I've got a hunch it will.
Good job Dad!!
Good job Dad!!
A night to remember
A few nights ago my 6 year old son caught his first wild trout on a self tied fly. It has been quite a journey that started almost 3 years ago, first at trout farms to get him hooked on the tug, then in our backyard teaching him how to cast, and finally bringing him to creeks and small rivers (with and without a rod) for him to get used to the moving water. All those activities plus a a few visits to local lakes with a kid spinning rod every now and then. Tying (more like playing with hooks, feathers and thread) started like a year ago, I taught him how to tie a WB and all he creates are crazy variations of it.
He started "casting" 2 years ago with an Echo practice rod and a piece of a 7 weight line I taped on, and then I got him a super lightweight, short and cheap tenkara rod with a thin leveled line. It was quite clear to me that he did not have the strength to manipulate a fly rod for more than 5 minutes, not even a small 2 weight, so the small tenkara has been the perfect tool for him. He has problems to stay focused on a small dry fly drifting on the water, and nymphing is even more challenging for him, but he loves swinging flies, so that's all he does. And that is also very suitable for the monster flies he ties. He was fishing a size 8 hook with all sort of chenille colors you can imagine and some partridge and turkey feathers as a collar. I had to do some quick hair dresser job on it to clear the gap a bit because it looked like a little rainbow rugby ball with feathers. I don't know who was more surprised and excited when the rod went bent, he or myself
.
I took a quick picture, released the fish and I then wanted to keep the fly as a memory, but he said he wanted to keep on fishing with it and ended up losing it in a sunken log. Oh well... After that I convinced him to try some of my soft hackles and he caught 4 more fish on them, although he told me he likes his flies better than mine. Of course.
It is a lot of fun to see him do his little cast down and across, follow thought, and pick up the phone when the tip goes tap-tap. Eventually he gets bored and starts flipping rocks or climbing trees, but hey, it is a great start. I really hope it sticks with him.
He started "casting" 2 years ago with an Echo practice rod and a piece of a 7 weight line I taped on, and then I got him a super lightweight, short and cheap tenkara rod with a thin leveled line. It was quite clear to me that he did not have the strength to manipulate a fly rod for more than 5 minutes, not even a small 2 weight, so the small tenkara has been the perfect tool for him. He has problems to stay focused on a small dry fly drifting on the water, and nymphing is even more challenging for him, but he loves swinging flies, so that's all he does. And that is also very suitable for the monster flies he ties. He was fishing a size 8 hook with all sort of chenille colors you can imagine and some partridge and turkey feathers as a collar. I had to do some quick hair dresser job on it to clear the gap a bit because it looked like a little rainbow rugby ball with feathers. I don't know who was more surprised and excited when the rod went bent, he or myself
.I took a quick picture, released the fish and I then wanted to keep the fly as a memory, but he said he wanted to keep on fishing with it and ended up losing it in a sunken log. Oh well... After that I convinced him to try some of my soft hackles and he caught 4 more fish on them, although he told me he likes his flies better than mine. Of course.
It is a lot of fun to see him do his little cast down and across, follow thought, and pick up the phone when the tip goes tap-tap. Eventually he gets bored and starts flipping rocks or climbing trees, but hey, it is a great start. I really hope it sticks with him.
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