There are so many factors to consider when purchasing a boat. For me, the safety and comfort of my son and my dog were priorities. High gunwales, stability, safety; I put so much thought into choosing the perfect boat for us, it never crossed my mind that my own flesh and blood would rather stay home playing Minecraft than go fishing.
On that fateful morning of our first mother-son fishing outing, I had our rods, shrimp, juice boxes, and a snack. We headed out in search of a prize catch. Sadly, my excitement for this monumental day was not shared by my 6 year old. Twenty minutes into our trip, he emptied everything out of my hatch, climbed inside and began playing Mindcraft on my phone while I tried to fish. Disaster! (A disaster I didn’t handle well.) Our day on the water didn’t last long. When we got home, my son announced he didn’t like fishing. In an instant, my dreams of me and my boy as lifelong fishing buddies were crushed.
I told my friends and family about my dilemma and received some helpful advice. Taking small children fishing has to be a total experience. From the moment you pull out of the driveway, the adventure begins. First stop is donuts. Initially we would get a box of donut holes, but I learned that when the bottom falls out of a Munchkin box, it can get ugly on a small skiff. Jelly filled, powdered sugar goodness rolling all around on a damp boat deck. My advice is to stick to donuts. Next is the ramp, which can be a little chaotic on a weekend. So, we leave a little later, miss the rush, take it easy. We always have bait, sometimes we only catch bait-size fish with our bait. No matter how small it is, the catch is a big deal and it comes aboard. We look at it and measure it, take a picture. If it’s legal to do so, we let it swim around in the bait well for a little while. (I’m a catch-and-release gal.) If it’s a fish with size or catch restrictions, my son quickly and carefully returns it to the water. The highlight of every trip is getting out of the boat on an island. It’s all about discovery (kind of like his Mindcraft game). A great day fishing with my son doesn’t really have that much to do with catching fish. Maybe one day it will, but for now, if I can keep him wanting more, and keep him out of the hatch; then we had a great day fishing.
Karla George is a former accountant turned fishing bum. She resides in Stuart, Florida with her husband and son. She works at Florida Oceanographic Society in the development department and fishes the Indian River Lagoon as much as she can on her Maverick HPX-V.