Take a Kid Fishing!

We have all heard the the saying "take me fishing" from either our children or some that we may know. This past Saturday it was again my pleasure to hear my son say "take me fishing". We talked about it for a bit as we decided were to go. We have had more then 7 inches of rain over the past couple of weeks and I knew that all of the lakes would be very high. One of his favorite places to go is Falls Lake, it was way too high as there is water over top the boat ramps, great fishing but not for a kid. Then he said how about Kerr, no too far to go today as it is already 9 am. I then suggested a small pond owned by some friends of the family. That was it, he responded with a resounding "YES" pumping his fist in the air.

We gathered up what rods and tackle we were taking. Packed a small lunch and some snacks and hit the road. The drive out was enjoyable as he was reminiscing about the last time he was at the pond. He was still bragging on the fact that he "out fished" both Dad and our friend Carlos that day. He found a little corner that held several bass and proceeded to whip up on us old guys.

We arrived at the pond and checked in with the owners to make sure it was OK for us to fish. This alone is a very important lesson to teach our children. I of course knew that fishing there was not a problem but we need to teach our kids the proper respect to others, especially property owners who allow us to enjoy the outdoors at their expense. Clean up your trash and carry out more trash then what you carried in!

The fishing that day was just a little slow to say the least. It didn't take more then an hour before I noticed his rod was against a tree and he was just walking around looking at the horses. It was at this time that we both got a great catch! A neighbor has some Beagle dogs that had recently had puppies. Three of them came out to play in the field near the pond. They were, as puppies usually are, full of energy. I then said to my son, why don't you go play with the puppies a little while. He eyes lit up and he said really, I can? He went over to them bent down and of course was mobbed by the puppies. He jumped up came running back over exclaiming that they were biting each other and he does not know how to play with puppies as he has never been around them. His dog was already old when he was born so I guess he was right, he had never been around puppies before. The two of us proceeded to have a "puppy lesson" for the next couple of hours as we enjoyed playing with them way more then fishing that day!

What a memory that will be for me to cherish the rest of my life! Take a kid fishing and keep an open mind. You never know what pleasure you will enjoy or what memories you will create for all until you get out and spend time with a kid. Be a mentor and your enjoyment will last a lifetime.