Fishing report 10-08

[Pointer 78]

Launched out of Grasshopper around 12:30 with my 8 year old son. Stayed in the area because of the wind. The water temp was 75 degrees. Anytime there's a chop on the water, I'll start out be throwing a 3/8 blade. My son threw a 1/8 oz blade. I caught 2 very quickly near the ramp but were shorts. Moved to the laydowns and started pitching a Beaver. Now I know that there's alot of Beaver knockoffs nowadays and I've used several of them but nothing comes close to the original. caught 3 Keepers and a dozen or so more between 11 and 15 inches. All of them with fat bellys. Left that pattern so my son could use his blade along the shoreline. We didn't catch any more keepers but had a blast catching the smaller fish. My son really likes throwing that blade on his Zebco 33. He caught 8 and had a great time. He's only now beginning to enjoy fishing and I think he's finally hooked.

 

[jason]

My son is 8 and on the last few outings he has put a lot of time in the transition from live bait to artificial...bobbers are for babies according to him. I got him a Quantum ultra-light spinning combo and he can skip cast a lizard under a dock like a pro. In fact, the last time out he outfished his grandfather and politely offered him some advice on presentation and lure selectionemoLaugh .

 

[polo-dog]

I think that it's great that you guys take your kids fishing with you. My boys used to really like it but for some reason they lost the drive to fish. I tried not to push it too hard and to come back when they had had their fill of being on the boat. I think that they will return to it but I wish it would be soon. Spending time with them as much as possible at that age and in the next few years is really important. Keep up the good work, and help them catch some lunkers and they will be hooked for life.

 

[Pointer 78]

I read somewhere a few years back that it's not a good idea to force your kids to like fishing. When my son goes with me, I let him take along his Gameboy to play when he wants to take a break from fishing. I bring lots of snacks and I talk to him constantly about school, his friends, etc.... Fishing is not the main thing. Being together is. We stayed on the water for 7 hours. He didn't ask once what time we were leaving. He also wanted to go again today but honey-do's got in the way.

 

[jason]

Polo-Dog, my son went through a phase from age 6 to 7 during which he had very little interest in fishing. He would catch a couple sunfish, put the pole down, and say "Daddy, I'm bored." I didn't force him to stay on the water and resisted the urge to gripe about a day on the lake cut short. Last year, during the spawn, he caught his first bass (a 4lbr on a Zebco 202) from the bank at Booker T. and has been hooked ever since.

 

[JerDog]

Yes, do not force your kids to be on the water. I have 2 boys (6 and 2) and they are night and day in personalities. One is very active, the other very passive. To keep them going I load them up with food, keep some fish in the live-well and fish. Cloudy days they can tolerate better than sunny days; sunny days wear them out! They are usually good for 4-5 hours.