Fishing for heritage

MADISON COUNTY — James Wines moved his fly-fishing pole higher and balanced himself on two rocks. As the 9-year-old moved the fishing line closer to the banks of the Rose River, it became clear that he hadn’t made his first catch of the day.
“I got a stick fish this time,” said the Stafford County resident, dragging his catch closer until he could free it.
“He’s learning, you know,” said Albert Lillibridge, Wines’ grandfather.
Like many other fishermen Saturday, the Stafford County residents traveled from outside the area to enjoy Heritage Day at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria. The event, formerly held in March and known as Kid’s Fishing Day, has since been expanded to include wildlife exhibits, hayrides and fly-fishing demonstrations.
A section of the river was stocked with trout so the children would have an easier time catching them. The fish often eluded the children’s hooks, but the event for children 12 and younger was still a fun learning experience.
Matt Palmer, 7, sat on a rock near to the water, crouched several feet from three trout that weren’t taking the bait.
“They’ve been snacking on these salmon eggs,” said Mark Palmer, Matt’s father. “It’s not doing very much.”
The Palmers, who are from Manassas, switched to a silver inline spinner in hopes the trout would be fooled into thinking it was a minnow. Matt Palmer tugged on the line cast to the right, pulling on it to mimic a fish’s movements.
The line stuck, and the pole began to bend.
“You’ve got a rock, I think,” Mark Palmer said, taking the pole from his son. “That’s what a fish feels like. When you feel a sharp tug, that’s a fish.”
Some families had more success baiting the fish. Harrisonburg resident Jeanne Hawkins said her son Trevor, 5, caught one fish, but it got away. The Hawkinses, who were staged on both sides of the river, cheered when they thought someone got a bite.
Once Trevor’s pole began to bend, Hawkins started removing her shoes so she could step into the water and help him with his pole. She had one sock and shoe off when the fish got away. The next catch turned out to be a rock.
One family from Bristow went home with breakfast for the next day. Natty Kosa, 6, and his father, Jarrad Kosa, caught three fish by early afternoon. They packed a rainbow trout in a cooler, but Natty Kosa kept a baggie holding two brook trout close to him. Jarrad Kosa said the trout would taste good cooked in bacon grease with a little flour, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Natty Kosa has fished with his family in Virginia and in streams in other parts of the country. He agreed to reveal the family’s secret bait.
“Night crawlers,” he said.
“And waxworms,” added his father.