Take Them Fishing 1

I am not a professional fisherman however I have been doing it all of my life. It is hard for me to put into words what it has done for me as a person however as I was growing up on a small farm in the mountains of Southwest Virginia fishing was one of two things that my father and I could actually converse about. The other was hunting. My father and I did not have a close relationship for what seemed like an eternity but when we were fishing we were close. That is the reason I am writing this. My father still does not know what those days meant to me but they were very special. I hope that someday I can actually tell him but feelings have never been something that we talked about. These times also were defining moments for me when I think about who I have become. Honestly if we did not have these times I believe I would not have really ever known what he was truly like as a person and the most significant male role model in my life would have been non existent so there are many aspects of my life that have been touched by fishing.

I know a lot of people this day and time have issues with careers and parenting. Some are divorced and raising children by themselves and I know it is hard to balance all of the many tasks that come with raising a family. The most common excuse is because we don't have time. We have to sacrifice our relationships with our children because of the amount of time we must spend earning a living to support our family. I understand this and am in that same situation myself. I work in a very demanding field that requires an enormous amount of my time. Luckily in my estimation it really was not about the amount of time my father spent with me it was more about quality of the experience that I had when we did get the chance to enjoy these moments. I am not saying that fishing is going to magically heal or mend any relationship or tension between parents and their children but I do know from experience that it will give you many moments of joy and a little common ground to stand on. I hope that this will be a good place for you to start. If you already have a close relationship with your children why not take on another hobby to continue to build on that bond.

I am not a psychiatrist or a doctor; I am a son and a father. I see the look that is in my daughter's eye every time I help her catch a fish and I remember looking at my father like he walked on water every single time he did the same for me. I also remember the prideful look on his face when I could catch more than him or I caught the big one. I remember him bragging to his friends at the gas station deli where we would pick up our lunch during our fishing trips. He would tell them that he had never seen anyone that could fish like me. He was very proud. I have recently found myself doing the same thing with my daughter while talking with my coworkers and now that my son is old enough I am excited that soon he will be joining us as well as my wife.

I could go on for many pages about the experiences that I have had through this past time but that is not my reason for writing this. I am hoping to give the world a very simplified and inexpensive alternative to letting the television teach their children how to be adults. This is to help parents become parents and heroes for their children. The world is in desperate need of parenting. Society has been consistently growing into more of cesspool year and my belief is that parents are no longer role models. Media has taken over the role of the parent all but the financial aspect. Let's take our places among our families and build strong relationships with our children before the drug dealer on the corner breaks their fall. You don't have to fish but you do have to do something that will create happiness and a joyful memory for them to pass on to their children.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful and ever so small life impacting experience as much as I have and will continue to for as long as life allows all of us to. See you on the lake.

Step one- Tackle (Equipment)

You cannot start your fishing adventures without tackle, most importantly where to get your tackle. I suggest that unless you already love fishing or know for a fact that you are going to love it you start of with inexpensive rigs. The reason I say this and most outfitters are going to hate me for it is because the cost can be huge if you go to the wrong place. Certain chain retail stores such as Wal-Mart and K Mart are really convenient and inexpensive. I would suggest going with something that is already set up and ready to go. This will cut doing the hassle for someone that does not know how to set up a rod and reel and all that goes with it. If you do then you know enough about what you are doing to move to the next chapter. When I say set up I am talking about a fishing pole and reel combination. The fishing pole has the reel with it and normally the reel already has fishing line on it so you won't have to deal with that headache until you are more familiar with how things work. Next you need to consider where you are going to be fishing when buying hooks, sinkers (weights), swivels (spin the bait so the line does not twist and knot) and bait. I will go into these areas in the following sections and explain how to relate the tackle to these areas.