I was talking to my good friend Jay Dickinson a while back and we were reminiscing on how big a role family has played in our fishing development. From our childhood days fishing with granddad and dad and siblings, and how much we learned from these experiences.
Jay remarked that he too was able to take his sons fishing and pass on that knowledge to them, plus whatever he had learned in the interim. He recalled that special attention must be given to ensure that they were not too cold or bored. He also commented that many opportunities were available for teaching moments such as going ashore and looking at the flora and fauna or looking at the remains of a trapper’s cabin. Now, he is taking his grandchildren out and teaching them too, hoping they will have some of their fondest childhood memories of fishing and exploring as well.
I have many warm-hearted memories of fishing with my brother and father on a river and a creek. I recall trying to beat my brother to the next pool where the first cast into it usually caught a fish if the holding water was interpreted correctly.
I remember that when wading in the creek, I would kick up mud and silt from the bottom and watch it as it swirled in the current before slowly settling downstream. I can still picture rolling over the stones in a stream and collecting the bugs underneath it to impale on a hook, digging worms up for bait, or chasing grasshoppers with a stick, trying to collect enough for a day’s fishing. And I couldn’t help but notice that the kingfishers were very adept at catching minnows. Not to mention the constant bobbing and darting of the water ouzels.
There were many special days sharing water with my sons, not only in a boat, but wading in a river or two. Initially, I outfitted them with a casting rod and bubble which I attached a fly to. I recall my son Matt outfishing me on that set-up several times while I cast my fly on Roche Lake.
Later, my son Darren (Dex as he later was to be called), became proficient in casting his bubble and fly as well. Both soon graduated, when the time was right, to a fly rod before reaching the age of 10.
They also did well at tying flies. They found that there was nothing more satisfying than catching a fish on a fly they had tied. I know I had got a chuckle out of some of their fanciful creations, more Picasso than Rockwell, but very colourful.
By the time Matt reached his early teens, he slowly lost interest in fishing as he found other interests to pursue. Dex, on the other hand, has maintained his interest in fly fishing to this day and we have spent many memorable moments casting flies for rainbows in lakes, and steelhead and salmon on a couple of different rivers. I still recall the afternoon he hooked and landed five steelhead in one pool while I only managed two to the shoreline. All were carefully released, never leaving the water. We also had many memorable days casting for salmon.
I think the funniest moment (at least for me as I could relate to it when I was a youngster, but not so much to my wife) was when Dex was fishing for brook trout from the shore at Sheridan Lake perhaps 40-plus years ago. He returned to our travel trailer and appeared to be empty-handed except for his fly rod.
When his mom asked if he had caught anything, he began reaching into his pockets and eventually pulled out his limit of brookies. There was a bit of yelling and a lot of laughing.
Take a youngster fishing, it will not only provide you with countless memories but also give the child something to look back on all their lives. What you teach them will always be there for them to pass down to future generations. Fishing will always be the same no matter the method; catching is the variable.
As we approach the coming ice-off on our lakes, it is time to get all the gear ready for the upcoming season. And hey, try to take a youngster out to experience the joys of fishing. These shared memories will last a lifetime!
