A day trip
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I took my daughter (7 yr. old) fly fishing yesterday to a local state fishing park that started it’s C&R season. She is a trooper when it comes to fishing. We were up at 4:30 am and left the house by 5:15 for our 1.5 hr drive to Roaring River State Park in Missouri.
A local fishing forum (Ozarkanglers.com) was having a little gathering that day too. We meet at 7:00 am for biscuits and gravy, while waiting for the opening horn blast at 8:00 am. By 7:25 am she was asking every 3-5 minutes if it was time to go fishing.
She does really well casting the 6’6″ Eagleclaw Featherweight with 10-15′ of fly line out. But after that, you had better have extra health insurance, and a baseball catchers protective gear on. There was not one bug/bird in her area the whole time she was casting. She had several takes on a foam beetle but was not quick enough for the hook-set. I was able to finally talk her into letting me hook one for her so she could reel it in. I could tell in her voice that it just wasn’t the same as her doing it herself. After many, many wind knots and other tangles, dad decided to let her try her hand of untangling her own knot. Well, that lasted about a minute and a half, and dad was back at the knot thing. I thought it might teach her to slow down on her casting. A BIG NO on that part. She thought I was the ogre for making her undo her own knots.
The only time we stopped wa to break for lunch and a trip to the local fly shop. This where it got interesting. After the shop cleared, Tim the shop owner, took her to the fly tying table and went about teaching her how to tie a crackleback. A new friendship was made that day, not only for her, but for me also. I tried to talk to her, but she would ask me to be quiet, because the “Professional”, that is what she called him, was trying to teach her how to tie a fly. So Tim’s new name became “The Professional”. After a 1.5 hour break we were back to the water fishing. Later that day “The Professional” met up with us and took her under his wing, and continued to show her some tricks. By this time, dads patients were wearing a little thin. Don’t misunderstand me, I was having a great time but needed the break.
On the trip home, all she could talk about was coming back next weekend.
The only fish she was able to hook and land herself. Sorry, no photo of the rainbow, but she fought the fish a long time and I was concerned about it being out of the water too long:
At the fly tying table with “The Professional”:
Enjoyed the report Rusty. Tim is a great teacher and always encouraging to folks with a can do attitude.
Enjoy those precious times with your little girl. They go by fast. But you never know, you may be fishing with her as an adult someday, and she may be the ogre for making you undo your own knots!
Great memories.
Scott
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