Proverbs 17:6 says that “grandchildren are the crown of old men”. I took my grandson Isaac fishing today with four other men from JBC on a guided fishing trip on the Colombia River for Shad. We caught 70 Shad and had a great time. When we first got to where we were going to fish the guide rigged up Isaacs rod first and put it out and into the rod holder. 30 seconds later the rod tip went down into the water and the guide yelled that is a salmon. He took the rod out of the holder and handed it to Isaac and coached him on how to fight it. The rods we were using were light weight with 8 lb test line and he commented that hook ups with salmon while Shad fishing were not uncommon but they were seldom landed because of the light gear. He continued to coach Isaac while also keeping the boat close to the salmon using the trolling motor. It was so fun to see that salmon in the net and then for our guide to announce that the fish was fin clipped and that we could keep it. I was very proud of Isaac for several reasons, one was that he had to work super hard holding that rod up and fight that big fish for probably 20 minutes and never said a word about being tired, and second he listened very carefully to the guide as he coached him and followed instructions to the letter. For the rest of the day as we fished for Shad he fit in well with the other men carrying on conversations like one of the guys. With each fish that was netted he would stick his finger in its gills and pack it to the fish box returning with a fresh count on how many fish were in the box. It rained hard for about an hour and his rain coat leaked badly and he was very wet for the next several hours. I could see he was cold and tired but he never complained, and when I offered him my coat he said he would be OK. “Grandchildren are the crown of old men”