Stubborn Kid

[Koz]

Lately my 11 year old son and I have been fishing where my Dad lives in nearby Sun City Hilton Head. I've been pulling out 4 and 5 pounders every weekend as well as 2 pound Crappies. My son's personal best is just under three pounds and he's been frustrated watching me catch some bigger fish. He's had his share of 2 pounders, but not the 4 or 5's he's been craving.

 

So my mission every weekend is to get him his PB. I tell him what I think will work best under the current conditions and advise him on technique. If I catch something decent I immediately have him use that same lure. But he's an impatient 11 year old...

 

So we're out yesterday and we've caught a few Crappie and some smaller bass. He had some hits on a beetle spin but it can be a difficult hookset with that small hook and bigger fish. So I told him, "Throw that big green and white spinner bait." Nope. He's having none of it. He's bummed out and doesn't want to fish. "C'mon Matt, put on that spinner bait and throw it right over there." But he'd rather sit and not fish.

 

So I grab the spinner bait, threw it exactly where I told him to throw it, and on the first cast pulled in a 4.5 pounder. And I felt bad about it. I really want him to get his PB. And no, he wasn't happy either. But he was mad at himself and not at me. Maybe next time he'll listen to the Old Man.

 

(But I have to admit it was pretty cool calling that shot. Kind of felt like Babe Ruth in the '32 World Series there for a moment.)

[burrows]

In my days if I wasn’t throwing the jelly worm my Poppa told me to throw he’d beet me with a stick, can’t do that no more. Times have changed.

[DINK WHISPERER]

All kids do that I think. A little patience is all that is needed in most cases.

[everythingthatswims]

One of my fishing buddies is like that. Can't force the horse to drink!

 

All day he hadn't hooked one steelhead and in the last hour I told him to come catch an active fish I had located, he declined. Two casts later and I was hooked into it.

[TOXIC]

As a guide, I used to just love to take out husband/wife trips for a couple of reasons.  1. Wives always listened to what I told them and caught fish.  2. Wives are better tippers.

 

It was usually a hard headed husband that "knew" how to catch em and wasn't having anything to do with my advice.  I'd let them throw whatever they wanted and I would concentrate on the wife/girlfriend/significant other and they would be having a blast catching.  Sometimes that would get the attention of the know-it-all, sometimes not......

[Koz]

I did a follow up post here:

The next time we went out he grabbed that spinner bait and tossed it in the mouth of the channel where I suggested and caught his PB within a few casts.