Another Fishing Adventure
Another Fishing Adventure
By Allan Olson
It was an impromptu decision (something of a rarity for me) – I decided to take a day off from the rat race of work and spend some time with the family.
After some discussion with my wife and a couple phone calls later, fishing plans were made for Friday. We quickly packed up for our family of four kids and ourselves for the weekend and headed to my parents’ on Lake of the Woods.
This trip was quite different from the last time – the most obvious difference being it was July versus January.
We knew heading up to Lake of the Woods that Grandma wasn’t home, and if we wanted to go fishing all the kids would be coming with – a thought that stirred mixed feelings. While we want our children to learn to love and enjoy the fun of fishing, it also makes fishing harder, since you’re always corralling kids, putting lines back in and re-baiting their hooks – all while trying to tend to your own line.
It would be a challenge, but three adults should easily be able to handle four kids. Right?
The weather started out nearly perfect, with a slight chop on the lake and the temperature approaching 80. By 10 a.m. we were ready to wet a line, or in this case, seven of them.
We left Morris Point and ventured out onto the big water on the pontoon.
The fishing reports were great, but the distance that the trophies were being landed at was too far to venture with four kids, so we settled for a spot near Pine Island and dropped anchor.
We split up the kids, with the oldest two up front with mom and the younger two back by grandpa and me.
My wife was the first to land a fish. While it wasn’t a prize specimen, it did barely pass the bucket test (meaning it stretched across a five gallon pail), so into the livewell it went.
In the meantime, I was still trying to get a couple of lines in the water. My youngest daughter had already abandoned her fishing spot at the back of the boat when her mom noticed that she had a fish on. She got to the back of the boat in time to assist in getting the fish in the boat.
Nikolai was next to catch a fish.
“How do you know if you have something?” he asked. The words were barely out of his mouth when he realized for himself and he excitedly hooked and landed his only fish of the nearly two-hour expedition. His fish was off the hook and in the livewell before I could get a simple snapshot.
Abigail, my nearly five-year-old daughter, caught the next fish. It was another small catch, but she was excited about it and eagerly held it up for a photo opportunity for her shutter-bug dad.
The fishing trip continued as we tried to wrangle the four children who, even if they were catching fish, still seemed more interested in going back to the grandparents or swimming, which we had hoped to do.
“I have a fish,” Alivia said a short time later. “No, you don’t,” her grandpa and I said. “I have a fish,” she repeated again. Since this is the common little kid ploy to reel up their line, her mom and I this time repeated, “No, you don’t; keep fishing.” About that time, Grandpa looked over the side of the boat, and much to the amazement and shock of everyone, Alivia truly had a fish.
“Yes, she does!” Grandpa said. “It’s laying on the top of the water.”
I quickly assisted her in getting the fish in the boat.
It was definitely a moment of amazement and laughter as our three-year-old just landed her first fish, completely unassisted.
Marcus was the last of the kids to catch one. In all honesty, he didn’t catch it, and won’t take much, if any, credit for it.
I had given up using my fishing pole because the kids kept abandoning theirs. At that moment I had Abigail’s pole in my hand when I felt the tug. I set the hook and started to call Abigail, then changed it to Marcus, and he finished reeling in the fish, with his twin sister standing by, ready to take over if he gave up the task.
That was the only one of the fish landed that couldn’t even momentarily be considered for the livewell.
Later Marcus wouldn’t take the credit for catching the fish. “My dad caught it,” he told his aunt, uncle and cousins later.
Alivia appears to actually know what it feels like to have a fish on, as later when I was using her pole (since she abandoned it) she asked, “Is it pulling yet?”
Fishing is always fun; fishing with children is usually guarantees a few more laughs.
While the evening fishing trip with my dad and oldest brother proved more productive (and entertaining in the fact that my success was better than my brother’s), it still wasn’t as amusing as the morning trip with the kids.
Overall, it was a great way to spend the day away from work, and the fresh fish meal on Saturday afternoon made it even better.
By Allan Olson
It was an impromptu decision (something of a rarity for me) – I decided to take a day off from the rat race of work and spend some time with the family.
After some discussion with my wife and a couple phone calls later, fishing plans were made for Friday. We quickly packed up for our family of four kids and ourselves for the weekend and headed to my parents’ on Lake of the Woods.
This trip was quite different from the last time – the most obvious difference being it was July versus January.
We knew heading up to Lake of the Woods that Grandma wasn’t home, and if we wanted to go fishing all the kids would be coming with – a thought that stirred mixed feelings. While we want our children to learn to love and enjoy the fun of fishing, it also makes fishing harder, since you’re always corralling kids, putting lines back in and re-baiting their hooks – all while trying to tend to your own line.
It would be a challenge, but three adults should easily be able to handle four kids. Right?
The weather started out nearly perfect, with a slight chop on the lake and the temperature approaching 80. By 10 a.m. we were ready to wet a line, or in this case, seven of them.
We left Morris Point and ventured out onto the big water on the pontoon.
The fishing reports were great, but the distance that the trophies were being landed at was too far to venture with four kids, so we settled for a spot near Pine Island and dropped anchor.
We split up the kids, with the oldest two up front with mom and the younger two back by grandpa and me.
My wife was the first to land a fish. While it wasn’t a prize specimen, it did barely pass the bucket test (meaning it stretched across a five gallon pail), so into the livewell it went.
In the meantime, I was still trying to get a couple of lines in the water. My youngest daughter had already abandoned her fishing spot at the back of the boat when her mom noticed that she had a fish on. She got to the back of the boat in time to assist in getting the fish in the boat.
Nikolai was next to catch a fish.
“How do you know if you have something?” he asked. The words were barely out of his mouth when he realized for himself and he excitedly hooked and landed his only fish of the nearly two-hour expedition. His fish was off the hook and in the livewell before I could get a simple snapshot.
Abigail, my nearly five-year-old daughter, caught the next fish. It was another small catch, but she was excited about it and eagerly held it up for a photo opportunity for her shutter-bug dad.
The fishing trip continued as we tried to wrangle the four children who, even if they were catching fish, still seemed more interested in going back to the grandparents or swimming, which we had hoped to do.
“I have a fish,” Alivia said a short time later. “No, you don’t,” her grandpa and I said. “I have a fish,” she repeated again. Since this is the common little kid ploy to reel up their line, her mom and I this time repeated, “No, you don’t; keep fishing.” About that time, Grandpa looked over the side of the boat, and much to the amazement and shock of everyone, Alivia truly had a fish.
“Yes, she does!” Grandpa said. “It’s laying on the top of the water.”
I quickly assisted her in getting the fish in the boat.
It was definitely a moment of amazement and laughter as our three-year-old just landed her first fish, completely unassisted.
Marcus was the last of the kids to catch one. In all honesty, he didn’t catch it, and won’t take much, if any, credit for it.
I had given up using my fishing pole because the kids kept abandoning theirs. At that moment I had Abigail’s pole in my hand when I felt the tug. I set the hook and started to call Abigail, then changed it to Marcus, and he finished reeling in the fish, with his twin sister standing by, ready to take over if he gave up the task.
That was the only one of the fish landed that couldn’t even momentarily be considered for the livewell.
Later Marcus wouldn’t take the credit for catching the fish. “My dad caught it,” he told his aunt, uncle and cousins later.
Alivia appears to actually know what it feels like to have a fish on, as later when I was using her pole (since she abandoned it) she asked, “Is it pulling yet?”
Fishing is always fun; fishing with children is usually guarantees a few more laughs.
While the evening fishing trip with my dad and oldest brother proved more productive (and entertaining in the fact that my success was better than my brother’s), it still wasn’t as amusing as the morning trip with the kids.
Overall, it was a great way to spend the day away from work, and the fresh fish meal on Saturday afternoon made it even better.
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