My brother and I are the same age. Actually, he is about six weeks older than I am. We are not freak-of-nature twins, in fact, we don’t look anything alike. That’s because he is adopted. I don’t see him very often, because he moved away right after high school to become a fishing guide in Alaska.
When I do see him, Maybelle is scared of him. He looks like a fishing guide in Alaska, if fishing guides in Alaska were half Cambodian, very tall, and with long hair. He sort of has this mountain-man presence. And he is all fishing, all the time.
He has always been that way. He actually skipped school to go fishing when he was little. Once, he fell down a bank, cut his head open bad, and didn’t come home because “the fish were biting. There were always ‘spawn bags’ (so gross) in the freezer growing up, and I watched more Carp get carved up and become egg donors to bait other fish than any one person probably should.
Maybe it’s because he survived by fishing in Viet Nam before coming over on the U.S. to be adopted, or maybe it’s just in his blood. Even if my kids aren’t biologically related to him, I still believe in a sense of destiny with this. A.P. loves to eat fish as much as his Uncle Kyle loves to catch them, and I think it’s time to take him fishing.
Maybelle doesn’t like to eat fish, but I still think she will enjoy fishing. I hope having this in common with my brother will make her less afraid of him. I don’t even know where to begin with this, so I’ve been poking around a little to figure out just how to cultivate our new hobby.
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I found a website called “Fishy Kid” with advice and suggestions about taking kids fishing There is even a contest, which I think is awesome because I can’t wait to take a picture of Maybelle with a little bluegill she caught.
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June 12 and 13 are part of the Free Fishing Weekend in Michigan. Check out the Calendar for more information, or with your state’s Department of Natural Resources because this is going on in many states.
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In Grand Rapids, June 16, 23, 20 and July 7 are Free Fishing Days at Versluis Lake. Check out the Calendar for details.
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On June 29 kids can practice bating hooks and casting in Ada Park. Details are on the Calendar.
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If there is a day we can’t fish, we can always check out the Fish Ladder downtown.
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And because I can’t let a chance to create a theme get past me, I found this website, complete with online fishing games, and I’m certain some gummy fish/jello creations are in our near future.
Go check out We Are THAT Family for more things to do when your kids say, “Mom – I’m bored!”
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Here is another great source…it’s called Project Fish. Their goal is to get people out fishing. Check them out on FB. They hold classes and try to get kids invovled to love the sport (a passion of mine too!) Also in the GR Area Pickeral Lake is great for those with small kids and no boat since they have a fenced dock (that even my 2 year old son couldn’t escape from) accross the water and a nature trail. My best advice to those who fish with kids is don’t plan on doing any serious fishing yourself. Also tie snap swivles to the line before hand and buy pre-tied hooks on little line leads (or tie them before hand), which aid in easy hook replacement after hooking the bottom or casting into a tree. Also fish do not like the taste of sun screen or bug spray, so if you apply it to your kids be sure you get it off your hands before touching the bait or it might be a long day of no catching. Good Luck…there is nothing like the conversations between kids a parents while fishing, it’s an amazing time together!
What neat ideas! Maybe my girls and I need to study fishing for a week this summer!
Very neat story! I have never been fishing, and I just can’t eat it either. I have tried–well, I will eat tuna–but most of it just tastes so horrible to me!! Sounds like you all have such fun with fish. 🙂