Saturday, August 02, 2008

Four Year Old with a Backcast

Some items of note here:
(1) On taking out his custom made fly rod for the first time in a while, JD immediately walked to the edge of the dock, flipped the line behind him and laid out a cast on the water. Wow. Note that in the first pic below you can see the rod coming forward and the line in a loop above his head. I had to warn several people to avoid standing behind us... hehe.
(2) On several occasions, while fishing, JD offered commentary regarding whether or not the fish had eaten the fly (we could see plainly all the fish around the fly).
(3) At one point he said "Oh - there's a big one Dad," and he picked the line up off the water, walked to another spot on the dock and flipped a cast at a big LMB! Nice!
(4) I'll never understand why parents so often give kids worms on giant hooks or big ol' beetle spins to fish for panfish. The sunnies cannot physically place those hooks in their mouths. JD walked up to the crowd on the dock with a #18 beadhead nymph and immediately banked several fish... to the astonishment of the kids who were trying to stuff dictionaries in pea-sized fish mouths. I cut a jig off one kid's line and gave him a nymph - he caught three sunnies in the next five minutes. Happy kid.
(5) I'm experiencing micro-management-dad syndrome lately... and it worked its way into our outing here. James had 1000 hits on the nymph today. He probably fought ~15 fish, but I had to hook ~10 of them for him... We'd sit and watch the fish destroy the fly, one after another... and I say "lift up the rod J" over and over... and he stares blankly at the situation in the water. The only fish he hooked himself were those that happened to swim away with the fly in mouth. So the dilemma is that I see the pure joy on his face when he feels that sweet hookup and resistance... so I want him to be able to do that for himself... but I feel like a jackass when I sit there on his shoulder saying over and over "lift up the rod J" and "OH - pick up the rod man!" etc. Funny thing is that he has explained to me and others on many occasions how fishing works: you cast the fly into the water, and wait for the fish to eat it, and then you pick up the rod! Anyway... kind of a funny little thing. The kid isn't even four yet... geez. I've just been trying to decide the right thing to do in those spots... I think I'm leaning toward letting him work his way to hooking up by himself.
(6) Little Brother really loved seeing those fish. He was literally cackling each time JD showed him one. Pretty cool.



14 Comments:

Blogger John Montana said...

Great stuff J...best way to teach kids to fish. You have to love the bluegill.

11:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice post - I fall under the umbrella of worm-using parents (Although I do keep the hook size down). I had my guy out in the boat on Saturday and I just let him catch bluegills. I thought he'd get tired after a while but in the end he had to be dragged kicking and screaming off the lake - a nice problem to have.

It sounds like we're both having that same inner conflict of trying to teach them proper hook set technique without coming off as drill sergeants. I guess we just got to let them miss a few and keep reminding them of all the steps. Practice catches up to theory eventually, as long as we keep it light.

By the way, if you have a four year old casting a nymph then you are doing pretty good - I can barely do that myself.

10:08 AM  
Blogger Wendy Berrell said...

Agreed 100% that bluegill are the best place to start kids on fish. Plenty of them, and they hit anything/everything. The kids were just laughing and cackling the whole time.

Terry:

The comment was more in reference to the SIZE of what was being fished... not so much what was being fished - lure/bait/fly. Small hooks. Preferably small, barbless hooks, as problems with hooksets often lead to swallowed lure/bait/fly.

I think you are right in your suggestion to let them miss a few... let them ride a bit and just work things out on their own.

His casting is a bit wild... and it's not traditional casting I guess. He has a piece of fly line tied to a mono loop that is attached to one piece of an old graphite rod. It's a fly rig of sorts... designed to offer a kid everything he needs (and nothing more) to catch pannies.

10:20 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

So I suppose JD debated the finer points of how to snag a fish in the mouth too huh? LOL great outing.

8:34 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

chi flat iron, mac cosmetics, soccer shoes, jimmy choo shoes, birkin bag, rolex watches, ferragamo shoes, canada goose, vans outlet, instyler ionic styler, uggs outlet, canada goose outlet, soccer jerseys, north face jackets, babyliss pro, wedding dresses, p90x workout, giuseppe zanotti, mcm handbags, ugg outlet, asics shoes, celine handbags, ghd, nike huarache, bottega veneta, insanity workout, abercrombie and fitch, herve leger, ugg boots, nike trainers, ugg soldes, marc jacobs outlet, beats headphones, hollister, mont blanc pens, reebok shoes, canada goose outlet, lululemon outlet, valentino shoes, longchamp, north face outlet, nfl jerseys, new balance outlet, roshe run, ugg, canada goose outlet, uggs on sale

12:30 AM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

baseball bats, nike air max, ray ban, parajumpers outlet, toms outlet, timberland shoes, converse shoes, replica watches, moncler, hollister, lancel, moncler, juicy couture outlet, moncler, links of london uk, wedding dress, louis vuitton canada, ugg, vans, moncler, pandora charms, canada goose uk, louboutin, canada goose, oakley, juicy couture outlet, hollister canada, pandora jewelry, moncler outlet, iphone 6 case, ralph lauren, canada goose pas cher, pandora uk, coach outlet, moncler, montre femme, converse, swarovski uk, uggs canada, supra shoes, hollister clothing, karen millen, swarovski jewelry, thomas sabo uk, canada goose, air max, gucci, moncler

12:36 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

burberry outlet
the north face clearance
eagles jerseys
gucci outlet
larry fitzgerald jerseys,kevin kolb jerseys,patrick peterson jersey,andre ellington jersey,larry fitzgerald jersey,calais campbell jersey,deone bucannon jersey,andre ellington elite jersey,darnell dockett jersey,michael floyd jersey,sam acho jersey
vans for sale
nike air max
nike air max,air max uk,air max 90,nike air max 90,air max shoes
stuart weitzman boots
fivefingers shoes
ysl handbags
chicago blackhawks jersey
camisetas futbol baratas
miami dolphins jerseys
oakley sunglasses wholesale
wedding dresses
chelsea football shirts
atlanta falcons jersey
toms shoes outlet online
cleveland cavaliers jersey
nike air max 2014
nike free uk
coach outlet store
cowboys jerseys
canada goose sale
juicy couture outlet online
mbt shoes
redskins jerseys
cartier watches
nike air max 2015
wei20150709

8:38 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

15926meiqing
oakley sunglasses
sac longchamp
longchamp handbags
abercrombie
fitflop uk
fake oakleys
juicy couture
nike air max 90
kate spade handbags
gucci
prada outlet
supra shoes
polo ralph lauren
michael kors outlet
cheap uggs
mont blanc pens
louis vuitton pas cher
coach outlet canada
hollister kids
hollister uk
ugg boots
instyler max
longchamp
mulberry handbags
ghd
louboutin pas cher
moncler outlet
ed hardy clothing
sac longchamp pliage
burberry outlet

1:25 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

qzz0601
jordan shoes
coach outlet
coach outlet
pandora charms
ferragamo shoes
supreme clothing
knicks jerseys
true religion outlet
michael kors wallets
kevin durant jerseys

9:04 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

zzzzz2018.7.3
nike factory outlet
pandora charms outlet
cheap jordans
canada goose jackets
oakley sunglasses wholesale
moncler online outlet
red bottoms
christian louboutin shoes
moncler online outlet
mlb jerseys

8:12 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

zzzzz2018.7.11
adidas ultra boost
ralph lauren outlet
salomon
louboutin shoes
off white shoes
ecco shoes
red bottoms
moncler outlet
mulberry uk
adidas football soldes

9:27 PM  
Blogger 5689 said...

zzzzz2018.8.15
ray ban sunglasses
adidas outlet online
moncler jackets
supreme shirt
vibram fivefingers shoes
pandora jewelry
ralph lauren outlet
ugg boots on sale 70% off
ugg boots
moncler online

10:10 PM  
Blogger ouch said...

0728jejeAir Jordan 1 pas cher Les baskets des New Balance 515 soldes femmes Nike Dunk fleur de pruneau il vient à l'intérieur d'une teinte asics gel kayano evo homme rose pâle, la Nike Dunk Metropolis Woman, le captivant tout basket nike air max 1 leopard noir avec des détails gris, les femmes Nike Dunk nike air jordan flight homme noir gros revenus. C'est le composant le plus important pour un asics veste equipe de france full zip m bon briquet. Suivre le joueur? Regardez les vêtements de Adidas Zx 850 Pas Cher jogging par Aididas, Nike Shox R3 et Under Armour.WomenMoms et chaussure nike homme 2017 presto pas une mamans apprécieront faire du shopping pour les new balance 999 homme pas cher achats doux de Champs Nike Shox R3 et de la mode nike air max 1 blanche blanc avant de gérer les chaussures, les vêtements de travail et d'autres marques.

1:16 AM  
Blogger aldousmoore said...

Faced with Jordan Shoe Stores Cheap Air Forces several different models of televisions from various manufacturers, the contrast ratio is one of the most important factors to consider in making your decision. A contrast ratio is defined as the difference between the lightest color and the darkest color the television is capable of producing. Basically, higher contrast ratios should Coach Outlet Purses On Clearance yield more vibrant whites and deeper blacks.

Earlier this year, FDA officials inspected an unspecified number of chicken jerky facilities in China, but the agency has yet to release any further information on those efforts. While many of the tests appear to be Coach Outlet Clearance Sale conducted in response to consumer complaints, others appear to be related to testing done on pet treats linked to the melamine dog food recall of MK Outlet Online 2007. An Cheap Nike Air Force 1 unprecedented Dump In a post on eFoodAlert detailing the dump, Entis called the release an move on the part of the FDA, but questioned how helpful the information would be without more context: problem with it is that there no indication of which tests were a result of MK Outlet Sale the melamine investigation, which were results of consumer complaints, which were routine surveillance, or why there were certain tests done to certain samples that weren done to others, Entis told Food Safety News.

Mental disorders are characterized by problems that people experience with their mind and their mood. They are not well understood in terms of their causes, but the symptoms of mental illness are scientifically valid and well known. Treatment usually involving both psychotherapy and medication for most mental illness and mental health concerns is readily available and, eventually, effective for most people.The mental disorder symptom lists below have been summarized from current diagnostic criteria most commonly used in the United States by mental health professionals (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Coach Outlet Online 80 OFF of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition).

2:58 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home