"Did you bring a hat?"
"No. Just my sunglasses."
Going back to the shed, he came back with a white Tilley hat for her. "This is probably too big, but it will keep the sun off of your head and shield your face. It can get pretty hot out on the water."
"Unless you are a good practicing Kahuna. Then you can just create a few clouds to cover the sun for as long as you need them." Melanie grinned at him as she spoke.
"Am I supposed to understand what you just said?" Russ really looked puzzled.
"No. But maybe while we're waiting for the fish to bite, I'll let you in on the secret."
"Can't wait. If you can arrange some clouds for us, I'll be eternally grateful."
Holding the boat steady, he waited for her to step into it and get settled, and then loaded all of the gear they would need. Once he was seated, life jackets in place, he baited the hooks. "Just so you know, I'm letting you off the hook, so to speak, this time. But some day you will bait a hook."
In your dreams, buster! You don't know how stubborn and determined I can be. Keeping her thoughts to herself, she listened attentively to his instructions.
"There are some things you need to know before we head out. Rainbow trout are really feisty and they can flip themselves off of the hook if it isn't set really well. Once a fish bites, you need to keep tension on the line as you reel him in. When either of us catches a fish, I'll kill the motor. The other one will pick up the net, and hold it in the water off the side of the boat so the fish can be brought up to it. Then we scoop it up, taking care not to knock him with the rim of the net. Once he's in the net, we can bring him into the boat, then I'll take the hook out and we can put him in the container of water. We only need two fish for our supper so that's all we'll catch."
"You are cooking supper?", she asked.
"I sure am. Are you ready to catch a fish?"
"No, but let's do it."
Under his direction, she released the snap on the end of a rope that was holding the boat to an eye bolt in the side of the dock. He did likewise at the front of the boat and they were on their way. Once they were out on the lake, he showed her how to feed the line out slowly, set it, and troll for fish.