I took my 9 year old daughter out to a local spot that has decent shorline fishing(no wading, she's too short) to kill a little time. I thought there might be some smallies around if we're lucky but I figured all of the stocked trout would be long gone by now. I was wrong.

I helped her cast(she can form the loops but doesn't understand how to let out line yet) and would hand the rod to her and say "strip, strip, strip" and after a few casts, the line came tight. She kinda freaked and got excited and I thought she was going to rip the fishes mouth off the way she was pulling it in! After a VERY brief fight she had a 12" brown flopping around on the bank. She wanted to keep it so a knife to the gills and up on the bank it went. She's got dinner for tomorrow night(I ain't cooking at quarter to 10)!

We wound up catching a small smallie and another brown which were both released and we came home. All three fish on a #10 black and peacock bugger. Brown on a fly with bamboo and she isn't even 10 yet! I think I have a new fishing partner. I'll just have to work on her casting a little more.