WASHINGTON SPORTSMAN SHOW

Sunday, 22 January 2012 22:09

January 25-29
Wednesday: 12noon – 8pm
Thursday: 12noon – 8pm
Friday: 12noon – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday: 10am – 4pm
Box office closes 1 hour prior to show closing
Western Washington Fairgrounds
Puyallup Fair & Events Center
110 9th Avenue SW
Puyallup, WA
Free to children 5 and under

As a young child, fishing was a great passion of mine. My family lived on a farm through which ran a small river and when I was about seven years old, my mother finally agreed to let me go fishing by myself.

So, decked out with a pocket knife, pole, some worms and grasshoppers, I made straight for the river, my mother’s voice following me with all kinds of instructions, such as, stay on the bank, don’t try to fish in the rapids. Well, you know how this story goes: I baited my hook and headed straight to the middle of the rapids. Feet wedged between rocks, I begin to cast my line up stream and watch it drift past me. Soon, I could see a few fish start to follow the baited hook and then one of them struck my hook! I set the hook and, trying not to fall down, worked my way back to the bank. Not having a creel in which to store my fish, I cut a forked willow limb and made an old fashion fish holder.

When I got back to the house, I proudly showed off my trophy, all the time assuring my mother the wonders of fishing from the bank and NOT the rapids. When I finally measured my fish, I had proudly caught a ten inch rainbow trout. Mother volunteered to cook my catch for dinner. However, I asked if we could freeze this ‘Leviathan’ for a while so I could show it off to visitors.

Well, sad to say, we had lots of visitors and by the time winter came, the fish had lost its tail, fins and rainbow. Lesson learned: you can take a fish out of the freezer only about so many times before the glory of that summer day begins to fade and fall apart.

Strange to note, sometime during the winter my fish disappeared from the freezer. By then I had moved on to other things and just supposed the fish had continued to gradually fall apart. Mother agreed that was probably what happened.

“Western Washington’s only sportsmen’s show runs January 25 – 29 and spotlights the one-of-a-kind indoor “Steelhead River,” over 150 hours of free “how to” seminars, camp cooking demonstrations, the Kid’s Free Trout Pond, the “Head & Horns” competition and much more.”

*From Washington Sportsman’s Show Website

For more great things to do in Seattle & Western Washington, check out the Annual Events Section of Belva’s List.

Enjoy what ever you do,
Belva & The Bearded One