7 replies to this topic

[Air Rifle Hunter]

I'll inform everyone now, this is not a fantastically, wonderfully huge fish tale that one would normally read about. However, since it was my daughter's second time fishing I thought it was worth the telling of the story (no pics though).

The story:

My family and I went to a local lake around 11:00am today (Saturday) to spend some time together and see if we could bring home some fish to fry. I was hoping to bring home some nice catfish, but they just weren't biting today at all. In fact, we didn't really see anybody catching anything almost the entire time we were there. After about 2 hours of fishing and only getting a few nibbles I told my daughter that I was going to switch out her rig for a bottom feeder set up. So I changed it over and cast it out as far as I could get her Little Tikes fishing pole to go (about 50 yards out). We put it in the rod holder and waited. After about 1/2 an hours her rod started moving and she ran to pick it up and like the veteran/pro fisherman that she sees on TV she dipped the rod, took up the slack and set the hook. The whole time she was reeling it in she's yelling "It's a big one. It's a big one!" Well, since her little fishing pole is such light tackle a bluegill does feel like a big fish and reeling it in through the plants at the bottom of the lake and near the shore didn't help to make it any easier. Well, that is what she reeled in... a 7" Bluegill. I was proud of her though because that is only the second fish she's ever caught and she did it all herself. Not bad for a 6 year old. The first fish she caught was when she was around 4 years old. It is tough to take her fishing because if the fish are not biting like mad, she gets bored easily.

Anyway we stayed until around 6pm. She did end up catching another bluegill and around 5:30pm and I caught one earlier at around 3:30 or so. Some fisherman next to us caught a couple and gave them to my daughter since they weren't going to keep them, so we ended up with 5 bluegill total. I also caught a largemouth bass, but it was only about 1 pound and the lake also has a catch and release only for all bass in the lake so the bass went back into the lake, to my daughter's dissappointment.

Once we arrived home I fillet them up and I'll cook them in the morning for breakfast. It was a nice day weatherwise and a great day with the family. Maybe next time the catfish will be biting.

[modoc squeek shooter]

It is nice when you can spend the day with your family, doing something like fishing. I am sure that 7 inch bluegill was a record trophy in a 6 yr olds eyes, and it was. I am sure you are very proud of her, I know I would have been. Good story and a great ending, Ed

[Bisley]

Yep, that 7" bluegill would probably have had the same affect on her had it been a 70# catfish. Any time they do something, especially on their own, it instills that confidence level even higher and creates lifetime memories.

[KNOCKED UP]

Very nice story ARH,
She will remember that fish until she is older than me.
Tom

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Thanks everyone.

Now the only thing I need to figure out is how to get her to eat the fish we catch. She'll eat that over processed fish stick crud, but this morning when I cooked the fish she wouldn't touch it. "I don't like to eat fish dad", she said to me. "What? You eat fish sticks all the time", I replied. All I got was a shoulder shrug as a response. I don't get it at all sometimes and it drives me nuts. I'm definitely not looking foward to the "teen" years.

The Bluegill wasn't "fishy" tasting at all and my wife really like how I cooked it (powdered with flour and spices and cooked in butter in the frying pan). I have to admit that is was some of the best fish I'd had in a long time and well worth the cleaning and filleting effort.

I'm hoping that one of these days my daughter will not be so closed minded when it comes to trying new foods she's not eaten before. I don't want her to be one of those people that only eat that processed, "fast food" type food the rest of her life. Fresh is always better and healthier. I guess I'll have to figure out a different approach.

[ShooterJohn]

Try using bread crumbs or even cereal flakes you run in the blender and then deep fry the fish. Like you said she'll eat fish sticks and you can make it like a fish stick and it tastes great too.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

I'll make sure to give that a try the next time around. Thank you for that suggestion.

[Thumper Dunker]

Way to go. Blue gills are one of my faverit fish to catch and eat.