "excitement or inflection" in her voice, when stating such things. "They're facts", to her, not expressions of delight or excitement.
"So, Gampa, IS our fishing stuff, 'spensive?"
I couldn't figure out,"WHY", we had returned to this topic of conversation, but I couldn't ignore it, either????.. for some reason, it seemed important to Sam and important to her, too,for me to tell her.
"Well, Sammy, let's see,What is "EXPENSIVE", to you? What does,"EXPENSIVE" mean to you?"
"Uhhh,well, Gampa, I think CARS are "spensive"!
"Yes, cars ARE VERY expensive!"
"Does our tackle costs as much as a car, Gampa?"
Nooo!!! No, Sweetie, our gear's not NEARLY as expensive as a car!" Not even close!" (well, "close" MAYBE if I added up ALL the fly fishing gear I own, but Sam hadn't ask me, THAT question, thankfully!)
Sam, continued to rattle off, with her 6 year old logic, what was "spensive" and what wasn't to her. She was interrupted, making her list, a few more times by hooking and landing a few more Crappie and an 11" Bluegill.
"So? SEE, Sam!! You've listed A LOT of things that ARE expensive, but our fishing tackle wasn't one of them, now, was it?"
"No, Gampa, but you didn't answer my question, so I don't know if it is or not and Grama said IT WAS!"
I really wasn't all that interested in entering into a deep, economic discussion with my granddaughter so I tried to cut to the chase???????.
"Sam, it doesn't MATTER,what our fly gear costs!! As long as I can have it and YOU have it and we can fish together like today and have a really great time! Honey, you can't put a "price" on anything like today, can you!!?"
"Grama, can, Gampa! She told Mommy that all your fishing stuff was really 'spensive, so that's why I asked you!"
Well, Sam, DO YOU CARE, when you're having fun, like you are today, what it really costs?"
"Sure, Gampa! I care!"
I was getting a bit exasperated, not only by her insistence on "value of gear", but also she was nailing one decent fish, after another and I couldn't catch a cold, using the identical popper to hers!?!
"Okay, Sam?? YES! "Fly fishing gear, IS "expensive" in a way I suppose!
"It IS? REALLY, Gampa? Wow! How much did my reel cost, Gampa?"
"About $65.00, Sam. But, I got it on sale".
"Grama is right, Gampa, $65.00 is a lot of money!"
"How much did my fly rod cost?"
"THAT, Pipsqueak, I can't say, because I made it for you, remember?"
"Oh yeah, and I love it, too!"
"Good, Sam, I'm glad you're happy with it". Any MORE questions, about the cost of our gear?"
"No! I was just wond'ring is all, Gampa, about what Grama said".
"So, that's IT? All the insisting, about knowing if our gear was expensive or not, Sammy and I tell you the price of your REEL and now, that's ALL you want to know? Why the big fuss, then?"
Oh, GAMPA!! It's a "GIRL thing", you'd never unner'stan!"
We picked up our "catch bucket", the rest of our "spensive gear" and headed for the house???..
I wasn't ABOUT to make the mistake of asking a 6 year old,"What's a "GIRL thing"!!?!
(Final count for the afternoon??. "Sammy=12-Crappie,3-Bluegill, 1-10"LM Bass. The bass was released. "Gampa= 4-Crappie. But, I was too busy, explaining "Fly Fishing Economics" to a 6 year old, to get much fishing done).
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We're both going to get "schmucked upside the head."
