My wife is a fisherman and a fairly accomplished waterman. She loves to wade the Potomac River upstream of Washington D.C. (one of the best smallmouth bass fisheries on the East Coast) She doesn't get squeamish about unhooking fish, baiting her line or even cleaning fish. She does draw the line when it comes to fishing with hellgrammites, once she got bit by those big jaws, that was the end of the line for that bait. That's fine with me, it gives me an edge over her when we go fishing. It's not that I'm competitive with her, I just get tired of being outfished by her, which seems to happen more often than not. She's either darn lucky or is a better fisherman than me. (O.K.., I may be just a little competitive)

When we wade the river, we leave behind all worries, cares and most importantly, the kids. It is refreshing to see blue herons, bald eagles, kingfishers and not hear any traffic noises, all while standing knee deep in a refreshing river. This is all available within the confines of the Washington Beltway, a getaway that is surprisingly close to our nation's capital. I know a few secret spots that not only look like you are out in the wilderness, but hold an amazing abundance of trophy size bass. Sorry, I'm not telling you exactly where, I keep my secret spots a secret.

One day when we were wading the river near lock 10 on the C&O canal, (O.K. I let that one slip out) my wife was struggling to keep up. She kept falling behind me and I had to stop often and wait for her to catch up. We had not gone far into the river, she was very familiar with this spot and knew how to get around, but was having a hard time making it. She said she felt dizzy and could not keep her feet under her very well. I told her she was likely catching a flu and that it would pass, just keep wading. Sometimes I'm a lunkhead, other times I'm very understanding. That day I must have been wearing my lunkhead hat.

She insisted that this was no flu, she knew the symptoms of pregnancy and this felt just like that. I was floored! PREGNANT? How can that happen? (well, I know how it can happen, I just wasn't ready for kiddie number seven.) But honey, the fish are biting! We haven't even made it to the honey hole yet! ARE YOU SURE? Yes, she was sure.

When a fisherman finds out he is going to be a daddy, he may as well be standing in a rushing river. It's probably the best place to tell him.