Haawa for all the fish caught this week.
We were fishing along the golden rocks near Skidegate Point last week. The fish started biting around the low slack and didn’t really stop all day. They were mostly small springs in the 10- to 15-pound range, but perfect really because most of the time we would hand the rod to my 10-year-old niece, Sachi.
She handled them well and avoided the dreaded “knuckle bust” that happens if you keep your fingers inside the chaotic diameter of reel handles whizzing around at 3,000 rpm. The golden rocks usually mark the beginning of our first tack as we troll west toward bigger seas. At points during the day we will troll by again just to see if there is some behemoth chinook down there with an appetite for anchovies or herring or shiny pieces of chrome.
Then we were putting along, 15 metres or so from shore when the port rod popped and Peter leaned into something much bigger than average. It pulled line out and down, held for a while, and then battled on the surface where we could see its wide, thrashing back. And that’s the last we saw of it. As it made another run, the rod recoiled, the line went slack and our chrome and brass spoon came fluttering back in along the surface.
After some adult expressions of disappointment, Sachi said “I guess it’s my turn.” So we let her reel in the next three fish and it was more fun watching her than reeling them in ourselves.
Fishing with kids can be trying. After a couple decades of fishing with kids, I consider myself a bit of an expert in the subject. While adults have their own, often less forgivable issues, kids tend to shape the tone of a fishing trip in a variety of ways.
Fishing with kids can form lifelong bonds, create pivotal memories, and be formative in a child’s relationship to nature. It can also turn a perfectly enjoyable fishing trip into a nightmare. Incidents involving children that I’ve had include crying, being bored, vomiting, complaining, whining, making undue noise, throwing rocks and sticks into rivers, having knuckles rapped, bitings from fish, stinging and poking from fish, tangled lines, throwing equipment during tantrums, dropping rods into the ocean, dropping innumerable other things into the ocean, falling out of boats, slamming rods in vehicle doors, and hooking their cousin in the face.
Eventually the answer to “Can we go now?” is “Yes.”
But on this day with my brother-in-law and niece, I was reminded why we take kids fishing. Despite the choppy seas and the occasional moments of queasiness, Sachi was stalwart on the wild west coast. Watching her concentrate and let those fish run, holding her rod up like she was told, and the wide grin when the fish was in the net; those are the priceless experiences and memories. It’s why we take kids fishing with us.
Also, of course, we get four more salmon in our quota.