What comes around...goes around!

[metalhack]

I am new to this site so I am not really sure where to put it. Its a little OT from the norm.

My father taught me how to fish ,as many of you here I am also sure learned from your Dads. We started fishing when I was 4...and he always said.."the first day I took you fishing was the last day of his fishing career and his best day on the water". He always says it with a smile. What he meant was he spent a lot of time teaching, tying, taking the fish off and trying to get the lures out of the trees.

Heres where the topic title "What comes around goes around" comes from. 29 years later My Dad is a  healthy 64 year old man, though his eyes are not as good as they used to be. So he relies on me to tie the knots. He loves to use very light tackle, nothing bigger than a lightweight rod and 4lb test. Anything bigger he says is cheating(I cheat). We were fishing a great bass pond in my area the other day and we were doing pretty good. My father managed many times to land some pretty big fish and usually would make me re-tie the knot just in case,so needless to say I was tying Palomars all day. I must have tied 40 knots that day. It was the least amount of fishing I have done in some time and it was also my lowest creel count that i can remember.....But it was my best day fishing in 29 years.

[John Cullum]

Great story...Thanks for sharing.

[gamblerOH]

I hope to be able to do the same for my dad some day. He's 56 and still very busy but some day when things slow down for him we will get back out on the water.

[abelfisher]

I never really went fishing with my dad.  He and my mother divorced when I was 8.  However, ia am really trying to spend the time fishing with my two youngest kids (19 & 22)  We used to fish together years ago until my hiatus of fishing for 7 years.  I started back up last year and the kids are fishing with me about 2 out of 4 weeks each month.  

That is a great story metalhack.  I hoping my kids will do that when i am 64!  Keep it up!

[Guest the_mud_man]

Thanks Metalhack I never got to fish with my Dad but we made a lot of baseball games together. I was able to take my daughter fishing a lot but now she has college aand a boyfriend to keep her busy.Im glad I did get time on the water with her it really is a good memory for both me and her.

[tie1on]

Great story!!!!!!!!!But my old man want let me do that for him yet.Hes 58 and still wants to do everything.And the sad thing on my behalf is that he still out fishes me alot.

[bosnmate3]

Man, my son is four and I took him for the first time a few weeks ago. I can only pray that we will have this in the years to come. I am sure your dad is so happy to be still fishing with you. And, having someone tying knots for him has got to be a plus !!!

[dotz]

I been fortunate, dad and grandfather where both huge fishermen. When Papaw past away in 97 I hung my rods up until 2003. Papaw and me spent every summer on the lake for 5 yrs while I was out of school. I just didn't feel like doing it anymore it lost its passion to me. Now me and Dad still hunted and bowfished together but no fishing rods. My now brother in law talked me into going with him one day and the passion came back. Went and bought a bass boat and haven't missed a beat since. I take Mom and Dad ever chance I get. And every once in a while when I am by myself I can feel a special person in back of the boat when I am setting on his spot. There is no better feeling in the world.  

That is great to take parents or just our elders out fishing, they forget there problems and we make memories that will last a lifetime.

[Hot n Tot]

Great post!  Regardless of your age, you never stop learning from your dad.  I too am fortunate to be able to fish with my dad.  He is a diehard crappie fisherman, who rarely bass fishes.  When we go crappie fishing, I sit in the back of the boat.  I usually only catch a couple while he usually catches the limit or real close to it.  He's more than able, but I usually net and unhook his fish.  I could care less if I actually catch anything.  Just being outdoors with him is all that matters.  He mostly fishes Grenada lake, and I am always amazed at his knowledge of lake.

[roadwarrior]

My dad is 76 and still gets around pretty well. I take him and a friend of his to the White River twice a year for a trout outing. Although the boys fish almost every week, spring through fall, they treasure the "big" trips the most. I would like to think it's all about me, and some of it is, but another aspect is catching fish. On these two outing each year they both catch more fish in two or three days than their totals for the entire year. It's fun for me and the high point of the year for them.

If you're in the region and you want to take someone on a "for sure" fishing trip, the White River in northern Arkansas is the ticket. Now to cinch the deal, I HIGHLY recommend hiring a guide. Then you can spend all your time just fishing with your dad or your kids without dealing with the river and the wind and all the other stuff you'd have to do.

[lookin4lunkers]

Great Post. My dad pasted away a couple of years ago and we never got to do much outdoor stuff togather. However I've been taking my mom fishing once or twice a month since dad died. She had a stroke about 3 years ago and has never fully recovered. I enjoy spending time with her and helping her when she will let me. she is very independent. Bought her fishing licence for her for mothers day.

[Rattlinrogue]

My daddy never was into bassin',but he liked to go catfishing.My experiences with Pop revolved around running trotlines for Mr. Whiskers.We had an old 14 ft jon and a 7.5 Johnson.We would motor to a sandbar set up camp and go set out our lines.For bait ,we'd seine for minnows,shad,orbream.We also used rotten chicken guts.We'd be up all night running our lines.It was a lot of fun.I miss my daddy.He's been gine for 3 years.

[Rebbasser]

Great story.  For those of y'all who's dad is still around take advantage of it!  I lost my dad back in '02, but I have a lot of great memories.  My one regret is he passed about 8 months before I bought my bass boat and he never got to go out with me in it.  

But, since we are talking about dads here is one of my favorite memories:

I was fishing with my dad in a 15ft fiberglass boat with a 25 horse engine. I was in the front and foul hooked a small shad so I decided to put it on a hook and drop it on the bottom for catfish. This was in January I think, and while the water was a little chilly the air wasn't-usually isnt in South Texas .  We had one of those old, MASSIVE tackleboxes, the one that is green aluminum hip roof with about 20 trays on each side and it was wide open. As I stepped off the deck, I stepped on the tackle box and lost my balance. As I was falling I grabbed a swivel seat (the operative word here is swivel) to break my fall. Well, the seat did what it was designed to do: swivel. As I swung aroung I hit my dad from behind. You guessed it. The next thing I knew my dad was gone. Then, a hand appeared on the side of the boat immediately followed by my soaking wet father's head. His hat was gone and his glasses were hanging from one ear. He had this look of disbelief on his face that was so funny I couldn't keep from laughing. I then asked him the first thing that came to mind: "Hey Dad, how deep is it". His response was pretty straight forward: "I DON'T GIVE A D*** HOW DEEP IT IS, GET ME OUT OF HERE!". Here is where we started to have trouble. I could hardly get him in the boat because we were both laughing so hard.

I still bust out laughing when I remember that.

[abelfisher]

Those are cherished moments!  Cherish them all!

[Fatdaddy150]

Thanks for sharing everyone. I just realized me and Dad have only been on the water together once this year. I think I am gonna ask him to go Sunday Morning. He is the best. I spend so much time tounament fishing and getting prepared I almost forgot who got me hooked on bassin. If we go I'll let everyone know how it went. I bet he kicks my tail. It seems like he always does.LOL Thanks again!

Tight Lines,

Fatdaddy151