BARNEVELD, Wis. — Sometimes the best vacation, and the best fishing, is just a couple miles away.
 
Brenda Larson recently enjoyed a brief vacation in Bayfield County with her husband, Scott, their two children, Michael and Morgan, and other family members.

Earlier that same week, she was in Wisconsin Dells and then Ohio on business.

After returning home from that whirlwind, the Larsons spent time fishing from a canoe in Cox Hollow Lake at Governor Dodge State Park, 45 miles west of Madison.

Then, on Sunday morning, using worms left from the Cox Hollow trip, Brenda and Michael headed a mile north to Birch Lake, a typical impoundment created for flood control, recreation and fishing. All 11 acres of it.

"My little girl loves to do all those fun things little girls do," she said. "But this is something Michael and I can do. This can be our little thing we do together; this is our opportunity to get down and dirty."

Neither Michael nor his mom are especially experienced anglers. But what each lacks in knowledge is made up for with enthusiasm.

And they're certainly familiar with the territory.

Money spent on gasoline? Less than $1. Money on bait? About the same. Peace and quiet? Priceless.

"I used to fish some years ago, but last year was the first time I purchased a license in a long time," she said.

Seven-year-old Michael donned his knee boots, mom her running shoes, and they walked across an earthen dam to the back side of Birch Lake. No one was in sight.

They followed a narrow path down to the water's edge and set out to enjoy the morning and some intense fishing.

"I tried a lure for bass, but switched to worms when I saw those panfish next to shore," Michael said with a mind-set of a professional angler.

I asked Michael what his best fishing experience has been.

Did he mention a trip to northern Wisconsin to lure bass or pike? No, he instead talked about a shorter trip.

"Two suckers, one from the stream near Hyde Mill and one from the Pecatonica River near Blanchardville, both times with my grandpa," he answered.

Since graduating from second grade a month ago, Michael has enrolled in several workshops to broaden his life.

"I'm taking junior rocketry and advanced biking and something else but I don't remember what it is," he said.

"The biking class is taught by his former second grade teacher, Mrs. Myers," Michael's mom added. "They head out on their bikes on Military Ridge Trail and stop at the first bridge, where they read or write about their experiences."

Fishing and spending several evenings in a cabin may appear on Michael's pages. Or maybe a story about fighting a 1-pound, 14-inch sucker from the muddy waters of the Pecatonica near Blanchardville.

But those are thoughts for another time, when there is no lake, river or pond nearby. This morning is for fishing.

Memories can be penciled later.

Michael, with his mind focused on the fish he saw swimming about, hooked a large bluegill.

"I wasn't sure how I was going to get the fish off the hook," his mom said. "But we managed."

Michael insisted on putting the bluegill in a large, red bucket he must have brought along just for that purpose. Then he slid his small hand into a glove several times too large and reached in to tease the bluegill.

"I want to take it home to show Dad," Michael insisted.

"Let's put it back in the lake and we can tell dad about the fish your caught," his mom coaxed.

Just then the bluegill flipped away, onto the muddy bank and made one giant bound for Birch Lake.

"You'll just have to catch it again," his mom told him.

It is difficult, by any scale, to determine who was enjoying the morning more.