Search
Latest Articles
Take a Kid Fishing!
by Mike Carey, July 20, 2003
Take a Kid Fishing!
July 20, 2003
By Mike Carey
If you had a fortunate youth then perhaps one activity you got to enjoy was going fishing with a parent, brother, sister, or best friend. Long lazy days spent soaking a worm, waiting for a fish to take the bobber under filled my summers. The anticipation of getting up early in the morning (after staying up late to catch night crawlers) kept me from getting much sleep. But when the alarm went off I was awake and ready to go! So I'd ride your bike, or walk, or get a ride from dad and off I'd go. And when I arrived the smells of early morning would greet me. The fresh drew on the grass, the "fishy" smell of my favorite lake, all these memories are indelibly etched into my mind.
Sad to say, my kids don't have the "fire" of fishing in their bellies. It's not the first or even the third activity that they would chose. There are so many distractions for our children now a days. TV, video games, computers with instant chatting. It's a wonder kids ever leave the house. So I make a conscious effort to kick them out once in awhile. But careful - too much pushing and they resent what I'm trying to do, trying to show them. So I pick my fishing "battles" carefully, looking for opportunities that will hold their interest. Because I have discovered that if I find a fishery that keeps them catching fish, or that has distractions, they will enjoy themselves. But drop them on a lake that isn't producing and they are gone. And that opportunity to share something special is gone with it. It's a shame, perhaps, that kids (at least mine) need more instant gratification then when "I was a boy". But that's part of the times we live in and it's true for many of us. We've all become less patient I think.
So recently I had the great opportunity to take Matt and James fishing with one of the guides from our web site. Mike Carney of Mikey's Bassin Adventures had invited the kids and I up to lake Whatcom for some bassing fun. The fishing had been good lately and I knew that this was a "can't miss" trip. The kids were forced to go to bed at 9:30, and come 5am they actually got up without too much protesting. Of course, they were back to sleep as soon as we hit the road, but that's OK. We arrived at the launch ate 6:30 and met Mike. I had told the kids they were going to go fishing with a bass guide that fishes in tournaments, so that had caught their interest. But what sealed the deal was getting into Mike's boat and having him fire up the outboard. We zoomed across the lake in no time flat. The laughs and pure joy on Matt and James face was priceless!
.The day's first fish - and the proud fisherman.
We started fishing in about 10-15 feet of water, using some surface poppers and for James, a slow sinking sluggo. To my great relief, James quickly hooked into a feisty 3 pound bass. At least, that's what James said it was. In fact, any of the half-way big bass he caught this day were 3 pounds. The boy has an amazing talent for holding up a fish and knowing just what it weighs. And his were the biggest, and he caught the most, etc, etc. Meanwhile I had two bass take swipes at my floating lure and each time I jerked too quickly, losing the fish. "You've got to let them take it in", Mike laughingly reminded me. What a thrill to see a fish come up and hit a plug like that! Matt's luck was not quite as good, but as the day wore on he managed to hook a few, including some perch.
Matt gets his fish!
It didn't matter, a fish is a fish and they enjoyed each one they caught. When they got tired they would set their pole down and eat snacks or lunch. We had the perfect balance between catching fish and down time. For an added attraction, Mike has an underwater camera. So at a slow moment he pulled that out and let the kids send it down to the bottom to view the fishy activity. They saw several bass and really loved it!
Many guides are now offering "kids fish free" packages. Mike is one of them. I can heartily recommend hooking up with a guide for a day on the water with your kids. It's a chance to get away from it all, letting someone else do the work while you can focus on enjoying the day with your kids. And that is a gift we can all appreciate, guide trip or not.
