Proud Dad Watches Son Follow In His Fishing Footsteps

Happy Father’s Day! Here’s one dad’s tribute to his son that appears in the June issue:

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

We all remember fishing with our dads. They would explain fishing to us, whether salt- or freshwater, even if we weren’t really listening.

I have to admit I didn’t listen at first. After all, my father started me off at 6 years old. But as I was around fishing more, I wanted to know everything there was about the sport and everything I needed to catch fish.

I have been lucky enough to be blessed with a son who I started fishing with three months shy of his third birthday. Having him catch his first fish from cast to landing, I will never forget how excited I was. You all have a chance of doing this with your children as well. Lure them in and they will get hooked.

MY SON BRICEN IS 14 now and getting a little cocky in his old age. He now challenges me to catch more than him or the largest fish. This is the type of camaraderie that you want with your children too.

Make it fun and interesting to them. Take time during a trip to point out the wildlife around you such as the birds. Let them know all about them. Of course, you may have to study up a bit.

Point out porpoises or whales if you’re on the saltwater and they happen by. Nothing is more exciting to kids. Even seals can be special to kids. Stop by a buoy in your bay or harbor; there’s usually one sleeping on them. Anything you do to make the first trips more exciting will enhance the future of your fishing trips with them.

One trick you can use to reel them in is to stack the deck by fishing during a time when you know that the fishing will be great. If they catch all day, they will certainly want to go again and again. Although you will eventually have to explain slow days.

Being a guide in Southern California was an advantage to me, but I have taken several dads and moms and sons and daughters out just for this very reason. It almost never failed, so hiring a guide for a great first trip is always a good option.

If you have a great first or second trip with them, tease them into going again and make the kids yearn for it. Let them ask you to go again. Allow them to see you playing with your tackle. It is a sure thing they will ask when they can go fishing with you again.

It also lets you spend some quiet time with them showing them rods and reels and all the lures they have to choose from. Let them hold the lures, but teach them about the sharp hooks too.

SO NOW THAT MY son is a little older, we are in a little more advanced class on fishing. And I have to tell you about a recent trip we had, which was so exciting and packed with excitement.

This trip to the kelp beds off San Diego was a trip to remember forever. We were fishing just off the Point Loma kelp and catching a few calicos when I saw birds diving a couple hundred yards down the line. We raced over to see what all the commotion was about.

It was a school of porpoises attacking a giant ball of sardines as well as red crab. Now the exciting thing to my Bricen was the pelicans and other birds hitting the water – like dive-bombers all around us.

The porpoise were throwing baits into the air and catching them as they racing all around the boat. I told Bricen it was like none of the birds or fish knew we were there. They were fixated on the food. I also showed him on my Lowrance graph that there were fish below the porpoise feeding on the scraps.

The fish were eating the baits on the sink and can backlash a casting reel in a second if you’re not familiar with it. I told him to cast out, count to 10, and close the bail. The fish were grabbing his swimbait and almost setting the hook themselves. This went on for what seemed like forever and I know Bricen had the time of his life. A moment in fishing he will never forget, nor will I.

This is the type of event I hope you can experience on the water with your kids. It was a bit over the top, but when the days like this happen, it just strengthens the fishing bond you will have with your new fishing buddies and give you a Father’s Day present I know you will cherish forever, even when it isn’t Fathers Day.

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IDEAL GEAR FOR KIDS

My son Bricen uses a Daiwa Proteus 7-foot spinning rod set up with 30-pound Maxima braid and throws a swimbait for calicos 99 percent of the time. It’s a good set-up for kids because they can handle it better than a casting reel.

The fish were eating the baits on the sink and can backlash a casting reel in a second if you’re not familiar with it. I told Bricen to cast out, count to 10, and close the bail. The fish were grabbing his swimbait and almost setting the hook themselves.

Having a kid-friendly set-up is one way to have a more enjoyable time on the water. BS