Many of us started our fishing careers with our dads. They were the ones who always took us to the water, whether it was a neighborhood pond or a local river. Catching fish was third on the list behind spending time together and just having fun in general. I was no different and I often found myself spending time next to the neighborhood pond or local river with my dad and my brother.

Those moments will forever be ingrained in my memory and although we don’t have many pictures, those moments will still last a lifetime.

WHAT? NO PICTURES?!?!?

Before the digital age, pictures were harder to come by as we were limited to film and film could be costly. We never took many pictures when we went fishing. We couldn’t afford to spend $5 on film and then $5-10 to process pictures of fish. However, just because we didn’t take pictures doesn’t mean we don’t remember those days, those moments, and those fish.

I probably remember those moments more vividly than I remember any fishing trip I have taken in the last 5 years.

I can still picture how I used to swing my cane pole back and forward, watching my line as it plopped my red and white bobber into the water only to see my bobber go under just seconds later. Tap, tap, tap, tap!

I can still picture how I would always exclaim, “I’ve got a bite,” before proudly hoisting those small bream up with my cane pole.

I can still picture the proud look across my dad’s face as he watched me hoist those bream up with more excitement than a million dollar lottery winner.

I think we all have an innate instinct to realize that moments like those are special. We may not realize it at the time, and it may hit us 10 or 20 years later, but it will eventually smack us across the face with an ‘ah-ha’ moment.

DAVID AND BANKS

A few months ago, I found myself sharing the river with David and his 11 year old son, Banks. It was great watching David and Banks fish the river together with golden smiles across each of their faces. I started smiling since I knew they would carry those smiles with them for years going forward. It’ll be a trip they’ll look back on years from now and tell stories about while cutting turkeys and wrapping presents.

Watching them I was instantly taken back to those special times on the water. Times that I had forgotten about flashed before me and smacked me across the face, leaving me with an unadulterated smile. It was a great moment watching them together and it reminded me that it was time to spend time river fishing with my own dad.

TOO BUSY TO FISH TOGETHER

Father’s Day came and passed this year with little notice. Work bombarded me for the better part of June and I found myself in the office on Father’s Day and not spending time on the river with my dad. This is nothing new and all too common.

We don’t fish together too often anymore due to our busy schedules and because I live a few hours away. It’s not as easy as waking up from a 6 a.m. slumber, jumping in the truck together and going. We have to coordinate our schedules a little more than we had to in the past. We do our best and we do get out there together, but the majority of our trips are limited to a few hours at best.

Recently, I made a point to take some time from my schedule and my trophy river fishing quest to take my dad river fishing. He doesn’t make it out to the river much anymore and most of his fishing trips are limited to fishing off the dock since he doesn’t like taking the boat out alone.

For a number of days we set out in the Bass Tracker boat during the early evening for an hour or two of fishing, an hour or two of time together.

The fishing wasn’t great, but it didn’t have to be. It was enough just being out there joking and laughing with a hint of fussin’ and cussin’.

GRASS FLAT RIVER FISHING
One day we concentrated on a large flat that was covered with grass and lily pads. This part of the river fluctuates because the water level is controlled by daily upstream releases.

When the releases occur water will rise above the grass and lily pads, submerging most of them a few feet underwater. Once the release occurs bass will become active and move into the grass and lily pads to feed on baitfish and other bugs that use the grass and lily pads as cover.

Knowing the bass would be very active we tied on topwater lures, hoping for those exciting topwater explosions. I chose a weedless frog while my father showed his age and tied on a hula popper.

I suggested a frog because it would enable him to fish the grass without getting hung up, but he quickly shrugged me off. “I’ll be fine,” was his response.

I smiled and started casting my frog out. It wasn’t long before the frog was getting blown up on. It was mostly smaller bass that couldn’t swallow it, but it was still fun. Meanwhile, my dad was busy in the back of the boat pulling the grass off his hula popper. I didn’t say anything, but I could tell his eyes were getting big from watching all the action my frog was getting.

Shortly thereafter I pulled in the first bass of the evening. It wasn’t big, but I figured it would be enough for my dad to put his hula popper down and acknowledge defeat by tying on a frog that I had now laid beside him.

Like all stubborn old men, he didn’t give in so easily and kept at it with the hula popper. Watching him pull grass off his hula popper before each cast, I could tell his frustration was growing.

“Watch this,” I told him as I slung my frog deep into the next state. “These frogs are great. You can cast them 120 feet into the thickest of cover without worrying about getting hung up,” I continued, trying to persuade him to make the switch.

He never did make the switch, but it wasn’t much longer before he hooked up himself and proved the Hula Popper can still catch fish! No, it wasn’t with a bass, nor a monster, but he did manage to boat a small chain pickerel. It’s not much, but I think the smile on his face says it all.

It was great spending time on the water together. The fishing wasn’t the best, but the company was.

It’s kind of funny how the table turns. My dad was the one that got me fishing and he was the one that used to take me out, but here I am taking him out for an evening of river fishing. I even taught him a thing or two, or so I think.