Our oldest, Madison, is now five and has made the transition to fishing a fly on a casting bubble for rubber trout and yellow perch at the lake we live near. Her first fishing excursion was when she was six-months old and I had her out in a kiddie backpack while I waded some of the smaller parts of the Coeur d' Alene River in North Idaho.
Her little brother Timothy (3) still prefers to see the poor worms impaled on hooks but I think next year he'll come around. Little Amelia (1) is about the same and really gets excited when someone catches something. She is pretty opinionated and independent for her age and I think next year will probably be her first year with her own setup. My approach when I have the kids fishing is twofold: 1) I treat it as if I were guiding someone, which means I don't fish. 2) I always have the camera ready. Don Johnson Shelton, WA --- "Ken, Carolyn, Alex and Hershel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > If you have a minute or two -- please read this and > provide me with any > comments. > > We could start a thread about kids and fishing. > > Thanks > -Ken- > > > Thump! Splash! > > I turned my head just in time to see the tumbler > cartwheeling across the > floor - like a feisty rainbow dancing at the end of > my line. Apple juice > sprayed across the room with every flip of the > fish's tail. > > Did you make a mess? I asked my two-year-old son > Alex. The broad smile > that had stretched across his face had vanished. > Instead there was a wide > eyed look of surprise. How would Daddy react? -- > seemed to be the thought > bouncing around inside of his head. > > Rod! He said, pointing an accusing finger at the > bright red three-foot-long > bugs bunny fishing pole he gripped in his tiny > hands. > > So it was the rods fault? > > Some paper towel easily soaks up the evidence before > Mommy comes home. > > My son got a new fishing rod today. He is still too > young to fish. But I > couldn't resist. He sure is proud of that rod - he > spent all afternoon > waving it around our living room like a magic wand - > mimicking what he has > watched Daddy do. > > It's not his first fishing rod. No, his uncle Kris > took that pleasure away > from me. And I am glad -- because he doesn't have a > son of his own -- yet. > Alex's first fishing rod - the one his uncle Kris > gave him - is one of those > stubby oversized make-believe fishing rods complete > with bug-eyed plastic > fish to bob around in the suds at tub time. His > little fingers have a > difficult time winding the reel. His hand eye > co-ordination is still > developing so it's hard for him to hook the enormous > plastic fish hook into > the smiling mouth of the fish. > > Being a fisherman has taught me a lot about being a > Dad. > > Patience, persistence, gentleness - are traits that > a good fisherman and a > good Daddy must possess. > > I can't wait until the day my son catches his first > fish. I don't know who > will be more proud - him or me. > > Did I say fishing teaches you patience? > > ===== http://www.geocities.com/salmn8r/caddisforkids.html __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus � Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
