A Newbs Entry into Fishing

Where... Have you been Mr. Newb Fisherman?

2012-04-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? I'm glad you ask. And the answer you've long waited for is... <drum roll> Right here. Just hang'n out. Not that impressive eh? Well... I did do some fishing last spring/summer and I have to say I've learned yet another lesson. A lesson I really should have learned loooooong ago.

CHILL OUT ZIPPER HEAD! DON'T OVER DO IT!

Yeeeeah. So last summer I was out fishing pretty much every weekend for about 3 months. In the end, what really burnt me out was trying to learn how to fish Salmon from shore. I struggled with this and it nearly cost me my interested in fishing for good.

The next lesson?

If you really enjoy fishing, but you find your self trying something new and it's not working out for you, let it go... Or move onto trying the next something new. I don't care what anyone says, I'm holding off on the whole Salmon fishing thing until I can get a boat. So it'll be a while. Few other things on the priority list.

Anywho... I'm back... I think... And ready for some new adventure. Think I'm going to see if I can make my eldest boy regret asking to go fishing. :-) Let's see how is 9 year old autistic patience plays out. Wish'em luck!
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Make sure to check out A Newbs Beginners Guide in How to Fishing.

Homie needs a Homie for Fishing, Finding My Fishing Buddy - My Experience Part 4

2010-10-23T15:14:00.001-07:00

So at this point, I've had the catalyst that gets me interested in fishing. Good stuff. And the final push to launched me head first into a new hobby. Fishing. I've done some research and I think I'm ready to really launch into this sport.

I've got my self a list of places to go try. I've Googled them repeatedly. Studying every shore line, tree stump, twist and turn a river or slough has to offer. Thank goodness for 10 year old images! Actually, in some cases I've found Google Satellite View has rather current images. For example, I was recently at Folsom Lake here in Northern California. After being there, then looking at the satellite view on google, I found that images to be extremely close to the current water levels and the way the shores looked while there. Give it a try in your area. Perhaps you'll have the same luck!

Now... A fishing buddy. I review my choices.

First Choice: My daughter. Shes old enough, or so I thought, to not kill her self, which she's not dead yet, so perhaps I was right. And if I didn't think of her first I'm sure I'd have some splaining to do. Ok. This is a given. My little girl is happy to tag along on my adventures. Awesome.

But what about some adult companionship? I can't take the younger boys with me, because, well, they're insane boys with little sense of self preservation. Which by default, since my wife and I don't have much family around to watch the kids while we go out and adventure, the wife's off the list. Damn. She might be a bit nuts her self but she's damn entertaining at times to. That and she's just cool to hang out with in general. Yes. I am a lucky guy. I've got the wife who plays video games, watches anime, and so on. Yes. I'm lucky. And unlucky to. Can't put'er in my pocket and take her every where with me. bummer.

Second Choice: My neighbor. For one, I run past him every day so he's just easy to ask. Random fact: My neighbor is some nut job and that an old buddy of mine knew from back, I think, in elementary school and later. For a nut job, he's pretty cool. Him, his wife, and their own little midget are good people. Actually his wife was one of the people who tipped me off on one of the fishing holes I go out to. The problem? Dude's a slug when it comes to fishing. Oh it has to be some graAAaand sea odyssey where he's catching sharks using dental floss and a hanger. psh. whatever. Fine. I move down the list.

Third Choice: The old buddy I referred to in the Second Choice. Another slug. One of my best friends in the world. But a total slug. Yeah, you know who you are! I guess a family, his own interests, and a job are just to damn important! Whatever. I forgive him. But now he's off the list. Rats.

Fourth Choice: Wait... that's it? Crapola! I need to meet people. Wonder if sitting behind a computer or TV for the past 10+ years has been detrimental to my social needs.

hmmmmm...

NAAAAAAAAAh.

So the daughter it is. General tip. When considering a fishing buddy, you may want to consider their needs. No matter how strange or unnecessary they may seem, their needs are needs none the less. If you want a pleasant trip, make sure their met. For example, my daughter seems to have an aversion to breaking her tail bone. Or coming close to it... Psh. Needs. Whatever.

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Make sure to check out A Newbs Beginners Guide in How To Fish

My exploration into: What is Fishing and How to Fish - Thanks old fat guy, I was in a slump. - My Experience Part 3

2010-10-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

While preparing for The Final Push, I spent several weeks reading up on how to fish. What I found, was that I was lucky enough to have a fairly good web community in the Northern California area. However the information I needed was fairly scattered. The general idea of searching for anything on the web is pretty much the same.

Search by name or keywords at your favorite search engines website, my favorite being Google.
Search for key types of web sites to get information from. Such as websites with Guides, How To's, Images, Videos.

However one of my favorite places to dig around in for real neat tid bits of information are Forums. The thing I've found, with regards to learning to fish, is that the best info is passed on by word of mouth. You'll find some key articles out there. But in general, most "articles" leave out to much of the good stuff.

We're hooman beings after all right? We collaborate. We discuss things. We chit chat to get to the nitty gritty jewels of knowledge that exist through out the world. How many times have you been involved in an idle conversation to be struck with some amazing piece of knowledge you didn't previously have? Sure, it may not be a daily occurrence, weekly, or even monthly for some people. You might not be one of those "small talkers". But believe you me. Having someones shoulder to cry on, even if it's some old fat guy on the web, when you're in a slump while fishing, often ends up landing more key info that can prove priceless.

So search around the web, read up on the type of fish you're after. But if you really want some of the good stuff, those little nuggets of info that you'd only get from a Grandpa, find a nice forum to settle down with. And chit chat your heart out.

Note:

For those not so savvy with the web, who happened on this article, a "Forum" is a place where you can post an idea or question to a community of people. Where that entire community can respond and give you the help you may be after. Just add "Forum" to whatever you're searching. From fishing to avoiding a fart gone off up wind. If you can think of it, odds are, someone on the web is talk'n about it. And that's what Forums are for.

Enjoy and Happy Fish'n!

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Make sure to check out A Newbs Beginners Guide in How To Fish

What is this blogger DOING?!?!

2010-10-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

So in case any of you are wondering why I'm rapid firing my posts, here's why. In the past several months of taking up this hobby of fishing, I've developed a pretty good set of memories and experiences that I want to share. So for now, I'm going to be firing off every memory of the past few months of fishing, hopefully in a chronological order. I am trying to document my experiences so you all can see what a normal, shut up honey, with love, person may experience when taking up fishing.

One thing I can guarantee is that I will only slight fluff my stories. What I truly mean by this, is I will very marginally doctor my stories just enough so my wife doesn't castrate me for airing our dirty laundry and not providing a joyful blog reading experience for those who which to look into my history of fishing. Other than that, this is all me and my family, the challenges we endured, the triumphs, well, that I had, BUT WE ALL SHARED! Remember honey? We're sharing these triumphs. Son of a...

Before I dig my self any further, I wish you all happy fishing and good luck out there!

Remember! Keep at it! Don't give up! Just enjoy the ride. As my tard of a neighbor has stated numerous times, "That's why they call it Fish'n. If you caught something all the time, they'd call it Catch'n". Love ya homie! Keep the volume down!

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Make sure to check out A Newbs Beginners Guide in How To Fish

Hook, Line, and Sinker... The Final Push - My Experience Part 2

2010-10-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

A while back, after the whole event which was the catalyst to my new hobby, my middle sons birthday was coming up. Even though the whole first trip fishing with the family was a bit crazy, he was in love with the idea of fishing. Now if you read that blog post, you might recall me mentioning my two boys being diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. This was going to be my middle son's seventh birthday.

I'm think'n, "The boy's got plenty of toys. I'm kind of tired of just doling out trinkets for a birthday. Hmmm... What else can we do????"

<mull this over for several days, a few weeks, a month? bah! a period of time>

After, a period of time, it dawns on me. FISHING!

As soon as that dawns on me, the weight of the prior fishing experience settles in.

Thoughts: "You're a dad right? Dads don't look at challenges as road blocks. They look at them as opportunities! Adventure! RIGHT!?!?!"

More subtle thoughts: "How the hell do I know?"

Now, I didn't really have a dad around. Actually, I didn't meet my real dad until I was 33. I think. 30's some where. Bloody hell. Exactly when does "I'm going senile" really kick in? Moving on...

So after trying to psych my self up I realize, "Your an idiot with fishing and this is your son's birthday. Get educated or go have a day being a dolt.". Now I wasn't really an idiot, am not really an idiot, not an idi... damn it. I'm smurt. OCAY?!

So I knew the levels of my ignorance to the hobby known as Fishing and decided to do some research on the subject. All I really knew is that I wanted to go somewhere other than a pond at a park that has a slew of crazy geese and ducks that will hunt you and your family down, all the way to the mini-van. But that's a different short story. I knew that I wanted something a bit.... neater, for ma boys birthday.

TO THE WEB!

<spend several weeks drowning in a sea of advertisements and random adult based content sites>

You'd think I'd know not to blindly search the Internet. <shutter> Kids, the web is a dangerous place and I will forever use a cheese grader on my memory every chance I get, just because of the Internet, nets, depending on who you are.

So I fumble around on various web sites. I literally spent a few weeks or more researching this, that, and the other. I had to figure out where to go, what's an actual reasonable bait to use, what kind of fish I expect to catch, the whole gambit as I described in my little random beginners guide to fishing. In the end, I dumped all that knowledge, bought some random gear, grabbed a thang of worms and our poles, and off we went to hunt down some catfish.

Looking back, I realised that what really drove me into this hobby was the research I did. I spent hours digging through content on the web. Going "OOooo".... "Aaaahhh".... at every neat pic of someones catch. But it was my son's birthday that got me that far.

So off we go. To Folsom Lake here in sunny California. My son, a high functioning autistic kid with little to no coordination and less a sense of self preservation when it comes to things like HOOKS FLYING THROUGH THE DAMN AIR! Sorry, flash back. And I, the Dad who knows everything. Can I get a WOO WOO from all the dads out there tired of being god? When the hell did they put Omnipotent in the definition of Father. For crying out loud. HOOOMAN. I am HOOMAN. Never the less.

I take my knowledge of all things of this world and all others along with us to Folsom Lake. Now... No one drew blood. That's the thing to remember. Anyone remember me mentioning my OCDish issues and over protective nature comments? My chest was seizing with every random twirl my son made.

More Thoughts: "He's gonna lose an eye... I'm going to have to push that damn hook through his finger, nose, leg, skull... I'm going to have to push that damn hook through MY finger, nose, leg, scrotum, skull...".

Hey I'm protective of my self to.

So there we are. My son, smile glistening in the sunrise. Me, breathing in a paper bag. It was a magical moment.

In the end, he and I both caught a small mouth bass. Had to throw'em back. I know nothing of small mouth bass or really anything at this point. After a mild fit about throwing them back, I reminded him about catch and release on some random Discovery Channel fishing show and adventure was back into his mind. Quickly he returned to stalking the Amazon Rain Forrest.

So after catching a few fish and a mild heart attack of fifty, we head home. All in all, it was a good day, that I didn't repeat for several months due to recuperation requirements. Thanks to my son, I found a new hobby, okay obsession.... ish. Hook, Line, and Sinker... Really, that little midget nearly got me with all three that day...

I need a drink...

Appreciation of the best intentions

2010-10-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

On the way home from the dog park... We just stopped off at the pet store to get the dog a treat. Somehow, the dog was the only one to return home with a treat and I still don't understand how that happened. Why I tell the kids "No, you can't have a Snickers." while the dog walks away with two toys and a small bag of dog treats is beyond me. Never the less...

My wife takes a quick glance in my direction. I caught it. And the signal is read completely. And now I can only ask myself, "Why the hell is she suddenly nervous?". One minute we're all having a great time at the dog park, the next, she's nervously asking me questions about what??? Fishing...

Here we go...

My Precious: "So... Do you know Rods and Reels all that well?"

<gulp>

Me: "A bit. I'm no pro at knowing what manufacture is best but I know some basics about what to look for."

<and the hook is set, she's got me on her line...>

I launch into a monologue about the importance of the weight requirements a rod supports, the limits of how much line a reel can hold, and the differences between Monofilament fishing line and Braided fishing line.

See Post: What the heck am I doing?

Feeling confident in my explanation as I had just written a blog post regarding this very topic, I was fairly proud of my answer.

<that nervous glance reappears>

My Thoughts: <Oh hell. Here we go.>

My Darling: "So, I think I may have perhaps potentially made an accidental possible mistake about something."

<drag this on for about 2 minutes>

Me: "What... did you do..."

My Thoughts: <Supportive! Think! Sound! Be! Supportive!!!> I wince, slightly, inside. <Damn, she saw that.>

My Sweetheart: "So I got you some fishing line. It was a GREAT deal! I couldn't pass it up! I think I may have potentially gotten some hypothetical fishing line that you might not be unable to use."

<spend a few minutes processing the language>

In the end, after some language barriers and an interpreter or two, she informs me she just bought me 500 yards of 20lb Monofilament Fishing Line. Now... I don't think I'm capable of using that much fishing line. Especially when I have my pole rigged with 50lb Braided and have been using 15lb leaders.

<The Saving Grace>

On a recent fishing excursion, I realized I could probably use bumping up from 15lb leaders to something bigger. Though all I have is 30lb mono as a stronger choice. So 20lb mono is actually really ideal. But when you use the stuff in 1 foot to 2 feet increments, you can imagine how long it will take to go through freaking 500 yards.

Never the less, I'm actually quite stoked about the 20lb line and I do appreciate her best intentions greatly! Though it may not sound like it above. <cough> I actually adore the thought of her think'n about me while she browses her super savings websites and such.

The other potential saving grace here? She said she can use Fishing Line in her crochet. Perhaps she can make me a lil sack that I can take with me. Who knows!

So thanks for thinking of me hun! I love the bulk fishing line and I will lovingly appreciate it, one foot at a time. Wait... this sounds like a greater commitment than our marriage! <gulp!>

What the heck am I doing! A beginners guide to fishing...

2010-10-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

"So you wanna fish?"... Life it self, gently mocks into my ear...

Personal thoughts on the subject...

"It's just a pole, some fishing line, a hook, and some bait right?"

"Could there be a cheaper hobby?"

"I think I've always wanted to fish..."

"I think I want some cookies... huh."

So, Just a pole, fishing line, a hook, and some bait is a slight understatement. In reality I found to really start fishing comfortably I needed the following.

Pole
Reel for the Pole
Fishing Line, comes on the reel but it's lame line usually.
Weights, my fishing exploits have started with cat fishing. Gotta make sure my baits on the bottom of the water.
A chair, two really, my daughter comes with usually
Tackle Box, for all the new neat gear
And a slew of other crap to try out and realize I have no need for right now.

But before all of that, the first thing I had to decide, as I mentioned above, is "What do I want to catch?". Well back east growing up, I'd heard about the great adventures people had, fishing for catfish. Catfish is what I remembered when I thought of fishing, so catfish it is.

So, easy.   I want to fish for catfish. Now I need my gear... EEEEEEEEEEEasy there buddy. Few other things to ask your self. What kind of catfish? What do you know of how to catch a catfish? What do you do with it once you caught it. To be honest, I'm still sorting that all out. The main point here is, learn about the fish you want to catch before you head out to catch'em. I mean, you can do what I did. Run out with some worms and hope for the best. But after 4+ months of failure, I caught on to this important tip. In reality, I was studying cat fishing the whole time. Slowly I've learned what to look for and more importantly, in the various places I do go and fish, where to look for what I'm fishing for.

When figuring out what you want to catch, look up information on how to catch it. I've bought so much gear that I don't even use simply because I didn't know what I was actually supposed to be using.

So. We have...

Figure out what you want to catch.
Figure out how to catch it.
Get some gear to catch your fish and to have some level of comfort while you're out.
And finish up with finding a place to fish.

For me, since I'm big on cat fishing right now, I'm also big on night fishing. There's definitely a debate on when the best time to be out, whether its day or night, fishing for catfish. But there is no debate that sunrise and sunset are the best times to be out fishing overall. Personally, sunset has been best for me.

Before i get in into what gear I use these days, a comment on buying a Reel and Rod.

When buying a pole.  Look at the side of the pole near the handle to see what the recommended weight of fish you should be looking at taking in on it. Though you can push a pole past it's recommended weight, it's good to buy a pole to support the weight of the fish you plan on catching. Though I'm a newb so I may be reading that all wrong. Based on what I've researched out on the Internet, talking to people, pestering friends and family for fishing tips, when I'm out hunting the catfish, I should have a pole that rates up to 15 lbs. My mistake was when I first bought I pole I just nabbed the first cheap pole off the shelf. Turned out it was an Ultra Light pole rated up to 6 lbs I think. Not exactly ideal for A: 2-15lb catfish. Where catfish tend to be strong fighters and will push the tolerance of a light pole.

When buying a reel. Make sure to check to see the max weight of line it supports. If you want to be able to load up a lot of heavy weight line, make sure the reel you get supports it. Reels do range in how much line they can hold. Personally, since I consider myself a Newb to fishing, I'm going with a cheap reel that I don't care about. Let it get mashed up or trashed because of my ignorance. I'll consider it an affordable lesson.

When buying fishing line. So this killed me for weeks upon weeks until someone clued me in. Then I suddenly felt like an idiot. When you here people talking about 20lb line, 30lb line, 50lb line and up, they are talking Braided Fishing Line. There are two main types of fishing line (may be more, no idea, I'm a freak'n newb. See blog title).

Monofilament Fishing Line
Braided Fishing Line

Braided Fishing Line is THINNER than Monofilament. This is a critical thing to keep in mind. If you read the package of a Braided Fishing Line package, it will show an equivalent Monofilament Fishing Line weight. It'll say something like Equivalent Diameter or EQ DIA.   So for example, I have some 50lb Braided Fishing Line in front of me. It's as thick as 12lb Monofilament Fishing Line. Now most Reels say they can hold 100yds of 6lb line or 100yds of 10lb line or 100yds of 12lb line. So if my Reel says it can hold 100yds of 12lb line, it can actually also hold 100yds of 50lb braided line. Here is a helpful conversion. Hope this saves you more time than I was saved! :-)

8lb braid=1lb mono

10lb braid=2lb mono

15lb braid=4lb mono

20lb braid=6lb mono

30lb braid=8lb mono

40lb braid=10lb mono

50lb braid=12lb mono

65lb braid=16lb mono

80lb braid=17lb mono

So my gear has become...

7 Foot Pole, Medium Action, 5-15 pounds
Random Reel, can hold 120yds of 12lb line.
50lb Braided Line, I don't want to have to deal with my line breaking and re-loading my reel
Fishing Net
Hunting Backpack, I'll comment on this in a bit.
Couple of small plastic containers, with compartment for weights, hooks, bells, and other gear. Another thing I'll comment on shortly.
Head Band Flash Light, hands free light is invaluable. Be the nerd. It's nice in this instance.
Lantern, more light the better
Water Bottle or two
Pliers with wire cutters
Scissors
Water Tolerant Gloves
Bucket, especially if using really stinky bait, this and a bottle of soap is a life saver.
Stringer
Rod Holder
Extra Monofilament line (for leaders)
Small foldable chair WITH a bag and a shoulder strap (makes it easier to strap onto the back pack)
Extra clothes, mainly warm clothes when it gets colder at night.

I'm probably forgetting something but as you can see from the list above, I carry a bit of weight when I go out. Shrinking the size of what you have to carry and being able to fit as much as you can into a backpack is ideal.

Hunting Backpack - I love this thing. It's huge so I can seriously stuff it. It has pockets all over so I can organize what I put into the pack. On top of that, my hunting backpack has a gun holder that I can put my rod in and strap to the side of the pack it self. Straps on the back, to strap my chair onto, and all I have to carry is a net and a bucket. I could actually strap the net on to but, eh, why bother.

Plastic Containers - With compartments to hold weights, hooks, bells, etc. So first thing, bells. If you're also new to fishing, especially cat fishing, you'll find it kinda nice to have some bells to clip to the end of your fishing rod to alert you when something starts nibbling. Regarding the plastic containers... Make dang sure that the compartments inside your plastic containers aren't those adjustable type. They never seem to really seal between the top and bottom of the plastic container keeping things in each compartment from mixing with other compartments. But with these containers I can put all that I really use when fishing in them. Avoiding traveling with a whole tackle box. When you're hiking around fishing, you definitely want to have your weight down and hands free. Dropping a tackle box so I can stuff gear in a backpack is priceless.

So for all you fellow newbs Anglers out there, I hope this helps you with getting started. Perhaps this is a bit to catfish centric but I imagine that's just how it is. When trying something new, I've always found it best to focus on as small of a piece as possible and understand it to the bone. It seems having a deep understanding of something small helps me relate to the bigger picture as time goes by.

Another signature that makes you think, "oh how cool is that..."

Product References:

For backpacks, look for something with an internal frame. Walmart is where I got mine but this gives you a basic idea of what to look for.
ATI Tahoe85 85L Internal Frame Hiking Backpack

For storage containers, I'm talking about the following. Though this isn't the best example as it has the removable separators. I find those to flimsy and they let things like small hooks and weights shift from one section to the other.
Plano Molding 2375000 Pro-Latch StowAway 4 to 28-Adjustable Compartments, Case of 8

A brief background...

2010-10-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

No... I didn't mean an underwear background picture. But thanks for the interest.

Played a fair amount of sports as a kid, till about 14, 15 years old.

Football, Martial Arts, Basket Ball, Wrestling, Boxing. Boxing was one of my favorites and last sports. Very brief, match up, cleaned the guys clock, aaaaaah good times. Good times. Was terrifying but I loved it. I haven't actually been involved in any physical sport/activity, other than having kids and a <cough> fun wife in years now.

Played video games my whole life. From the time I was probably around 7 years old, playing Wizardry on some computer a truer nerd than I would say "Oh cool" at the mention of the relic computers name. Duke Nuke'm, Doom, Command & Conquer, Sim City, Sims, Unreal Tournament, Half Life, and up to more currentish games such as World of Warcraft (through EverQuest), Counter Strike, Call of Duty, and so on. Back in the day, I was also playing things like MUD's. If you don't know it, don't sweat it. ;-p

Crap thats a long nerd list. And here's more!

Through out that period of time, up until my early twenties, I was playing table top roll playing games. Oh yeah baby, that's how I hooked my wife. A little Dungeons and Dragons. Actually she hooked me through some internet stalking but that's another story... er... perhaps its this story. huh.

Now a days, I play few games, my video card died on my computer and I'm choosing not to get a new one. It's a life style choice. Just go with it.

I'm currently a Software Developer for a well known Project Management Software company, if you're in the construction business on the more business side of things. All in all, I've been in the Information Technology business for years. And have near zero education. Yep. I got a GED and took one college class. I'm a tinker and explorer at heart. If I'm interested in something, I don't think about what my background is, I explore it in bits and if I can understand those little things I learn, I explore it in more detail. Eventually, I grow proficient and in some cases, near expert, I think. I struggle with labeling my self with anything flattering. I think it's modesty, who knows for sure (queue shrink).

This background is really to give people the picture as to what kind of fat person I've turned into. Not really huge... Slightly chunky is how I like to think of it. No, I'm not big boned but having a broad chest, especially for a short guy, definitely helps me hide some of this gut.

How does this all relate to A Newbs Entry into Fishing? Why the hell are you reading it? I dunno that's your damn problem Mr./Ms. Reader (don't care if I spelled Mr/Ms right in consideration of your situation <hugs>).

Actually it does relate. Ha fooled you. I bring up this kind of background information for any person thinking about starting fishing or any person who's recently started fishing and is wondering if they can huff and puff there way through some of the "good spot hiking" or what not.

People often don't relate fishing to a physical sport. True enough, the actual act of fishing, for the most part isn't really all that physical. Now before you Sea Fisherman castrate me, I'm mainly a Lake/River/Slough Angler. And from what I can tell, that's where most Anglers are referring to. Sea Fishing is the mother of fishing, but that's true in both how much it costs as well as the size of fish you're landing. And no Mr./Ms. (see above) I live by the Sea and its not that expense, I'm not talking about you. For many of us, fishing the sea involves a several hour trip that, if we're not going out on a charter boat, we'd rather not go at all. At least that's my take. And then there's the whole middle of the U.S. that just isn't thinking "Salt Water" on a day to day, "what we gonna do this weekend" basis.

So how does fishing relate to a physical sport?

Finding the good spots. As you start fishing, you'll quickly find out that the most common places people stop are the places that are easiest to access. Usually that means anything with less than a 5 minute walk from the car. These places become more like gambling to fish at than actual fishing. Even if you cast to all the best places where fish "Should" be at, nothing may be there because either an hour ago or a day ago, someone else cleaned out that spot.

To find a REALLY good spot, you're best to head off trail a bit. Search the web all you like. You'll find lazies who don't mind not catch'n stuff say it's not true. But after 4+ months of not catching anything in the "common" fishing locations that everyone else stops at, it wasn't until I became willing to hike for thirty minutes to an hour down a trail that I really found fish willing to bite.

So yes, if you're a fatty who doesn't like the idea of hiking, but loves the idea of heading out fishing, you to can still be an Angler. For me, it's the thought of getting out there that gives me a little extra adrenaline to walk a little further to get to a good spot.

The thing to watch out for? Frustration. But I think I'll make that one of my next few blogs.

A catchy signature that makes people think "oh how cool"...

And so it begins... My catalyst - My Experience Part 1

2010-10-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

So... as a child (don't worry I'll make this part short)... I always wanted to be out catching the monster fish. I lived in Illinois, Missouri, and other places that would have been great fishing options. Unfortunately, I never had much opportunity. Rather, the adults around apparently didn't have the time. I'd stomp around creeks and the like catching crawdads and frogs and what not. But it wasn't the catch I was looking for....

Fast forward many many years. At 33 years old, my wife and I decide to get some cheapo fishing poles for the kids and give fishing a try. And of course, when the poles come, this bright idea suddenly becomes an expectation. And all eyes turn my way.

"Dad... You're a Daddy. This means you obviously know everything about fishing and we all turn to you seeking your wisdom."

Crap.

So after hooking my self about four times trying to remember how these neat "hook" things work, I figure I'm ready to take the family to the local pond stocked by the city.

Lesson #1: Know your fellow Anglers.

Now, pre-school kids aren't exactly the most ideal Anglers. They tend to be rather frightening. And with me being relatively self diagnosed with OCD in regards to keeping the kids safe (hyper sensitive sometimes ain't enough of a description), I figure, the fishing line can't kill my youngest littlest all that quick. But a hook? No way. He gets a silly little fish toy stuck on the end of his line. Moving on.

My oldest, getting ready for Jr. High, she must be capable of such feats, like Fishing! Sweet, one less person to worry about. Thanks sweetheart!

And then there is my middle child. The one who is probably the most excited. Now, in elementary school, feeling as big as the world it self. He's completely confident that all of his study watching the Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel has taught him how to be an expert Angler. He wants his pole, a hook, and a worm and he knows he'll be pulling out a River Monster in no time.

<sigh>

Now, you should know, both my boys, the youngest of my personal army are both diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. I can only assume that the average non-autistic person looks at a fishing pole and says, "hook, told it can rip my face off, must be cautious.". Well with elementary school boy, not exactly the first thought on his mind. And the OCD kicks in. I can hardly watch his first attempt to cast with a hook and I quickly take over the role of "Caster". Then he shows is professional capabilities in reeling in a cast. Another role I decide I may be better suited for. Between nearly hooking the back of his skull on casts and then nearly launching a hook into his eyeball, I've had about all I can take.

Lesson #2: Don't take the newly adopted dog with you...

Now, if the midget army wasn't challenging enough, (a shout out to the wife with thanks of handling the littlest one), we have our new Collie/Lab/Something mix of a dog with us. This is the 40lb dog with the bark of a doberman and the pull on a leash of a Rot... "Bad dog BAD DOOOoooooooooooo...g...." as this little mut walks/drags you. And of course, being a rescued super happy dog, when we take him places he can hardly contain himself. Smell this, smell that, "Mom! Did you smell this!?!?! That's crazy!", "Dad Dad! I think another dog was here! Hold on! I wanna say hi!" <sssssssssss>...

Didn't know the dog would be so... energetic. Not a good choice in fishing buddy for the first fishing trip. Great... Bad Dog. <ruff!>

Lesson #3: Pay attention to the weather.

At this point, we've been out fishing really for only about 45 minutes to an hour. Mom and I have had enough. With sparks starting to fly between Mother and Fathers patients, it's time to go home. As Dorthy's house flies by. Ok so that's an exaggeration, but at this point, any wind is annoying and it was able to push around my boys a bit. So with tempers high, patience low, an extremely windy day was not exactly what we were looking for.

Pack up, it's time to go home!

Now... In the moment, that day sucked. Looking back, that day did still kind of suck but its also a great memory in the since of, "This is us, my family, we were here." Makes me thankful that our new dog left his mark for all to smell. Kind of wish I would have left a mark to. Then again, the day may have ended much worse than it really did and the memory may not have been quite so fond. Unless my hypothetical cell mate "Luke" was a fellow Angler who would rather swap stories instead of "experiences".

So in the end, a random excursion into taking the kids fishing has turned into a huge new interest of mine. After several posts to various forums, commenting on my experiences, and my wife prodding me to turn my adventures into a blog, here I am.

Over the years, up until this point, I hadn't put a lot of thought into fishing. I don't often drift back to when I wanted to fish as a child. The adventure I saw in it. I guess it's true, you never know what the future has to offer and where this path in life will lead you... huh...

Product Reference:

Basically what we were using when we had the kids out. Though ours were still a bit cheaper, in price, and quality. ;-p