So having an official license to baptize worms and a fishing pole with all the appropriate doodads I went to try it all out at the Mt Hood Community Pond. I found a spot and sat down and attached the sinker and the hook and a float and the bait and cast it out about 30 feet into the shadows of the pond.

There was the flutter of large wings and a heron came and landed some 20 feet away. He stood there looking at me for a few minutes and then proceeded to walk out to within about 10 feet of the bobber, plunge his head into the water and snag a fish. With an expert flip he then swallowed it whole, looked at me, and flew off.

Undeterred I reeled in the line and cast to a different part of the pond. There was this piercing cry from above and there was a large hawk sitting at the top of a tall snag. Then the hawk through himself out and then plunged to the surface of the pond about 5 feet from the bobber and snatches a good 12-inch trout and flies off.

Once again I reel in the bait and and redeploy to another spot. A few minutes passed then the bobber began to bounce when my friend the heron showed up and snatched a fish not more than a few feet from the bobber and flew off again.

So I decided to call it quits. As I was reeling in the bobber a group of ducks chased it all the way to the bank. I am going to try another spot tomorrow.