My daughter didn't want to go fishing today........

[flyboy2610]

so I took my son instead. I have been wanting to take my daughter fishing, and today was prettt decent, so Ia sker her if she wanted to go. "No, not today." My 11 yr. old son piped up "I do!"
So we out to Bowling Lake for about 4 hours this afternoon. We each caught several crappies and bluegills. The catch of the day for my son was this largemouth bass:

I'm still waiting to hook my first bass.:o
He caught all his fish using nothing but a 1-1/4" plastic minnow designed to be used behind a jig head. He threaded that onto a #6 hook, put a small split shot next to the hook eye, and started casting and retrieving. On two different occasions I told him "Come fish over here where I am. I can see fish following my lure." Then I would move to a different spot. That's probably why he out-fished me. But I don't care! He had a blast, and that's all that matters to me.
Only one thing I wish were different: he will not unhook a fish he has caught. He makes me do it. A bluegill poked him once, and now he is afraid to hold the fish to unhook it. I have shown him how to hold the fish so he won't get poked, but he just won't do it. He says when the fish wiggles, it scares him and he's afraid he's going to get poked again.
We will have to work on that. He want's to work on his fishing merit badge at Boy Scout camp. I told him he would be expected to do it there.
Then we went to Burger King for supper. It was a really good day today!

[olduckhunter]

good for you mr. flyboy for taking your children fishing and teaching them about it. your son will get over his fear of getting finned by the fish. and if he fishes the rest of his life he will get "poked" again and again but that's part of it. learning how to hold them keeps them from poking him bad. keep up the good work.

[skiptomylu]

Congrats to both of you! Sounds like a good time to me.

One of teh very best baits for catching bass or at least one of my favorites is a Zoom Super Fluke. It may not catch the biggest bass in the lake, but it give you a great chance for some good action. I fish it on a Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap work hook with no weights. Rigged Texsposed which means weedless like a Texas rig, but the hook not just berried in the bait, but all the way through, but just barely and then push up the Fluke and just barely stick the point of the hook back in right under the skin you would call it. The eye of the hook is inside the front of the bait and you can fish it slow or kind of fast like a bait fish running away. It will actually jump out of the water if fished right.

Anyway sounds kind of like you son rigged is with just a hook which makes the bait kind of erratic which is good.

Skip

[Fatman]

Sounds like you both had a great time!!!!!!!!!

[STUMP HUNTER]

Good report and congrats to your son on his bass. Even in the dark picture you can see his smile Thumbs Up.

[gabowman]

Good quality time spent together. Congrats to your son with his bass and to his Dad for enjoying the time together.:p

[Eager Beaver]

That is what memories are made of. EB