Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Kids and Panfish

Recent family gathering at the tailwater of one southeast Minnesota's two big inland reservoirs.  Log home; big yard; soccer goals; venison steaks; golf cart; etc.  Well put together and a nice time for all.  I don't push fishing at such events but I field requests.  Our little nephew (4.75 years old per his own note) made it clear that he wanted to catch some fish.  In filing the last couple pictures in this sequence below I came across these oldies; brought me back to good times at the same location.  Looks like The Kid was just short of four and his little bro was not yet two years old.

8/2/2008

8/2/2008

8/2/2008

4/22/2009
The general gear can be seen in background; the key here is to abandon the reel entirely; use a length of rod with a fixed line and a small fly.  Small fish eat small flies well.

4/22/2009

7/31/2016
This is our nephew; a driven dude; a future and now present fisherman which he will proclaim.  He kept asking after it: when can we fish; I want to catch a fish.  Better words not often spoken.  Appreciate the passion man.  We had fumbled around the night previous with cumbersome spinning gear trying to luck into a fish in the big river; casting about, coils of line everywhere; kids throwing rocks; river thick with vegetation; just nothing going and bad vibes all around.  But the undeterred walked up to this dock the next morning - in the footprints of his cousins on that same wood - and on his first flip cast...   first flip of a little beadhead fly in his entire life...   sunfish to hand.  Picked up the rod for the hookset just as he should have done.  Watched it all go down in clear water.

After catching that fish and a few more asked his dad Are you proud of me dad, now I'm a swimmer and a fisherman.

Bonus chapter was watching in plain sight as a giant snapper ate a sunfish that was hooked by another kid angler.  Wouldn't let go.  Pulled the kid's rig around until he had sheared the fish body from the fish head; then went about his own old turtle way.