Fishing with my son (minimal kit)

[Keith_Beef]

I've ust got back from two weeks away. First week in the north of Dordogne (SW France), second week in New Jersey (without the kids).

Well, a friend of mine owns a small farm that he doesn't work (he's a doctor; he rents out the fields to farmers). The land has a small lake on it, that nobody ever fishes. He tells me it's full of carp and pike. So I took my son up there fishing. My wife gave me some minimal kit as a Christmas present (telescopic rod, reel, couple of spinners) and I added a couple of other bits (second spool, shads, etc.).

I took my five year old son up to the lake, to see if we could get a pike.

I cut a pole as tall as my son, from a hazel tree, and tied a piece of 18lb line to the end of it. I tied a clip to the other end, and fixed a Mepp's lure a bit like this one:
http://www.mepps.com/mepps/library/lures/productinfo.asp?ID=123&Origin=Lures&Uniq=166

And we set to fishing for a couple of hours.

He got nearer to catching it that I did! I was casting out into the middle of the lake, waiting for a few seconds, then reeling in the shads, lures and spinners I was trying, hoping to grab the pikes interest nearer the bank.

My son was waggling his lure around nearer the bank.

All that time, the pike was under a floating mass of grass and reed tight at our feet. We saw him rise toward my son's lure, give it a quick nudge with his nose, the dive away again.

We carried on fishing, trying different actions and different lures, but I think the pike had got wary of us.

We were out there by the lake for almost five hours, including time taken eating the picnic we took with us. I was surprised he didn't get bored sooner. Five hours is a long time for a five year old.


Keith.

 

[Doc]

The Mepps spinners are French made, but invaluable for brown trout in Scottish lochs too. I have found the black with yellow spots type to be absolutely deadly.

 

[Keith_Beef]

At breakfast this morning, my son wanted to know why we can't go fishing every day...

Only three days back in the city and at school, and he wants toget back to the countryside and go fishing again.

Poor mite. I know how he feels.


Keith.

 

[Tony]

Good stuff Keith, My 6 year old is desperate to go fishing, I just need to find the time! When the kids are outdoors it's easy for the hours to slip away, even for the young ones!

 

[Viking]

Try to get one of these, they are perfect for pike

The pike often lays waiting in the reed or among stones and waiting for something to eat so it´s there you should get your lure.

I used to fish a lot when I was younger, mostly becasue I had it´very easy access to lakes and fishing is very cheap becasue you don´t need much kit. We often used to make or own fishing rods dig up some worms and went fishing. But the best thing is to get a boat go out in the lake and just sit and wait for the fish to take the bait.

 

[Seagull]

Yer, its a great idea but ,personally, I,ve YET to reduce my tackle-box content.

What, with standby reels and sinkers, two or three kinds of bait, grub and a great big bombproof flask of coffee, spare rod and rod stand, it all adds to the weight.

Fun and games getting up and down the cliffs!
Its best to take a mate with you and let him go down, first. Then, if you fall, you fall on your mate!

Its rare, now, that I get to take my lad.
I well remember the first time I took him, donkeys years ago.
Cor blimey, but his Mum insisted he took a colouring-in book, in case he got bored!

He caught a small whiting, in front of a bunch of guys who had nowt . It took about a week for his smile to dim down!

I seem to recall that we kept that damn fish in the deepfreeze , as a trophy, for many years.

Nowadays, he,s more interested in girls, guitars and getting legless.
So, at least he has his priorities right!

Seagull