Fishing Memories

It was in early summer when I took my daughter on her first fishing trip she was 3 1/2 years old at the time and it seems like it was only yesterday. The day was warm but was not hot and it seemed like a good idea to take her down by the docks for her first experience at fishing. I am quite sure that she had no idea of where we were going or what we are going to do all she knew was she was going with daddy. Therefore, we loaded up the car and drove down to the docks, which were only a mile away from the house.

When we got down to the docks we unloaded and headed for a little area where I knew might produce a fish or two. We sat down on the bank to get comfortable and to rig up the fishing pole. It was when I opened my tackle box is when I got 100% of her attention with all the colorful lures, spoons, crank baits, plastic worms, etc. etc. Her actions and expressions were that she had just seen the best jewelry boxes ever and it was dad’s jewelry box. While the tackle box was open, I focused all my attention on her, as I knew that these colorful and wonderful objects could cause her harm. As she started to reach in to pick up a colorful lure that had a double set of triplets hooks I immediately blocked her reach and told her “that everything in here will bite you” how else do you explain to a 3 1/2-year-old?

After having a lengthy conversation at a 3 1/2-year-olds level, I picked out a lure to rig up the fishing pole, and close the tackle box. During this time I was explaining to her, what I was doing and what I was trying to do. It was within the first couple of cast when I hooked into a largemouth bass. I positioned my daughter to where she was able to reel in the fish while I was holding the pole. She struggled a little but managed. When the fish broke water she stopped reeling, turned around with eyes the size of silver dollars, well maybe quarters, and asked, “What was it?” I explained to her that it was a fish and she was reeling it in. We finally landed the bass and it was approximately a pound and a half not bad for her first fish.

I put the fish on the stringer and her attention left fishing and focused in on the fish. She kept picking it up and putting it back in the water. After about 30 min. we decided to go back home as she lost interest. As soon as we got home she ran into the house and told everyone how that “worm swam down in the water and bit that fish right in the mouth.” That was 26 years ago and I still get a laugh from this memory even to this day.

Today, my daughter has two young sons of her own who are four and five. She has taken them on several fishing trips where they have caught fish on their own using their Spiderman fishing poles. Usually after these fishing trips, she stops by to fill me in on who caught what and who did what. My daughter may not realize it just yet but she is creating her own fishing memories of  her kids.

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