01-22-2011, 03:07 AM
I took my 4 year old to Rockport today for one hour of mid-day fishing. I debated making the trip because we would only have one hour to fish, but he was persistent. This was his first time to go with me on the ice, so I thought if nothing else I would see how he would do just sitting there for an hour. I think he just punched his ticket for future outings.
I have been wanting to try the west side of the lake, but due to only having one hour we went by the boat ramp. I figured this would be faster and easier for him to get on the ice and leave us more time to actually fish. We got there just before noon and went straight out from the ramp to a depth of 25 feet. I set him up with my light action pole that I usually use for perch fishing. If he got a bite I wanted him to be able to really feel it. I tipped it with a small orange ice fly and a meal worm. I showed him how to jig a little bit and he proved to be a quick learner. 15 minutes later he hooked a fish suspended at about 13 feet. In his excitement he was reeling backwards and I didn't notice until he had unscrewed the handle off the reel. I quickly screwed it back on, showed him which way to reel it, and watched him land his first fish on the ice. Talk about an excited little boy. Some days, most days, parenthood can be so rewarding.
There was about 2 inches of snow on top of the ice with minimal slush. The sun was out, the sky was blue, a perfect day to bond with my son.
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I have been wanting to try the west side of the lake, but due to only having one hour we went by the boat ramp. I figured this would be faster and easier for him to get on the ice and leave us more time to actually fish. We got there just before noon and went straight out from the ramp to a depth of 25 feet. I set him up with my light action pole that I usually use for perch fishing. If he got a bite I wanted him to be able to really feel it. I tipped it with a small orange ice fly and a meal worm. I showed him how to jig a little bit and he proved to be a quick learner. 15 minutes later he hooked a fish suspended at about 13 feet. In his excitement he was reeling backwards and I didn't notice until he had unscrewed the handle off the reel. I quickly screwed it back on, showed him which way to reel it, and watched him land his first fish on the ice. Talk about an excited little boy. Some days, most days, parenthood can be so rewarding.
There was about 2 inches of snow on top of the ice with minimal slush. The sun was out, the sky was blue, a perfect day to bond with my son.
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