Thirteen-year-old Daniel enjoys math and science, but – above all – his greatest love is fishing. When wish granters from the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Kentucky asked Daniel to think about his wish experience, he juggled two ideas – to go to Florida and sit on the beach, or have a houseboat trip so he could go fishing. In the end, the "lure" of fishing won out.

With sponsorship from UAW-GM, Daniel and his family prepared for a week-long houseboat trip on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, a real fishing treasure. With a surface area of approximately 50,250 acres, Lake Cumberland is known for its varieties of bass, including largemouth, smallmouth, white, and Kentucky. It also boasts bluegill, crappie, rockfish, and walleye.

Daniel, along with his parents, Janet and Robert, and brother Jonathan, soon found that Lake Cumberland State Boat Dock had donated the use of a houseboat. Later, the boat dock staff took their generosity one step further by upgrading the original small houseboat to the biggest houseboat in stock. It even had a 15-foot hot tub on the top deck.

When Daniel boarded the luxurious vessel, he was greeted by another unexpected surprise. Generous employees at the dock and local merchants had put together a basket of donations. It contained a rod, a reel, tackle boxes with tackle, caps, money, and other prizes.

Finally, the family shoved off for adventures on the lake. They had made arrangements to bring along a small fishing boat so Robert, Daniel, and Jonathan – who is also a wish child – could maneuver more easily to find the fishing "hot spots." The only problem was, the fish weren't biting. For days they fished out of the small boat and off the houseboat with no luck. Eventually, an expert stepped in. A local guide came to the houseboat, loaded the three guys in his boat, and took them fishing. His expertise paid off as Daniel caught a 32-inch striper and a catfish. Daniel's two fish turned out to be the only ones caught on the trip.

Besides Daniel's catch, the week on Lake Cumberland was filled with many highlights. The fishing guide left the family with about 100 big minnows to use when they went fishing. That night, they tied up to a bank, but some curious raccoons came on board and took the minnows. In another adventure, Daniel spotted what he thought was an alligator bumping the boat. Upon closer examination, the alleged reptile turned out to be a log with a hole that looked like an eye and a front that looked like a snout.

The trip was such a blast that the family arranged to stay on the lake with the houseboat an extra day and night. When they returned to the boat dock and tried to pay for the extra time on the lake and the rental fees for the small boat, the staff members refused to take the money saying it was "on the house."

In the end, Daniel's mom Janet was extremely appreciative of the whole wish experience. She said, "I could not believe the generosity from the community. It was truly amazing, and Daniel just had the best time ever!"