Good Times: A Trip to the Woods

Jimini Smoot, center, laughs while fishing with Jeremiah Twiggs, left, Malachi Smoot, background, and Warren Eanes, right, Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

From left, Lemuel Gilbert, Bradford Woods, and Kazyrion Murray wade through a shallow creek while looking for fish and crawdads Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Honorable Young Men Club co-president Kweku Arkorful, left, and Keontae Dixon, far right, offer guidance to Malachi Smoot, center, as he tries archery Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Keontae Dixon, left, shows off a minnow-sized smallmouth bass as Jimini Smoot, center, and Missouri Department of Conservation agent Salvador Mondragon, left, look on Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Derrick Clark, 12, laughs while trying to escape the grip of his friend Lemuel Gilbert, right, who was trying unsuccessfully to throw Clark into a pond Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Ketavion Dixon, right, hugs his older brother, Keontae, after the two faced off in the final round of an archery tournament Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. Keontae, 14, beat his younger brother, but as the top two finishers, both boys won rights to sleep in a cabin by the pond instead of camping in a nearby clearing. Most of the Honorable Young Men Club members took to the hiking, fishing and archery with enthusiasm, but were hesitant to actually sleep outdoors, instead preferring the comfort of the cabin. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Malachi Smoot, 12, races down a gravel path to catch up with friends on their way from a pond to an archery range Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Honorable Young Men Club co-president Kweku Arkorful addresses the boys after an archery lesson, reminding them to thank the conservation agents for helping teach them. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Honorable Young Men Club co-president Cantrell Andrews, left, playfully grapples Ky Anderson, 13, during a moment of downtime Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Jeremiah Twiggs unhooks a bait minnow to release it back into a pond before heading back to the cabin for dinner after fishing Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. Twiggs, 13, said he usually fishes in Capaha Pond in the middle of town in Cape Girardeau, where he lives, but said while fishing with his friends at the remote pond, he'd caught a sunfish, three bluegill and nearly one catfish that managed to loose his hook. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Keontae Dixon collects fish from a conservation net in a shallow creek Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Jimini Smoot, front, and Bradford Woods pilot a canoe through reeds on the edge of a lake near the Castor River while fishing. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Derrick Clark, 12, sets a line while fishing Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)