Land of 10,000 Lakes My favorite part of my Minnesota vacations were the fishing trips I took with my dad. We woke up very early in the morning, even before the sun rose. As the birds just began to sing their morning song, I turned over in bed, still half asleep. When the thought of going out on the lake and catching fish entered my mind, I immediately woke up completely. I stood up and put on my favorite pair of jeans. These jeans have been through a lot, with holes in the knees and a long slit down the back of one leg. Then came my lucky Hinton football jersey that I wore every time I went hunting or fishing. When we got dressed, we went to the kitchen and had a quick breakfast of cold cereal. I loaded up the fridge for the day while my dad made sandwiches for us both. When everything was packed up, we carried our cooler, rods, bait and tackle boxes down to the dock. The sky was just starting to turn light gray and all the trees were still. We filled the boat with our fishing supplies and I untied the ropes from the dock. The boat was white and blue on the outside, with a matching interior. The engine was always a little slow to start, but that morning it started on the first try. As we drove to our favorite fishing spot, all the houses along the lake were still dark. The boat ride to our spot only took about twenty minutes, but it was difficult to drive quickly in the pre-dawn light. My father taught me that the best time to catch fish in clear water was during low-light hours, when the fish couldn't see the boat. Only one other fisherman was out as early as us, but we both knew that with the light more stragglers would arrive. We finally got to the spot we loved to fish. Every year we went to exactly the same spot on the lake because that's where we always caught the most fish. I have always enjoyed sitting in the back of the boat and fishing directly behind us. My dad got in front and checked the trolling motor, pushing the boat perfectly past the point where the walleyes liked to float and wait for food.