My 3 1/2 Yo Grandson Asks Me When......

[bigbill]

I started talking to my 3 1/2 yo grandson about bass fishing. He stops me and asks when are we going fishing? Then I had to open my four stuffed tackle boxes and explain topwater poppers, zara spooks, propbaits to him first. Then we went through every other tackle box looking at colors, types of lures and every word I said he repeated back to me. We spent a lot of time bonding today. I believe we may have an up coming bass tongue fisherman. He liked the plastic frogs and mice lures. At his age he can pick up lures look at them and put them back without getting hooked. I explained to him to be extra careful. I think it's going to be an awesome summer of bass fishing with him. I got him a nice spin cast setup to start off with. I will week the lad on walking the dog with spooks first.

For Christmas I gave him five remote control construction equipment vehicles. We got on the subject he needs a bigger dump truck. I put Amazon.com on my tablet and the young man is faster at finding stuff than I am. We sat for some time looking and talking about dump trucks.

The lad loves quads he has two gas powdered little ones, dirtbikes, tractors(my farm tractors) and construction equipment. He operates my mower and snowflake with his dad.

I figured I get the boy hooked on stuff at an early age. I watch him closely. He watches everything we do to start the machines. I hide all the keys now.

I hope I'm around to see him fish tornies. Bill

I'm sure in a few years he will be talking fishing with everyone here.

[tritondriver]

my gson started fishin with me about 5 and hasn't stopped. I had to make a spot in the garage where I would put lures and tackle and he knew that if what was there it was his to take...had to do that before I lost everything out of the boxes....have a great time I still do and hes 13 now..

[Topwaterspook]

Hi, Bill. This time is so great. Enjoy every moment. I remember doing the very same with my grandchildren. Remember, everything is a bonus for us. Good luck.

 

Stitch

[Smokinal]

That's awesome Bill! Fishing is such a clean, natural hobby. I love hearing about/seeing kids get into fishing.

[Bluebasser86]

I was still in diapers the first time my dad took me fishing. He has an old picture of me sitting on a sand bank in my diaper holding a push button rod and watching a bobber, it was about a week before my first birthday. Now I have a son of my own that's not even 2 months old yet and all I can think about is when I'll be able to take him fishing

[roadwarrior]

First things first. I'm pretty sure he NEEDS the new Curado!

[Bluebasser86]

First things first. I'm pretty sure he NEEDS the new Curado!

Yeah, start him out right! My dad skipped the push button stuff with me. When he bought me my first rod and reel that was actually mine when I was 6 it was a spinning combo. He taught me to tie a knot and turned me loose. 

[pbizzle]

Yeah, start him out right! My dad skipped the push button stuff with me. When he bought me my first rod and reel that was actually mine when I was 6 it was a spinning combo. He taught me to tie a knot and turned me loose.

Lucky for you. My dad started me out on spin cast reels, and then realized that he didn't have time to go serious bass fishing any more and sold all his stuff and went to back to spin cast reels. Now that I only use bait casters I can't make him switch back.

[bigbill]

I can remember standing in the pouring rain at six years old in my yellow rain coat when my older brother my mentor took me fishing for the first time. He caught some Spanish and took them home and fried them up with eggs for breakfast. He taught me if you kill it you eat it. I let everything live for sure like animals. I taught my son's the same thing so they wouldn't kill anything with there BB guns. I told them only take what you need to eat from the land. And so far the local market has everything we need.

Those good times with my brother I'll never forget about fishing with him. We were fishing a popular trout river here. We walked down the river bank and found a back wash off the main running water. My brother was up stream from me. All of a sudden a large trout came out of the water. I turned to my brother and said did you see that? My brother goes yup it's on my line. There was gravel in the shallows in front of us. He had the trout in these shallows up to him when the line let go. He panicked and went on the gravel on his hands and knees chasing this 21" rainbow trout. I never laughed so hard in my life. But he caught it in his hands. He never did break that record. I suggested mounting it but he insisted on eating it.

I went hunting with him for pheasants too. I was too young for a shotgun. So I learned from him. As we walked into the forest there in the road I said there's a chicken. He said that's a pheasant. I said shoot it. He said it's n the ground and we can only shoot it in the air. Well we finally flushed it and he shot it. Again he ate it.

Another time we were bear hunting. He would kid with me all the time when he seen a black tree trunk in the shadows in the woods he would say look there's a bear. This one day he was right. The bear was 30 yards from us. Then he said I own the camp up here so I should shoot it. I said you seen it first so you shoot it. Well he has the bear rug. Nothing got wasted. Even the left overs got recycled back to the forest. Everyone had bear meat at my camp. I'm glad I let him take the bear about 3 years later he passed away. His daughter has the rug now and is very proud of it.

He passed away 19 years ago. He was an awesome sportsman, a great brother and mentor plus a good husband and good father to his daughters. I'll never forget him.

I always think of him and his sporting ethics. I have to flush up pheasants.

My point is take the time to mentor someone and you'll have a fishing and hunting partner for life. Make the time to give back. You can change a kids life forever.

[Chief 2]

I think the smile says it all.

[bigbill]

That's what I'm talking about. It's the eyes lit up and the smile of joy of catching that fish.

My grandson was over the house after we bonded looking on the net at toys and he has respect for grandpa now. I need to breakout the fishing cataloges next. Once I get him hooked on looking at fishing cataloges a trip to ducks sporting goods is next he needs a tackle box. He watches videos when it's nap time. I'll slip in some educational fishing videos. If he shows a strong interest in fishing maybe we'll have a young tornie fisherman. I'll give him the equipment and some education and the rest is up to him. It's time on the water.