Disappointment with Grace

As the weekend approached I began to toss around ideas for fishing locations that Amanda and I might want to try. Clear Lake was out of the question for us due to the River2Sea Open tournament that was being held there Saturday and Sunday. We aren’t even remotely intimidated by bass boaters but with the number of boats that were expected for the event it just didn’t seem worth the hassle with so many other awesome fisheries in our area. I put out the question on Facebook to get a few opinions and local pro, Zack Elright, mentioned Lake Berryessa as a possible alternative. I had only been on this lake three times prior so it was still unfamiliar territory to me but a fellow yak angler, Noah Stevens, had great success there earlier in the year and I had been meaning to try it for myself ever since seeing some of the giants that he caught there.

Lake Berryessa is a 20,700 acre reservoir in Napa County. It’s an unspoken big bass haven that has the reputation of putting out giants on any given day. Its unique in that it’s home to largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass and a hybrid known as the meanmouth bass. It’s your typical highland reservoir with deep clear water, lots of rock, and small areas that have some aquatic vegetation. After talking it over with Amanda on Friday we decided that we would hit up Lake Berryessa first thing Saturday morning. With the Hobies and gear already loaded in the truck we were ready to go! After a date night dinner of sushi and a movie we headed home to get some sleep before our 3:45am wake up.

In the darkness of our room I awoke to my alarm. As is the normal weekend routine I woke up first and it was my duty to then wake up Amanda. She was groggy and even with her half asleep I could tell that her motivation to get out of bed was low. A more stressful than usual work week had taken it’s toll on her and she was giving in to her exhaustion. A desire for more sleep was winning out over her drive to get up and head for the lake. What was I to do? Being the morning person that I am I was wide awake and ready to go. I was looking forward to getting out on Lake Berryessa and exploring some new water. As I saw the chances of us following through with our morning plan start to slip away I felt the disappointment building. I lay awake in bed for the better part of an hour and a half occasionally nudging my wife and asking if she was ready to get up yet. Finally at about 5:30am I gave in and closed my eyes to fall back asleep myself.

Somehow, while lying there in bed, I had come to terms with the situation. I was disappointed with the fact that my Saturday morning wouldn’t be spent on the water as planned, but I also knew that in the grand scheme of things it was more important for Amanda to get her much needed sleep. Sure, I could have gone fishing by myself. Amanda would have had no problem with that at all, but I chose not to. You see, we are a team. Obviously as husband and wife, but also as partners on the water. We make sacrifices for each other all the time. It’s one of the things that makes our bond so strong. We both think of the other person first and want to do things for each other even if it means giving up something that we want for ourselves. If you’re going to involve your significant other in your outdoor past times make sure that you’re willing to put them first. Be aware of their wants and needs and be willing to be flexible and accommodate them. If you’re doing this right it will pay you back exponentially.

Our original weekend plan was to fish on Saturday and then spend Sunday catching up on chores, running errands, and making sure to attend church. Instead, we slept in until 11am, enjoyed a home cooked brunch together, ran our errands, and attended the Saturday evening sermon at Spring Hills Community Church. Our evening was filled with a nice dinner together and then working on our blog before retiring to bed with plans on hitting Lake Berryessa on Sunday morning. What kind of man/husband/partner would I be if I found that as an unpleasant way to start the weekend? I will get my weekly water therapy tomorrow with Amanda and I was able to spend a fantastic day with my wife that started with a much needed late morning of sleeping in.