My name is Kane Lewis, I am 3 y/o, and a 3rd generation Florida Cracker. My papa Jim Lewis, my daddy Zach Lewis, and I, all love the outdoors and everything that it has to offer and teach us. My papa taught my daddy about the beauty and the importance of our local waterways and estuaries from a very young age and my daddy is now teaching and showing me. I went fishing for the first time with my daddy when I was 4 months old and have loved it ever since. If I’m not in school then my daddy and I are in Mosquito Lagoon, or the Indian River Lagoon fishing, which is my favorite thing to do! I love fishing because of all the diverse wildlife I see and get to learn about.
I have caught many redfish, speckled trout, snook, and even tarpon but none were as special as this one. The attached picture is of a redfish I caught yesterday. I casted my live shrimp along the mangroves, I felt the “thump” and set the hook on the fishing rod my daddy made me, I even fought the fish all the way to the boat all by myself! My daddy was so proud of me! After many high fives and a tight hug, my daddy said I am on the path to becoming a great outdoorsman and fisherman, and that one day it’ll be my responsibility to pass on the love of the outdoors to someone younger than I, just as he has, because todays youngins are tomorrow’s conservationists.
I hope by sharing this story and picture, it motivates other families to get their children out in the outdoors, no matter how young. Families and friends can make cherished memories and lasting impressions with nothing but a little patients and a fishing rod.