05-01-2006, 04:55 PM
My fondest memories from when I was a kid almost all seem to come my fishing trips with my dad. I was lucky enough to have a dad who would take me fishing often as a kid growing up.
I can't even remember my first fishing trip because I was still in diapers and couldn't even talk yet! My first memories of fishing that I can remember are of catching bluegills with my dad at a Monet's Creek Reservoir near our home when I was probably around 4 years old, as well as fishing for rainbow trout at Bottle Hollow at about that same age.
As long as I can remember, fishing has been my therapy, my way to get away from it all, my peace and quiet. It has also been my excitement, my source of adrenaline rush, sleepless nights of anticipation waiting for an early morning fishing trip the next day.
Until my late teens, fishing with my dad was the only way to fish. It still is one of the better ones. Now, I take my own son fishing (his first trip was when he was almost one years old) and hope to pass that tradition on to him as he grows.
Fishing is still one of the biggest thing that bonds my father and I together, and I intend to make sure that that bond continues with me and my son as well.
Once, when I was probably around 14 years old, we decided to make one of our many yearly trips in dad's green Coleman canoe to Strawberry Reservoir. We'd been going there ever since he got that canoe a few years back. My dad was (and still is) so proud of that
boat. He wanted it for years and years but never had the money to get one. He alwasy talked about wanting that "Green Coleman Canoe". When he finally did get it, we all benefitted from lots of fishing and canoeing trips all over the state of Utah.
This particular trip, we headed up to "The Meadows", a popular area to fish for trout in a protected cove on Strawberry. We'd been there many times before, and usually did pretty well for average sized rainbow and cutthroat trout trolling with flies or rapalas, or tossing out worms or power bait. On this trip, we unloaded the canoe off the car, piled in all our fishing stuff, and walked it down to the water's edge. I never did like carrying that dang thing around, but it sure was nice not having to fish from the shore!
We set out into the middle of the bay, and set up approximately where we thought the creek channel would be. Then we tossed out our bait and waited. My dad was the first to hook up, with a nice 14 inch rainbow. Next was my brother. Another decent sized trout. Then, my dad again. I was happy for them, but I was getting a little discouraged since I had not caught anything after almost an hour!
A little while later, I reeled in my power bait, washed it all off my hook, and decided to try a worm and a marshmallow to change it up. I found the biggest, fattest, juiciest worm I could find in the worm carton, stuck a marshmallow on my hook and then stuck that fat juicy worm on after it. After making sure it was nice and secure and wouldn't come off when I casted, I leaned back, brought the pole back, and zzzzzinggggg, chucked that bait out there as far as I could from the boat.
After setting back down from almost capsizing the boat from my violent cast, I sat patiently waiting for a bite. I really needed to catch a fish, or I'd never hear the end of it from my brother. I decided to have a snack while I waited, so I began munching on some of the fig newtons we'd brought with us.
Suddenly my dad yelled to me, "Kevin, get your pole!" My pole was bent tight, the tip curling down nearly into the water! Good thing I had stuck the handle under the seat or I might lost it and been one fishing pole short of a full boat!
I set the hook hard, and the line went tighter. I couldn't reel it in!! The fish was pulling hard, and I couldn't even get it to budge! My dad and brother began reeling in their poles so they wouldn't be in the way, then began slowly paddling the boat towards the fish so I could bring up some line.
I reeled as much as I could to keep the slack out of the line. Finally, we were above the fish. I couldn't get it to come up though! "This fish must be HUGE", I thought, since I couldn't get it to surface! Finally, the fish began to tire and rise up. My dad got the net ready. I saw a quick flash of a HUGE fish, just before it ran under the boat, pulling my pole down with it.
After fighting with it for a minute or two more, the whole time horrified that my line would break and I would lose this big monster trout, I finally got it close to the net. My dad nets the huge fish, which turns out to be a nice 5 pound Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout! We took the monster home and weighed it using the bathroom scale, first weighing myself without the fish, then with the fish, and subtracting the difference.
Wow, it was the biggest fish that I had ever caught!! It also became a tasty dinner too! That day, I was the proudest I had ever been while fishing, I think. I only caught that one fish that day, and even though my dad and brother each caught more fish than I, I had the honor of catching the biggest fish any of us had ever caught at Strawberry Reservoir.
Here is a picture of that fish:
![[Image: gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=15807;]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=15807;)
Hopefully some day, as my son grows, I can provide many similar experiences for him as well. I think fishing teaches a kid a lot. Things like patience, respect for nature and for the environment, a love of all the beautiful things that God has created for us, determination, as well as other practical things like outdoor skills.
Best of all, there is nothing more fun on this earth than going fishing with family or friends!
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I can't even remember my first fishing trip because I was still in diapers and couldn't even talk yet! My first memories of fishing that I can remember are of catching bluegills with my dad at a Monet's Creek Reservoir near our home when I was probably around 4 years old, as well as fishing for rainbow trout at Bottle Hollow at about that same age.
As long as I can remember, fishing has been my therapy, my way to get away from it all, my peace and quiet. It has also been my excitement, my source of adrenaline rush, sleepless nights of anticipation waiting for an early morning fishing trip the next day.
Until my late teens, fishing with my dad was the only way to fish. It still is one of the better ones. Now, I take my own son fishing (his first trip was when he was almost one years old) and hope to pass that tradition on to him as he grows.
Fishing is still one of the biggest thing that bonds my father and I together, and I intend to make sure that that bond continues with me and my son as well.
Once, when I was probably around 14 years old, we decided to make one of our many yearly trips in dad's green Coleman canoe to Strawberry Reservoir. We'd been going there ever since he got that canoe a few years back. My dad was (and still is) so proud of that
boat. He wanted it for years and years but never had the money to get one. He alwasy talked about wanting that "Green Coleman Canoe". When he finally did get it, we all benefitted from lots of fishing and canoeing trips all over the state of Utah.
This particular trip, we headed up to "The Meadows", a popular area to fish for trout in a protected cove on Strawberry. We'd been there many times before, and usually did pretty well for average sized rainbow and cutthroat trout trolling with flies or rapalas, or tossing out worms or power bait. On this trip, we unloaded the canoe off the car, piled in all our fishing stuff, and walked it down to the water's edge. I never did like carrying that dang thing around, but it sure was nice not having to fish from the shore!
We set out into the middle of the bay, and set up approximately where we thought the creek channel would be. Then we tossed out our bait and waited. My dad was the first to hook up, with a nice 14 inch rainbow. Next was my brother. Another decent sized trout. Then, my dad again. I was happy for them, but I was getting a little discouraged since I had not caught anything after almost an hour!
A little while later, I reeled in my power bait, washed it all off my hook, and decided to try a worm and a marshmallow to change it up. I found the biggest, fattest, juiciest worm I could find in the worm carton, stuck a marshmallow on my hook and then stuck that fat juicy worm on after it. After making sure it was nice and secure and wouldn't come off when I casted, I leaned back, brought the pole back, and zzzzzinggggg, chucked that bait out there as far as I could from the boat.
After setting back down from almost capsizing the boat from my violent cast, I sat patiently waiting for a bite. I really needed to catch a fish, or I'd never hear the end of it from my brother. I decided to have a snack while I waited, so I began munching on some of the fig newtons we'd brought with us.
Suddenly my dad yelled to me, "Kevin, get your pole!" My pole was bent tight, the tip curling down nearly into the water! Good thing I had stuck the handle under the seat or I might lost it and been one fishing pole short of a full boat!
I set the hook hard, and the line went tighter. I couldn't reel it in!! The fish was pulling hard, and I couldn't even get it to budge! My dad and brother began reeling in their poles so they wouldn't be in the way, then began slowly paddling the boat towards the fish so I could bring up some line.
I reeled as much as I could to keep the slack out of the line. Finally, we were above the fish. I couldn't get it to come up though! "This fish must be HUGE", I thought, since I couldn't get it to surface! Finally, the fish began to tire and rise up. My dad got the net ready. I saw a quick flash of a HUGE fish, just before it ran under the boat, pulling my pole down with it.
After fighting with it for a minute or two more, the whole time horrified that my line would break and I would lose this big monster trout, I finally got it close to the net. My dad nets the huge fish, which turns out to be a nice 5 pound Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout! We took the monster home and weighed it using the bathroom scale, first weighing myself without the fish, then with the fish, and subtracting the difference.
Wow, it was the biggest fish that I had ever caught!! It also became a tasty dinner too! That day, I was the proudest I had ever been while fishing, I think. I only caught that one fish that day, and even though my dad and brother each caught more fish than I, I had the honor of catching the biggest fish any of us had ever caught at Strawberry Reservoir.
Here is a picture of that fish:
Hopefully some day, as my son grows, I can provide many similar experiences for him as well. I think fishing teaches a kid a lot. Things like patience, respect for nature and for the environment, a love of all the beautiful things that God has created for us, determination, as well as other practical things like outdoor skills.
Best of all, there is nothing more fun on this earth than going fishing with family or friends!
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