Congratulations to 7-year old Jessa Miller on a day of outdoors firsts.

Jessa, along with her parents Mike and Pam, joined my wife Rachel, my daughter Haley and myself recently on an impromptu afternoon canoe trip along the South Bosque.

Haley and Jessa have been friends since they were babies, so I was almost as proud as her parents to see her become a budding outdoorswoman. Although Jessa had never been in a canoe before, she was a natural — relaxed and unafraid, and keeping her balance even when paddling or scooping up leaves from the water’s surface.

She was amazed by the springs we passed along the riverbank, from those that slowly trickled into the river, to those that gushed through rocks and fallen shoreline timber, to the rust-colored ones tinted with iron.

We spotted beaver dens, birds — including owls, hawks, cranes and kingfishers — and fish causing topwater eruptions as they slashed at their prey.

After paddling ashore to stretch our legs, catch a few of the multitude of small frogs bouncing like popcorn along the shoreline and collect some fossils, we pushed back into the water and set our sights on catching a fish or two.

I found a shallow, timbered flat and fought a nice largemouth to the boat before it shook my lure free during an impressive tail-dance just feet away from us. Then Jessa said she had never fished and wanted to give it a try.

I set Jessa up with a crankbait that could be fished by dragging it behind the canoe as we paddled, and a few minutes passed before she turned and looked at the tip of the fishing rod, then looked at me and calmly said, “I think I might have something.”

She worked the fish toward the boat like she’d done it a hundred times, and soon we were watching a silvery figure cutting through the water beneath us. She raised the pole and the chunky sand bass was aboard.

Mike, in a nearby canoe with Pam, readied his camera to capture the moment. I removed the fish from the line and was giving Jessa pointers on the proper way to hold a fish when the scrappy sandy unleashed a burst of energy, flew free of my grasp and cleared the side of the canoe. All I had left was a puncture wound on my hand and an embarrassed expression on my face.

Things didn’t go perfectly, but another kid fell in love with the outdoors that day. Next time, we’ll get a picture, Jessa.

A tribute to soldiers

Plans are well under way for honoring nearly two dozen service men and women who were injured while serving America overseas.

Lake Whitney’s Corps of Engineers is hosting two Wounded Warrior hunts at one of its wildlife management areas around the lake for wounded personnel from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The first will take place Nov. 5-7, and the second hunt is slated for Nov. 12-14.

“Shooting lanes have been cleared, deer blinds constructed and hunting locations baited,” Natural Resource Specialist Abraham Phillips said.

The area selected for the hunts has produced large white tail deer, turkey and feral hogs, he said.

For information on how to volunteer or contribute, call 254-622-3332.

College fishing tourney

National Guard FLW College Fishing is headed to Sam Rayburn Reservoir Oct. 28-30 for the Texas Regional Championship. Twenty pre-qualified collegiate teams – including Baylor’s Brian Bauer and Joseph Garland — will be competing for a top award of $50,000 to be split evenly between the school and bass fishing club.

Anglers will take off from Cassels-Boykin Park in Zavalla at 7:30 each morning. Weigh-ins will be held at Stephen F. Austin State University’s Homer Bryce Stadium. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

SFA will also host a College Fishing Festival throughout the three-day tournament that will feature live music, the National Guard Warrior Challenge, a Ranger Boat simulator and a sports zone along with contests for cash and prizes.

The festival will take place at the stadium from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

www.centexoutdoors.com

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