 Wow!
I never thought summer would ever end. Although not the
hottest we have ever experienced, it was still quite unbearable
at times. If we could just get some overdue rain, we would
be in great shape. As the summer moves into fall, now
is an opportune time to spend some quality time with your
children. In today’s hectic, rat-race like lifestyles
we have, it is important to make time for our kids and
make quality out of the time. The fastest way to turn
a youngster off the outdoor sports is to take them out
fishing in miserable weather conditions (100 degree days).
Now that autumn is here, it is a great time to round up
the little ones and head for the lake for an afternoon
of fishing and boating.
Recently, I was fortunate to have the pleasure of my
daughter’s company along with two of her best
friends for just such a trip. Tatum Lester(6), Mikayla
Hodge(5),Madison Hodge(9) and I(36) decided to take
advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon and go fishing.
We hooked on to the Ranger bass boat and headed to Richland-Chambers.
Along the way we stopped for gas, water, sodas, chips,
and other necessary snacks. If the fish weren’t
biting, at least the kids could be. We also stopped
at Fitzgerald’s for a couple dozen minnows and
a few more snacks and some ice. Minnows are a must when
taking little ones fishing. Playing with them in the
bag keeps them occupied until we get to the lake. When
the fishing gets slow out on the water, they are a great
source of entertainment for the kids.
After securing everyone in their life vest, we headed
out across the water. We simply rode around for a while
looking at the birds, water, other boats and the shoreline.
Oh yea, we also broke into the snacks and drinks. It’s
funny how we adults can have our eyes opened by young
people. I saw things I had never noticed before, despite
being on the lake countless times, simply because one
of them pointed it out to me. It was going to be a great
day.
 After
our boat ride, we idled into an area not far from Oak
Cove Marina and tied the boat up to a tree. Everyone had
a rod and reel to use, except me. I figured I might be
a little too busy to do much fishing (I was right). After
baiting all of the hooks, I lowering them over the side.
We indulged in our second round of drinks and snacks and
waited for a whopper. It wasn’t long until Tatum
noticed her rod tip bouncing up and down. When she pulled
up on it, she had the first fish of the day, a crappie.
It wasn’t a big one, but it was big enough to charge
up everyone in the boat.
Once the whoopla had subsided, I pulled out my camera
for a quick picture or two. After taking the pictures
and putting the camera away, I saw Mikayla’s rod,
which she laid down for the photo op, shooting across
the deck of the boat and into the water. I raced to
the front of the boat, dove across the trolling motor
and grabbed the shiny object racing to the bottom of
the lake. I pulled it out of the water and handed it
to Mikayla. After a brief struggle, she landed a small
sandbass. With bruised knees and skinned up elbows,
I took yet another picture.
We celebrated the catches with; you got it, more drinks
and snacks. This fishing stuff is hard work. I little
person can work up quite a thirst and appetite fighting
fish. Now, all we needed was for Madison to hook up,
and boy, did she.
We moved over a little bit to another group of trees.
Madison lowered her bait into the water after helping
me get the two little girls bait’s in the water.
After a minute or two, BOOM, she had a good one on.
For a while, I wasn’t sure if she could get it
in by herself, but she managed. Madison had just caught
the biggest fish of the day, a channel catfish that
must have weighed at least two pounds.
After a brief celebration, more pictures and yes, more
drinks and snacks, the small yellow bass found us. The
girls ended up catching 9 fish for the day. Although
some of the yellow bass weren’t much bigger than
the minnows, they had a blast catching them. I am not
sure who had more fun, them or me.
With the onset of cooler weather, it is a perfect time
to take your kids fishing at a nearby lake or pond.
You don’t need to have a boat in order to spend
some quality time and have a great afternoon with your
kids fishing. A fishing pole, a little bait, plenty
of (you got it) drinks and snacks and some time is all
you need. That’s all the really want from us anyway,
a little of our time and all of our attention. Think
about it.
Until next time, enjoy the Texas Outdoors
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