Close but no Bucketmouth...

[elnutsmalljaws]

Went to my Dad's farm in Wolfe County this morning to ride 4 wheelers with my wife, son, and my wife's best friends daughter Olivia (who we are keeping for the weekend). Mind you my son is 3 1/2 and the little girl just turned 5 so it will be both of their first time on 4 wheelers. Of course Joshua (my son) want to go faster and faster just like Jimmy Johnson and not slow like Jeff Gordon acording to him. Around 11am he says Dad, "I want to go fishing", Now that is my BOY. My father shows me to his fishing supplies????? and I find one decent rod and reel, then to a tackle box that still has dried worms and other tackle in it from the 70's. I do manage to find a hook, bobber and sinker so it is off to find some bait. I turn over numerous dead trees and other stuff to find nothing but dried up beetles, just glad no Copper Heads or Rattlers were around either. Back to the tackle box and I find what is left of the greatest pond bass bait ever invented, a BEETLE SPIN. Mind you the plastic is completely dried up and discolored so I find exactly ONE what used to be white 2" grub that is in fairly good condition in the bottom of the box. off the dried Beetle and on witht he grub. My wife and Olivia go with us to the pond and my dad tells me it is full of catfish and bluegill but he had but a couple of Bass in it as well. Joshua is standing in front of me and we make the cast together and reel them in to nothing for the first 4-5 cast, then it happens. I am helping him hold the rod and he is reeling it in when the rod loads up to my suprise. We set the hook and the fish comes to the top of the water and it is a really nice Largemouth. Joshua is holding most of the rod and doing the reeling as I am trying to adjust the drag (which I had not done), it comes to the top again and is a solid 4lb Largemouth, turns and makes a run and SNAP!!!! breaks off all the way up inside the reel. I am completely tore up as my son just lost his first fish and it was a good one at that. Before I can really say what I want to, I look at my wife and tell her it was a good fish and I can't believe it got off, Joshua says "It is ok Dad, lets get another one". Best Boy on the planet and what a proud Dad I am. My wife was taking pictures of us while we were fishing and got a good picture of the ring of water left behind when it jumped the first time in the background. This is his first fish that never was. With all the trials and tribulations that we go thru each and every day, it is the few seconds like these that make them all worth while. I have been looking forward to taking Joshua to Dale so he can catch his first big Brownfish ever since my wife brought the little fella home from 8,000 miles away in April 20004 and the wait just got a little harder knowing that he enjoyed that little fight as much as he did. Can't wait until he tangles with one of them Ol Brownfish to see his expressions then. Take a kid fishing fellas for I know you will get more out of it than they willl and that is saying a lot.

[MsgMills]

Sounds like you and your entire family had one heck of a time fishing. Nothing like taking a kid fishing I will agree...But for me taking my wife out fishing is just as much fun. She had never been fishing before in her life until she met me. Talk about someone acting like a little kid when she gets a fish on her line, nothing beats the sight.... Should have seen her when she caught the small Walleye last year at Nolin, talk about funny......

[biggw]

Taking your kid fishing is still one of the best highlights of my life.

[redneckshadrap]

Taking your kid fishing is still one of the best highlights of my life.

Took my daughter, Emily, over behind the house on the farm to the creek yesterday afternoon to tangle with some hungry gills.

I have a picture I hope to post tonight,

Billy

[mhall]

Excellent posts........

[Devils Horse]

Congrats El, in the years to come you'll enjoy your kids' fish way more than your own. A moment will come when you'll watch him tie on his own rig and handle his own stuff, and the ole man'll realize just how fast life slips by. It'll hit you like a ton of bricks and you'll have to 'get a a doggone gnat out of your eye' to hide the tears. Enjoy every second.

My sons have turned to surly, self centered teenagers, but the memories of our zillions of fishing trips since they were both in diapers are truly priceless.

The 5 year old daughter caught a few 'gills at Barren yesterday on her Barbie rig. Educational for her because half the mealworms we bought last time we were out had morphed into beetles. A few months back a nice little blue cat grabbed her waxworm while she was 'gillin. Dad had to help her a little on that one. The drag on the ole Barbie rig got smoked, but we put him in the boat for a CPR.

[Bass Jr. Executive]

Taking your kid fishing is still one of the best highlights of my life.

Are you sure you mean your son? The big lefty can be pretty grouchy. LOL Maybe you're rememmbering the time you sent him for a swim.

[smljaw]

Hey Elnut, that's a great one, man! Taking the little ones fishing and tromping around the creek leaves some awesome, lasting memories... My oldest son will be 3 in November. I've taken him gill fishing a few times and he loves it. A real fun time in the great outdoors happend a couple of weeks ago. The two of us waded a local creek and caught craws, minnows and a little snake. He had a BLAST and still talks about it. As much fun as he had, it was 10X more fun for me.

[DJD]

Really good thread, i took my daughter Sarah yesterday and we caught several bluegill and a turtle . She is 10 and can cast a spinning reel on a 6 1/2 foot rod like nothing i've ever seen. She has been brought up fishing and it does a daddy proud to see her in action. We are blessed beyond belief....