coachkiss

We have a family that we go fishing with about twice a month. My friend, his wife and his son, me, my wife, my son (both boys 10 yrs. old), and three of my little rugrats. We decided to put a little pride on the line and have a Family Feud Fishing Tournament. The rules were to take the total number of fish caught by the family and multiply it by the weight of the largest fish to get the total points. Two hours of fishing right before dark. We planned out the strategy for my family of me fishing for the multiplier with Fat Ikas, crankbaits, trick worms, weedless frogs, etc. My son was to throw a beetle spin or a small lipless crankbait. My wife always ties on a little grasshopper crankbait. There job was to catch numbers of small bass and perch, and I would land the hog. Well, with 15 minutes remaining, we had 6 fish, with 10 oz as the multiplier. Not good. They had 4 fish with 1lb. 10 oz as the multplier. I had been skunked. I threw everything I planned on throwing, plus topwaters, crankbaits, etc. Nothing was working for me. At the height of my despair, my son gets a bite on the small lipless crankbait, and pulls in a 2lb. 3oz. bass. No other fish are caught in the last 5 minutes. Their punishment...they have to call me "Sir Mark" and my wife "Lady Jennifer", and my kids "Prince" so and so, etc., for the next week. It makes it nice because we are at a baseball tournament together all weekend. Though I was skunked, I took solace in the fact that I taught my wife and son to fish.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Last year, I remember I caught a lot of fish with a spot remover pro and a worm on it. This year, I can't seem to get the magic working. I like to use the spot remover pro because of the spring instead of the screw. I have been using thinner "trick" worms on it. Last year, I can't remember what I put on it. It might have been Senkos. I'm fishing the same water at the same time of year. The conditions may be different. I know I should keep a journal, but with four kids running around, it is hard to tie their stuff on and remember what I did when I got home. Help a brother out. Mark

I can back a 33 foot travel trailer with no problem. However, it isn't on an incline and it doesn't seem to jackknife as easily as the boat does. Then, my son sits in the boat while I start and get it off the trailer. I lash it to the dock and then get out and pull the trailer out, park the truck, and get back in. It seems to take me an inordinate amount of time. Then, the boat has starting issues when I least want it to. I'm going to take the boat to a marine place this weekend, get it tuned up, get out and practice, and fish it. Thanks for getting me off my keister.

BTW, the Cabela's in Fort Worth Texas didn't have Fat Ika's either. I asked the manager and they only had them in the Saltwater Series. Are they the same thing, just different packaging?

My main worry with the boat is making a fool of myself at the ramp. My previous boat was an aluminum boat with a trolling motor. The bigger and heavier boat plays havoc on me. Should I just arrive super early and launch to give myself time and space?

You are right about the lower entry fees. Our local BPS has a Tuesday night tournament every Tuesday. I thought about it. I'm willing to pay to learn, but I would like cheaper lessons. I never liked fishing and I went a lot with my grandfather and some with my dad. I just didn't like it. When my son got introduced by his mother and her parents, I thought it was a waste of time. Something happened, though, and I'm as passionate as he is.

My son is 10 and has been hounding me for a year to sign us up in a Father/Son Tournament or just as a team. Here are my concerns: 1. I'm not that good with my boat yet. I have fished it twice. 2. He thrives on competition, but he also enjoys catching fish. Is it harder to catch fish during tournaments? Is it due to pressure? Nerves? 3. I'm looking for one day events in North Texas. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I routinely go fishing with my kids. I have one in tow every time, sometimes three. My oldest (9) and I go fishing a lot. He can take long trips, fish for 5-6 hours, stick with the same bait, etc. My 4 year-old is a different story. 1-2 hours tops. Lots of bait changing. Lots of line problems, hangups, etc. My 2 year-old daughter goes with us quite a bit as well. She won't really fish but she like's to pet each fish. Here are things that I've learned... For me and my 9 yo: Pack some cold drinks, bottled water, 2-3 rods each (no down time for changing bait), pre-rig everything at the house, pack some light snacks (sunflower seeds, cookies, cheese sticks). For me, 9, and 4: Do everything above, but pack heartier snacks (cold cuts, lunchables), take frequent breaks (every 30 minutes), do not do worm and bobber routine. Give him a jighead with a little grub on it, and let him make mistakes and cast. He really enjoys the casting and reeling. For me, 9, 4, and 2: Take a 30 minute break for lunch, bring a full meal, bring shade and pillow for nap, and go to a place that has lots of easy fish to catch. Do not plan on casting at all. In fact, I sometimes don't take my rod and reel (I end up getting more frustrated). I, too, lose my patience quite a bit. However, they keep wanting to go back. I fish 10 hours a week or more with the 9, 4 hours a week with the 4, and I fish once every two weeks with the 2. My 4 year-old found a hook lying around the house today (not a good idea), pulled out a worm and texas-rigged it himself. When he showed it to me I was a proud papa. Keep trying. You are doing a fantastic thing, and parents lose patience all the time. We all have some growing up to do.

I'm on the board of two non-profits, and we are looking for some other form of fundraiser/event than the traditional golf tournament. The makeup of our board might be more geared toward the fishing tournament than the golf tournament, so I was wondering where to start. Preferably, I would prefer to bring in someone to handle all of the administration (weighing, checking boats for kill switches, etc.). Do marinas do that the way that pro shops of golf courses would? Where can you get insurance for these events? Is insurance needed? Are there interesting twists that make it more fun for anglers? How do you handle non-boaters? Should it be big bass or total weight? Thanks in advance. I've been lurking for a while, and I know who supportive this board can be. I wish I had some expertise to lend.