The pink sun was just coming up over the horizon when Marcus and his uncle arrived at Lake Minnow. Marcus had been awake since well before dawn. He and his uncle had left their sleeping town to make the two-hour trip to what Marcus's uncle called "the best fishing lake in the whole state." Marcus was excited. This was not like the other fishing trips he had taken where he stood on the bank and fished. This time he was going to fish from his uncle's fishing boat!
2 The gates at the marina swung open as Marcus and his uncle pulled up. Marcus could see rows and rows of all kinds of boats. There were motor boats, pontoon boats, sailboats, and even canoes. Marcus had never seen such a beautiful sight.
The air smelled of fresh water, fish, and worms. Marcus knew that they were getting close to where the fishing boats were docked.
3 He was right. His uncle's car slowed to a stop as they approached a big rusty boat. Marcus could see the handles on the side of the boat where he could place his fishing pole. He
sensed that this was going to be the best fishing trip ever.
4 Because Marcus and his uncle wanted to be on the water before eight o'clock, they quickly donned their life jackets and loaded the boat with their equipment and bait. Marcus's uncle statted up the big engine on the boat right away. Now the air smelled like a mixture of
gas and oil as the big boat pulled away from its dock. Marcus's uncle was careful to go slowly as the boat left the marina. There were "No Wake" signs everywhere, and Marcus knew that meant the boats couldn't make any waves.
s After they reached the open water, Marcus's
uncle pushed up on the throttle of the boat. The lake air rushed through Marcus's hair. For the first time that day, he felt a little chilly. "How far are we going?" Marcus asked his uncle.
s "I've heard they're catching walleye out around the islands," answered his uncle. ''We'll be there
in about ten more minutes. Then we'll just drift.