Your favorite memory of fishing with your kid?

Think about all the times that you’ve taken your son or daughter fishing. Is there a special or favorite memory that stands out in your mind? Of course, every fishing trip is special. But is there one favorite, special memory that sticks above all of the rest? That one memory that puts a smile on your face whenever you think about it.

My favorite memory

It was easy for me thinking about which story to tell. It would have to be the story about when I took my middle son Michael fishing on Cold Storage Beach in East Dennis. Michael was about 10 years old at the time.

We arrived around 7 in the evening. I remember that there was a fox scrounging around in the tall grass as we made our way down to the jetty from the parking area. He had found an old mackerel that someone left behind but Mike wasn’t the least bit interested in the fox. He was too anxious to get out there and start fishing. We walked out onto the jetty on the left side of the channel. It was a really beautiful, warm summer evening. The water and the winds were both calm.

I had a decent  rod and reel set up but Mike’s left something to be desired. There was Mike with a hand-me-down rod equipped with a Zebco push button fishing reel. It was a decent setup for fresh water fish but not really the right rod or reel for anything really big. Especially not any large saltwater fish. The idea this night was to get out and spend some time together on the water. It didn’t matter how we were set up. I wasn’t expecting much.

And then, it happened

We had been fishing for only about a half an hour when all of a sudden, the water started to boil. Stripers were chasing a large school of bait fish into the shoreline. They had the bait pinned up against the jetty and the bait had no where to go. The bait looked so thick, it looked like you could walk on them. I made cast after cast with a plug. The bait was so thick I kept snagging them on my treble hooks. I could see Mike was beaming with excitement hoping for a bite.

On one cast, I brought in two bait fish on my lure. We decided to attach one to Mike’s line. I set the hook on the bait . As he made his cast, I ascended the rock wall behind us to go back to my spot. As I did I heard Mike call out, “daddy”! I turned to see Mike’s small pole almost bent in half with the weight of a large striper. The line was peeling off of the reel with Mike holding on for dear life. Then the reel reached it’s end. Snap! The line and the fish were gone.

Hooked for life

I expected to see my son turn to me in tears. To my surprise, he turned with the biggest smile that I had ever seen. “That was awesome” he screamed! That was it, he was hooked! From that point forward, Mike was a fisherman.

Years later, Mike became a mate for four or five summers on the Salt Shaker with Captain Dan Hannon out of Sesuit Harbor. Since then, Mike has gone on to become a great fisherman. He’s probably a better fisherman than me but don’t tell him I said that!

So, that’s one of my favorite stories about fishing with my kid. I have more. I have three sons and there’s a favorite story with each one. However, every time I think about that one late summer evening I can’t help but smile.

So what’s your favorite story? Share it with us and then book your next trip with us on the St. Pete.

Until next time,
Tight lines and smooth seas!