I grew up in a very rough part of Miami. My mother was a single Mom.  She married when I was three. My stepfather adopted me and changed my last name to his.  My parents loved me and I had a normal childhood.  I learned to fish from my grandfather when I was 12.  We would sit on a canal bank and fish with a cane pole.  When I was about 13, I started fishing the neighborhood canals and rock pits.  I met other boys and we started riding our bikes around town looking for fishing spots.  My stepfather wasn't a fisherman.  My parents knew a family from church that had two small kids and I would baby sit for them. Their father was a Chief at the Naval Base and a big time bass fisherman.  My parents asked him to take me fishing.  His kids weren't old enough to fish, so he took me often.  Back then, I thought he was the greatest bass fisherman in the world.

 

While other kids in my neighborhood were getting in trouble, I was fishing.  If you see a kid walking down the street carrying a fishing pole, that was me sixty years ago.  Kids need heroes.  You don't have to be a great fisherman to be a hero to your kids.  If you don't have time to invest in your kids, find someone who does.  My step father never took me fishing.  He cared enough to find someone who would.   

Great story there.  Thanks for sharing.  

   Kids and Labs. They love you unconditionally. All they want in return is your time and companionship.   jj

Great story! My son is 14 and he doesn't care anything about fishing, I have taken him and he just doesn't enjoy it like I do. I wish he would go with me but he has no desire to. However, there is a kid in his class who got my number from my son and he is basically begging me to take him without directly asking me. I want to take him, but I don't want my son to feel like I am trying to "replace" him for lack of a better term, with another kid. I want to ask my son if he would mind if I take him, but again, I am afraid that me just asking my son would make him feel like I want to take the other kid because he won't go with me. 

34 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

I grew up in a very rough part of Miami. My mother was a single Mom.  She married when I was three. My stepfather adopted me and changed my last name to his.  My parents loved me and I had a normal childhood.  I learned to fish from my grandfather when I was 12.  We would sit on a canal bank and fish with a cane pole.  When I was about 13, I started fishing the neighborhood canals and rock pits.  I met other boys and we started riding our bikes around town looking for fishing spots.  My stepfather wasn't a fisherman.  My parents knew a family from church that had two small kids and I would baby sit for them. Their father was a Chief at the Naval Base and a big time bass fisherman.  My parents asked him to take me fishing.  His kids weren't old enough to fish, so he took me often.  Back then, I thought he was the greatest bass fisherman in the world.

 

While other kids in my neighborhood were getting in trouble, I was fishing.  If you see a kid walking down the street carrying a fishing pole, that was me sixty years ago.  Kids need heroes.  You don't have to be a great fisherman to be a hero to your kids.  If you don't have time to invest in your kids, find someone who does.  My step father never took me fishing.  He cared enough to find someone who would.   

Great story. I don't like to consider the person i would be if I hadn't gotten into fishing as heavily as I did. My dad had a coworker who took me fishing from time to time, even though my own dad took me. This man had three boys of his own, none of whom liked to fish as much as I did. I learned a lot about bass from him. I saw him a few years ago and he asked me if I still liked to fish as much as I did when I was young. I told him "More". I only have a daughter who really has no interest in fishing or even kayaking with me.

I guess I could have shared my own story about getting into fishing as well. My Dad was only interested in doing something with me if it involved a ball of some sort. However, my grandpa on my moms side was an avid fisherman and although I didn't get to go with him as much as I would have liked, he is the one who really got me interested at about the age of 8 or 9. At about the age of 12 or so I noticed me next door neighbor was always loading up his rods and reels and heading out. He was an older gentleman and one day I finally asked if I could tag along and he said yes. He took me many times and looking back I realize he wasn't the best fisherman when it came to presentation or technique, but he knew where to fish, which is half the battle in my mind. I went with him a lot up until about the age of 15 when my friends got their drivers license and I could go with them. I still see Bud every once in a while driving down the road and someday I am going to go by and tell him thanks for all he did for me. I need to do this before time runs out. Once again, great story and I am glad I got to read it and think about my early days on the water.

2 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Great story! My son is 14 and he doesn't care anything about fishing, I have taken him and he just doesn't enjoy it like I do. I wish he would go with me but he has no desire to. However, there is a kid in his class who got my number from my son and he is basically begging me to take him without directly asking me. I want to take him, but I don't want my son to feel like I am trying to "replace" him for lack of a better term, with another kid. I want to ask my son if he would mind if I take him, but again, I am afraid that me just asking my son would make him feel like I want to take the other kid because he won't go with me. 

I get that. 

 

Part of “growing up” is forgetting what it felt like to be a kid. An adult would say “Great! You found someone to go fishing with you. Have fun!”  A child may not. I guess the best way to handle this is to have a talk with your son about it. Maybe bring up that this other kid really wants to learn to fish from you because you can teach him what others can’t. Then ask him what he’d like to do with you and do that first. 

I grew up in a suburb of Houston back in the 90s. At the time Harris County Texas was one of the most dangerous places in the United states. I was around gangs, drugs,robbery and everything else you can't think of in my formative preteen to early adulthood years. My mom was a great parent in that she worked and all her other time was devoted to me and my sister to make sure we were happy and healthy. My dad was a good parent in his own right..he taught me the value of hard work and earning things on your own. He also taught me that being a man was knowing when to say sorry,when to back down and when to refuse to let somebody walk all over you. He also taught me a love for fishing starting around 3 years old that I still have to this day 34 years later.

Now I am in no way saying that I am a perfect human..far from it as I've made bad choices and done dumb things as I'm sure everyone has. But I don't steal, I've never done drugs and I've never physically hurt someone unless I was forced to defend myself. I've made it too 37 and I've never been to jail. My parents are my heroes. 

Today's world is so screwed up if your parents sent off with a man not in your family circle they would lose custody....for child abuse.

Remember when being an Eagle Scout was a badge of honor?

I taught my kids to fish and dozens of Indian Guide children to fish, when it was a time we trusted adults with kids.

Tom

57 minutes ago, WRB said:

Today's world is so screwed up if your parents sent off with a man not in your family circle they would lose custody....for child abuse.

Remember when being an Eagle Scout was a badge of honor?

I taught my kids to fish and dozens of Indian Guide children to fish, when it was a time we trusted adults with kids.

Tom

Unfortunately so many adults have abused that trust and others have turned a blind eye or covered for them. It's really a shame as I wouldn't even think to offer to do anything for or with a kid for fear of being labelled a pedo. Meanwhile the 99% of well intentioned people like you who help kids never get the chance. And kids stay home and get obese and anxiety disorders. Sad. 

9 hours ago, WRB said:

Today's world is so screwed up if your parents sent off with a man not in your family circle they would lose custody....for child abuse.

One of the things that makes me sad about today's world is the fear many parents have of older men.  My grandfather loved kids.  When he retired, there would always be a bunch of kids around his house. He told them stories, bought them candy and treated them as his own.  He was a school crossing guard too.  The kids all knew him.  It was the saddest day of his life when he was forced to quit the crossing guard job when he turned 70.

 

Today, if I walk into a grocery store and see a small kid looking at me, I want to say something to the child.  If I do, the Mom looks at me like I'm a serial killer. It's so sad what has happened to our society.  

Phil, he was the greatest bass fisherman in the world.  He cared enough to take you fishing and impart his knowledge.  Great story.  Thanks for sharing.

A sixty year old and a twelve year old are the same age when they're fishing.  That's the magic of fishing.

4 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

A sixty year old and a twelve year old are the same age when they're fishing.  That's the magic of fishing.

 

My old man checked out of this world early and my grandpa could barely move around by the time I was old enough to really fish (although he taught me tons through conversation). This was all in the early-mid nineties before the whole world got stupid and my mother MADE SURE that she found positive male role models to take me fishing. And she found a lot of good ones! Folks like Phil LaFoy (and his whole family), Larry Johnston, Eric Herzbrun, Kelley Bailes, my cousin Joel Sampsel, Mark Ross, Max Hazelwood, Jeff Wadley, Jerry Russell, and many many others took time out of their busy family lives to take me and my brother fishing and teach us volumes. And as everyone knows, you learn a lot about life and being a good person on these fishing trips, not just how to Texas rig a worm. I can never thank all of these people enough, especially Mom. She of course took me fishing way more than anyone, even though she could have cared less about fishing herself.