Photo by Ron Sinfelt

It's hard to say when the transition took place because it was an evolutionary process.

The shift from a focus on just fishing to developing a setting that encompasses other activities didn't just spring upon us, but slowly adapted to compensate for the changes that the family unit required to maintain the customer base. Resorts that catered to the fishing-only crowd found that adding some video games and touting their close proximity to hiking trails and golf courses could generate interest in families who wanted more options. Toss in a children's program and some nearby shopping opportunities, and the something-for-everyone resort became the status quo. There's still a huge benefit to being on a body of water that affords anglers the ability to "bring home the bacon," but when it comes to shopping for the best family fishing getaway, there needs to be an adequate array of options or your family's interest will be limited.

I may have just hit 50 years on this planet, but I can still remember my Dad, my Mom, the other seven siblings and the necessities to keep us moderately amused on the trip packed into the old station wagon and headed up to the Alexandria area for a week of fishing at one of the resorts on Lake Mary. All of the luggage was strategically tied to the roof of the car, and if nature called for one of us kids before Dad was ready to gas up, we were handed an empty milk bottle. It was just one of the minor inconveniences that we incurred on our annual road trip on the summer vacation.

My parents would still be checking into the resort and us kids would be down on the shoreline chasing frogs or skipping rocks. We weren't allowed into the resort's store unless we were with Mom, so the dock became the next best place to hang out. It seemed like forever before Dad had the boat ready so we could get out and catch some walleyes and pike. Fortunately for me I was the second born so I was at the top of the list to get out on the maiden voyage.

Dad would fish from early morning until sundown, and when we weren't part of the group in the boat we amused ourselves by fishing off the dock or by catching frogs, which we used for bait, and harassing Mom to buy us treats at the store. It was a big deal when I finally got old enough to take a rowboat with no motor out with a couple of the other brothers because then we could fish all day from a boat -- and we did!

On one of my recent trips to a resort with my brother-in-law and his three small kids I noticed that the store has now become the game room, and the kids just come and go as they please. Quarter-eating video games get a lot of play. The next best place to hang out was the big floating trampoline just out from the beach. The only people hanging out on the docks were the grizzled old anglers (ourselves) who were swapping potential hotspots. Our wives spent quite a bit of time shopping for antiques and visiting local specialty shops, which meant us anglers had to take time out from our fishing schedule to watch the kids play on the trampoline.

Is this a bad thing? Not at all! Having a lot of options on a vacation is a great thing because then everyone has fun and will want to come back for more. We had plenty of time to fish and take boat rides, and when everyone was packing up to go home, there was a hint of remorse that the week was ending, and the entire group -- kids included -- was already anticipating the following year's vacation. That's how a great family fishing vacation is supposed to end.