Camp Cindy: The Joy of Fishing with Children

I come from a fishing family. For as long as I can remember, we’ve fished --- with cane poles and with rods, from boats, off piers, under the spillway, around the pylons, in the ocean. Pretty much if you could drop a line in it, it was a “fishing hole.” Well, it just so happens, that my sister lives on a lake, aka, a huge fishing hole!

Continuing the family tradition, my nephews and I fished almost every day at Camp Cindy, sometimes even twice a day. It was definitely a learning experience for me. For instance, I’ve learned that there is nothing quite like the scream of a child catching his first fish. Or, the scream of a child being hooked by his brother. Or, the scream of a child that has fallen into the lake. Or, the scream of an aunt when she realizes that one of her nephews is eating the bait! (“But, I just wanted to taste it!”)

I also learned that fishing with children means that you will answer the same questions, over and over again: Can I touch it? (Yes) Will it bite? (No) What kind is it? (Big-mouth bass) Have you ever caught one of these? (Yes) Has Poppa? (Thousands of them) Has Mommy? (Yes) Has Mimi? (Yes) Has Aunt Susie? (Yes) Can we eat it? (No) Can I keep it in my room in a bucket? (Sure, I think that's a great idea, but you have to ask your mother) Is this the same fish that [insert brother's name] caught? (Maybe) Have you ever caught a whale? (No) Has Poppa? (No) And so on and so on.

The best part of fishing with the boys is that we have a new generation of fishing stories. Alex, the baby of the family at barely 7, can tell 'em like a pro. Here he is with one of the 10 (or 13, if you ask him) fish he caught.

© 2006 by Cindy Lane. All rights reserved.