TOOK A KID OUT
Rick Zieger - Jul 28, 2014
I have tied flies with a 12 year old boy a few times this past winter; however I had not done it for a few months because the schedules never worked out. Yesterday I called him up and made arrangements to take him out fishing. I picked him up and headed for a pond. I chose one that is very open so he would not lose flies to the trees. We did stop at the place where the grass is cut like a lawn, and I spent about 20 minutes with him teaching him to cast. After he could cast about 20 to 25 feet we headed for the pond. He was using a 7½ foot 5 weight. Thought this would be a good rod for him to use.
We headed to the dam to start fishing. I discovered that the fish needed the fly to be down a few feet before they would take it. On his third cast he hooked a bluegill. Was he ever excited. This was on a fly that he put together. He got a few more fish in this area, and his casting continued to improve.
We moved to another spot where he would have to keep the cast up to keep it out of the grass. He picked up several fish here and lost several more.
I moved down the shore and found a place where the fish were concentrated. I had about two feet between two trees that I could cast. Get the fly out there and a fish would take it. Nice bluegills and a few bass in this area.
Then the fishing ended. I was wondering why, when a huge turtle showed up a few feet from my basket. The head is the size of a softball. The shell was two feet long. My basket was out of the water fast.
I moved down the pond and got another batch of fish when it stopped again. Pulled my basket out and in a minute the turtle showed up. Darn thing followed me down the shoreline. My guess is the fish in the basket attracted the turtle.
In a minute the turtle was down near the basket the young man had. We decided that it was a good time to leave.
Both of us had a good time. He said that this was the most fun he had ever had fishing. I think there is a convert in the making. I will make sure I take him out again.
He got 19 nice bluegills. He said he lost many more than he got in. I had landed four to every one that he had landed but between us we had lots of fillets to share.
Hope you can get out on the water.
Rick