Take a Kid Fishing: Get Yourself a Memory of a Lifetime

By Kent Hollands

Some father’s live to go on big weekend fishing trips with “the guys”. It’s thought to be an adult sport where it can be a “guy’s only” weekend with drinking and card playing and of course, no kids allowed. Well, I have to say, your missing out on some of the best time you could ever have with your child.

You see, my son could tie a fishing knot before he could even tie his own shoes! We have spent many, many hours together in a boat, and every trip has its own special memories I will cherish forever. I love taking him up into the islands on Lake of Woods and fishing the shield lakes for Walleyes, Small Mouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Musky. I could tell him what lure to tie on and he’d do it, keep in mind, he was only eight years old at the time.

Once while we were fishing a rocky shoreline we watched a Bald Eagle sitting in a tree 15 yards away. When my son’s arms got sore from reeling we tied on a circle hook and used a 9” sucker minnow that we just dragged behind the boat. I thought to myself that he has a better chance of catching a Musky before I do because he’d gotten so good at fishing, with a natural instinct if you will, but we never did get a Musky on that trip. We did get some memories that no one can take away from us. We came away with a closeness that many dads have commented to me about. They always say they wish they could have the relationship with their kids like I do with mine. Of course they can, it’s easy! Take them fishing and with all the uninterrupted “conversation time” you have while waiting for fish to bite a closeness develops because there’s not a load of laundry to wash or fold, a dishwasher to empty, a lawn to be mowed, or a TV blaring, no video games, etc… It’s just us in a 3 ft x 5 ft space hoping that fish will bite.

During that same trip that we never caught a Musky, he did manage to land his first Northern Pike. It was about 27” in length. We also tried catching Small Mouth Bass. We worked the small rock shorelines and the shallow rock reefs that are in the lake. Mid-June seemed to be the right time for Bass. They would hit like a ton of bricks and with every cast you hoped you would have a bass on the line that would dance across the top of the water as you reeled it in. Man, what a great time I had watching my son battle that great fighting fish. By the end of the day we were all so tired but we had one more stop before we could call it a day.

Coming out of the islands, back into the main lake, we stopped at a few rock reefs to try our luck on catching some Walleye’s for supper. On this lake you can only keep one walleye over 19” in length. We hoped for a good evening of biting fish and we were not disappointed. In fact, it was the greatest night of fishing I can ever remember. To make it even better, I shared it with my son who still talks about it and he wants to spend every birthday up north fishing. By the way, he caught the biggest Bass and the biggest Walleye on that trip which he never lets me forget. I am so proud of him.
As for catfishing, he’s your “little man that can”. He’ll fight any size catfish until it’s in the net. He has NEVER ONCE told me “Grab the rod dad, I can’t hold it anymore.”. But, I did have to grab HIM once from falling over the side of my boat. I wanted him to have a great trip so I was going to let him bring in the first five fish. On the first fish he caught, he had the end or butt of the fishing rod under his arm and that didn’t work to well for him. On his second and third time reeling the fish in, he tried his stomach as a resting spot for the end of the rod. Well, that gave him a 3” black and blue mark on the center of his stomach! On the next fish he decides to put the butt of the rod BETWEEN his legs. This worked great until the 24 pound fish he hooked decides to take a power dive to the bottom of the river. The drag was working fine on the rod but my son started yelling “Dad! Dad! When the large catfish he was reeling in took his power dive it did something that we will remember for a very long time. My son was only 8 years old at the time and quite short in the boat. When the fish dove down it caused the rod to slam into the top ledge of the boat. This created a pry bar affect with the fish pulling and my son being lifted up by the rod that was still between his legs sort of like he was teeter tottering with the fish. When I looked down, the fish had him up on the very tips of his toes. But he never gave up and continued to battle the fish while I held him down by the back of his shirt. When the fish let up a little, he pulled the rod out from his legs and stuck it back into his black and blue stomach.

So, if after reading this article you STILL ask yourself, “WHY FISH with your child when it’s too big of a hassle? “I say, it’s your loss! I have one of the greatest fishing partners in my son and wouldn’t trade my fishing time with him for anything else on earth. By taking your child fishing you can have that too and you will enjoy some very special, irreplaceable quality time together. Always remember, they’re only little once and you should be your child’s hero/teacher in their life instead of letting someone else be it. I know you think it would be “easier” to fish with guys than baiting your child’s hook, removing their fish etc. But how else will your child learn to love and become independent in fishing if he doesn’t start young? When they’re “easier” to bring along, they won’t WANT to be with you because you haven’t developed that bond, their friends will be more important that you.

I believe that life is just too short to miss that brief golden opportunity to develop a special bond with you kids. Of course, if you’ve missed your opportunity, there’s always grandchildren to look forward to.

About the Author

Kent Hollands is the owner of Trophy Cat Adventures in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Besides being an established catfisherman Kent is a dedicated husband and father who values the time spent with his family while fishing