Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Why George Should Sell Those Flies.

Wood,

That picture is priceless, just priceless...starting that young, maybe he can double haul by 10.

ML, both my boys have been fishing since they could walk, outdoors and nature were learned early, raised in the country with most of our pursuits a long way from civilization. We are somewhat like bush-weasels and sometimes lack the social skills and rules of city life.

Reminds me of a funny story. When Quinn was about three years old, I took him fishing for the day at a public lake close to Edmonton. It was extremely hot out in the boat and we ended up near a very crowded beach so I decided to ease the boat on shore and let him cool off. He instantly jumped out and ran along the shoreline.

By the time I beached the boat and climbed out, I noticed out of the corner of my eye something yellow flying overhead in the general vicinity of where he was. I looked down beside the boat and saw his life jacket, and thought "what's he throwing?", I then remembered his shorts and shirt were also yellow. Sure enough he was streaking full speed at the water's edge directly in front of a crowd of sunbathers and on-lookers.

I sat on the edge of the boat and watched his performance, not really too concerned at this point, until he stopped about mid-way down the beach. He then proceeded to turn and face the lake, pausing for a moment before letting loose with an incredibly large, upward arcing stream of pee nearly three times his own height. Pretty hard to miss, and somewhat less than subtle.

By this time, he had the attention of the crowd, so I hollered "Quinn!" He responds with "Hold on dad, I'm peeing". I really didn't know what else to say, so I called him back over. When he got back to the boat, I told him he shouldn't do that at the beach. He paused a moment and said "No running on the beach dad?"
I smiled and said, "let's go fishing".

Oddly enough, I was more envious than embarassed at his behaviour that day.

Wood,

A great story. I was also raised in the country (deep in Ozarks of Missouri) and am very comfortable with "bush-weasel" ways. My child, however, was never really exposed to that and now I'm trying to show my grandchildren that side of life through our ranch in the remotes of East Texas. Sometimes they look at me like I'm crazy, such as when finding a tree to go behind, but I really want them to see the other side of life. Thanks for a fun story.

Wood I second ML on that comment. That picture of your son is wonderful. And your story about the beach... That reminds me of Ryan a lot. Amazing what innocence we have lost as we age.

So I need some real old fashion advice as far as Ryan and his fishing. Mom and dad have a three acre pond (about 15 years old) with a confetti fish population. Name it and it is in there. Ryan has held a pole, but has only reeled in smaller fish that my daddy and I have caught. He will be three on February 4th, so what does he need to use, and how do I teach him. I know by watching midget baseball leagues that attention spans are short (they would rather pick bugs on the grass), so what do I do?

Calling all dads!!!

Deb, get him a spin cast reel and about a 3-4 foot rod. If you want, you can have him practise casting with a weight, no hooks. Buy him his own little tackle box. Let him go at it and I bet he will pick it up quickly. As for attention span, bring snacks, drinks, pop, toys,small boats with string, whatever. I used to bring along a minnow net and a small plastic aquarium. When they got bored, they would investigate the shoreline and scoop up bugs, scuds,frogs, minnows and watch them swim about in their little plastic house. Most of all, and I'm sure you already know this let him set the pace.

Deb,

Wood said it all perfect...except include some small rocks to throw in the pond...that will be the main event for him at first.

A small net, a small bucket and shovel, small fishing rod/reel and stuff as per Wood and ML. A worm bed for digging , rocks to throw. A small area with sand --small beach(some in pond bottom some on land). Two rules 1) have fun doing what he wants 2) when he fishes you watch (don't fish) explain what he sees while he fishes. When he gets a little bigger then you can fish with him. Start with live bait fishing -worms or cricketts. If not catching fish after a short period stop and do something else --don't wait for him to get tired and bored. A cheep pair of sun glasses so he can see into the water. I use yellow as it brightens up the under water world. Then sneak up on some BG/RES beds , or watch some minnows (and catch them with the net). Just a few thoughts.

Deb,
I would only expand on Wood's advise by recommending that whomever takes Ryan fishing at his age, does indeed take Ryan fishing.
When he's fishing you should not be, or at least not seriously.
I raised 4 boys & patients can wear thin when you are trying to fish but constantly having to stop to untangle a line ect.

Oh well, What ewest said.

Plentiful rocks are a "biggie" for both boys and girls. A few chunks of wood laying around are real important. For boys, they make great swords.

Hey Wood, you have a PM.

I couldn't help laughing about your son on the beach. When my 7 year old Grandson was just out of diapers, I had him with me in the country. He had to go and I explained to him that it was OK to let fly in the pasture. He was quite impressed and repeated the performance an unbelieveable number of times. The next day he was back at Daycare and they went out to recess. You guessed it. They didn't even bother calling his Mom or Dad. They called me and told me to come get him and explain things to him. They weren't upset but he was pretty sure it was OK since I had said so. Now, when he goes with me, he bails out of the pickup as soon as we get stopped and imitates a world class rainbow. Yeah, I understand the envy.

Oh yeah, I was talking to a Cub Scout Leader in a rural area who took the beginning Cubs out for their first one day campout. Part of it was digging a trench for a latrine. These kids were mostly from a rural background. He told me that he overheard one 8 year old ask another "Why in the Hell would you dig a hole just to pee".

I hate to sound too much like a safety nanny, but I highly recommend a life jacket for little kids when shore fishing. We started ours out that way and released our son from the requirement when he got his Swimming Merit Badge. My daughter (10) is still in a jacket when at the pond; she actually has better swimming form than my son but has zero body fat and hence great difficulty floating.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. You all have had A LOT of experience, and it shows.
Got the rocks and wood part covered. Ryan has been skipping rocks on the pond for quite some time now. My dad even has a special "Ryan" pile of rocks near the bank.

I went to pick up Ryan at mom and dad's this evening, and I mentioned to daddy what you all had recommended. I told daddy I would be getting Ryan a pole and small tackle box for his birthday. Daddy said "nope, got it covered already". Ryan and daddy are best buddys. Everything is "gandaddy" this and "gandaddy" that (never with an "r"). They even have matching tractors now. See:

tractor racing

idle time

Won't be long before he is reeling in the big ones. Daddy's garden is a special "honey hole" for wigglers. I have VERY fond memories of us digging for them when I was younger. As I have stated before I am a canepole and worm kinda woman.
And you all are right about letting Ryan do his thing. My excitment will come from helping him reel them in and watching his reactions.

Thanks a plenty for the input. You are a great group of guys (not to mention dads).

I'm just a pretty darn proud momma.

edit: Redid the pics as URl links so take a look.

And daughter too, I believe.

Pics. red x again

You better believe it. I may be 33 (quickly pushing 34), but I will ALWAYS be daddy's little girl.

If you can, throw out a minnow trap the day before. Kids love to play with a bucket full of little fish, just don't use those for bait.

Posted by Debra King "As I have stated before I am a canepole and worm kinda woman."

My kinda woman.

Daddy and I had a wonderful father daughter day yesterday at his pond. I caught a 7 1/2 lb LMB and a 5 lb LMB (approximate because I did not have any scales available), daddy caught a bluegill, and together we caught about 30 yearling LMB. Here is a picture of a yearling caught on a $-gill.



And here is the monster that swallowed my $-gill



After that we had to switch over to superworms and artificial minnows, but HATS OFF to George for giving me a day to write into the memory book. It had been so long since daddy and I fished, and yesterday could not have been more perfect.

Deb, I catch a lot bigger fish than 7 pounds when I don't have a scale.

At least I admitted it. Those were daddy's weight guesses on the LMB. What would you guess just by the picture alone?
Wierd thing about hooking that one, he hardly fought me at all. I was using a new rod and reel that daddy had just ordered from Bass Pro (I kinda stole it from him yesterday ), and I was letting the lure skip along. Actually I was doing my best to imitate fly fishing even though I have never fished that way. I felt the LMB "bump" the lure, and then I paused to see if he would run. I decided to reel in a bit, and was rather surprised that something was attached. Granted he was heavy (I was using a 6 lb test that was zinging), but he did not actually run like the yearlings were doing. I wonder if it had anything to do with the lure stuck in his gut.

Nice fish Deb. I'd bet it was the top dog predator in that pond...and probably caught before. I've noticed that fish, especially trout, that have been caught before tend to not have as much fight in them as a first caught fish. That fish has probably seen a lot of lures but hadn't seen one like George's spinner fly.

You sure the old man didn't buy a new rod and reel for you to get you to go fishing? And then manage to take it home like it was his all along at the end of the day? They can get pretty conniving as they get older; my Father-in-Law could out think me three ways at once on stuff like that.

Seriously, when the kid is willing to go fishing with you, you let them have their choice of poles AND bait AND where to fish from. But I bet Ryan's Mom understands that already.

You know Theo you are probably right. The rod itself was a $50.00 beauty that was graphite with a double cork handle. Really long, double handed cast, and felt like a canepole (my true love). Seeing as how daddy is a retired shrink, I bet he thought that one through REAL well when he ordered it. He suckered me! But I fell hook, line, and sinker (and loved every minute of it). Next step is creating those memories with tadpole (Ryan). I got the fishin' fever again.

Ryan will be set up thanks to all of you guys. I will have several poles, worms, minnows, toys, food, and a small critter "home" for entertainment purposes. Thanks to ALL of you for the help on those ideas.

george, how can i buy a supply of these flies?
thanks.

darrell stringer
darrell.stringer@sbcglobal.net

Darrell, I don’t sell flies – I give them away and the supply never meets the demand.

Guess I need to write up and post a detailed recipe, with pictures, to introduce forum members to flytying.

Since you are in Dallas perhaps we can get together and I can teach ….?

I’ve got to replenish my supplies – Theo’s troublemaking $Gill naming contest winners used up all my stuff.

George Glazener