Bass Fishing

I have had the opportunity to take my sons fishing on many occasions and in addition to some quality male bonding moments, they have had opportunities to learn and experience things that many children will never get to experience. 

Despite groaning at the early wake up call, my boys generally look forward to going fishing with me.  I always find it humorous to see what they recall about our trip and enjoy hearing them recount the experiences of the day with my wife.

For example, on a beautiful day in early spring, the boys and I headed down river to an inlet called Mallows Bay.  Mallows Bay is a neat area on the Potomac which is comprised of several old sunken barges and burned to the water hulls from ships built nearby during the depression.  The barges now serve as a natural habitat for all creatures river related and are a good fish attractant as well.  While we were in the pristine bay, I pointed out a Bald Eagle flying nearby, and was excited when it landed in a tree not more than 100 yards from the boat. 

Trying to seize this opportunity to share a unique experience with the boys, I retrieved a pair of binoculars from a compartment on the boat and handed them to my older son and I continued to fish.  He tracked down the Eagle in his sights and let out a loud “COOOOOL!”  Hearing this, his younger brother was now anxious for his turn with the binoculars and asked his brother for a turn.  As I continued to fish from the bow,  I heard him giggling in the back of the boat, then I heard him say “wow…..”, I began to proudly smile at myself for the experience I shared with him, until I heard the rest of his statement, “…….Daddy’s butt looks huge through the binoculars!”. 

Yes, you can lead a horse to water but, ………… The main point, which I realized later, is that we all spent time together and the boys had a good time.  My older son told my wife about the Eagle, and the younger son told her that my butt looks big through binoculars.   Both boys had fin, and each took away a different experience. 

When you take a child fishing, don’t force your experiences on them, let them take in the experience in their own way.  After enough trips, they will begin to appreciate the fact that they caught a 3 pound bass, or tell somone that they saw an Eagle, or that they drove the boat.  But be prepared for the occasional off color comment as well, such as “….and then the fish peed on Daddy”, yes - regrettably another insight from my younger son. All of these are special bonding moments, and I have heard the stories re-told several times.  No stories come to mind regarding us sitting on the couch watching television together, so you get the picture.

Even though it may mean less fishing time for you, shorter trips, broken gear, etc, the trips you spend with children will last a lifetime and shouldn’t be overlooked.  When I pre-fish for tournaments and want to do serious fishing, I tell them that it is going to be a long day, and I will take them out soon, when I am going just for fun.  That way, I can give them the attention they deserve and make the trip special.  I encourage you to try it, and if you don’t have children of your own, take a buddy and his child, a nephew, niece, or neighbor.  Or sign up for a children’s fishing tournament and donate your time.  You will thank me later………

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