Two weekends ago I took my kids out for the first fishing trip of the year, in the Tar River Reservoir in Nash County, North Carolina. That's just a short hop west of I-95.

My six-year-old put a hurtin' on the little panfish with my fly rod and a black ant on a short mono leader. About the time I was unhooking his fourth sunny of the day, he blurts out "This fly rod works good, Daddy!"

Except when it didn't. We were fishing off a dock, and Sam can only do a minimal sort of roll cast. Mostly he was just dapping. When he could remember to keep the rod tip low it worked fine; but when he raised the tip, the line would siphon down through the guides and pull the ant up to the tip-top.

So I'm thinking that next time I may do something unconventional for Sam. I was thinking of rigging a ten-foot cane pole, either with a small nymph on a dropper under a popping bug, or with the ant again and a split shot or two.

I figure he can swing that combo out over the water and let it drop, and probably outfish all the rest of us.

Of course, he'll want to learn to cast. That's coming, don't worry.

So what do you think of this hare-brained plan of mine?

[This message has been edited by FlyDrawer (edited 29 March 2006).]