No Fly Fishing, But Yahoo!

So I didn’t go fly fishing today. But, I did something even better in many respects, and that was take my son David, who will be four years old in August, fishing at a club I belong to. The club mostly focusses on shooting and archery sports, however there is a pond stocked with rainbow trout – it also contains bass and catfish. It’s only about 15 minutes from home, so it’s not a bad spot to go when one wants to get in some fishing, or take the kids. I’ve even caught a catfish on the fly rod there, once, using a weighted nymph on a slow retrieve.

Well, David did well! Regular readers may recall that a few weeks ago, I took David there and caught nothing. This was just a couple of days after taking him to the trout farm where he caught his very first fish, a rainbow trout just under two pounds.

Here’s David, just after the first cast, patiently waiting for something to come along and find the dew worm tasty:

 

We had a few nibbles but no fish for quite some time, but David was determined that we were going to catch fish. Sure enough, I had to holler, “David, look at your bobber!” (Yes, we were using a bobber – I think using a bobber when fishing with kids is a good idea as it gives them something to visualize). This time, the bobber was popping up and down below the water, and the rod tip was bent. David started to reel in, and well, you can see by the big smile on this wee man’s face that he was excited:

 

 

Now, I don’t mind eating catfish when done properly, but I wasn’t really feeling up to doing a catfish dinner anytime soon, so we put the fish back. David was not done yet! He was having nothing to do with the suggestion of going home now. And of course, I was having fun watching David have fun – so more time waiting, talking, teasing each other, and wondering if there were more fish to be caught this evening.

 

Sure thing – another one on! This was even larger, and David had a fantastic time reeling it in, and watching the fish fight and try to get away. He was laughing and cheering, and having a grand time. Dad had to help him pull the fish onto the bank for more pictures, and we grabbed a few. Here’s one:

 

 

We had arrived later than what I had planned at the club as before we went fishing, we went to the “Bass Pro Shops” Outdoor Centre in Vaughan, Ontario and spent quite a while looking at the large fish in their full sized aquarium and then picked out a tent to use when we go camping next week. It was getting close onto 9PM, and I suggested we think about heading home. Oh, did that ever upset the wee man! He wanted to fish and fish and fish. While he sobbed his wee eyes out, I gave him a hug and promised him we’d come back after 14 year old Colin arrived for a visit.

 

“O.K., Daddy,” between sniffles. David “drove” the van back along the lane to the clubhouse, sitting on my knee; we got a drink at the clubhouse and then left and saw two nice deer standing in the middle of the road. The jumped over a fence as we approached and then stood looking at us as I stopped the van so David could see them. I tried to get a picture, but they took off rather quickly into the bush.

 

Anyhow, it was another great “David And Daddy Adventure” today. And more on the way when we go camping with Colin later this week.