I rediscovered the joys of angling in the summer of 2021 while dating my now wife. We got married in February of 2022, and now have two beautiful children: a little one and a half year old boy, and a four month old daughter. 

 

Even though he's pretty little, I figured it's probably time to bring the boy fishing with me occasionally. He knows all about fishing. He loves watching videos of other fisherman on YouTube with me. He yells "Dewee!" (his best attempt at saying "fishing") everytime the on screen angler holds up a fish and then waves and says, "bye bye!" as the fish is released. He can easily identify fish in pictures: both photos and cartoon representations. He even has little toy fishing poles and wooden fish to hook with them. He calls all of them "Dewee!"

 

So we took the family to the riverside park today and I crouched with him between my knees on the bank and helped him hold and reel my fishing pole. His favorite part was the exciting action of the cast. We had one dink swipe and miss the bait at the bank, and zero action after. But my son handled the action of reeling better than I thought he would, being so young. I cant wait to actually have him present when I catch one so he can see the "Dewee" in person. Anyway, I wanted to brag about my kid to y'all. He's practically just a baby, but he's learning fast and growing up fast. Can't wait till he hooks his first fish all on his own. He also calls the river "bath." 

 

Excellent. Nothing wrong with bragging on your boy.

That’s a wonderful post @IcatchDinks.

 

One thing I learned with my kids is that they don’t really care what they’re doing as long as they get to do it with you. Keep loving your kids, stay involved in their life, and they/you will be happy, and blessed.

Best post of 2025.

I’m with you on that @Swamp Girl. I may start saying “dewee” every time I catch a fish now. 😊 

 

 

Good job Papa! keep up the great work!

So it begins.  😎😎😎♥️♥️♥️

ICD, the next time you take your son fishing, situate him on your lap like in the photo above, but have someone take your photo from the front. 30 or 50 years from now, your fishing son will treasure that if he becomes even half the man you are.

I’ve been taking my son with more frequently.  I am selective about when I take him so he stays engaged. Panfishing is generally more action than bass fishing. Trips are usually shorter in length than usual. He is starting to get the hang of it.

 

Myself, my Father, and my son are fishing together in a crappie contest next weekend on Lake Minnetonka.

 

 

I had not fished for decades, and one day when my son was 7 years old he said he wanted to go fishing. We had thousands of stormwater pounds in our area, so there was no shortage of places to fish.

 

So we went to DSG and bought a couple of cheap rods and reels, some tackle and a tackle bag and we were on our way. Our fun together was endless.

 

Fast forward nearly 13 years later and I'm about $25k into kayak and fishing gear!

 

Enjoy fishing with your son - but beware the Bait and Boat Monkey!

 

On 4/26/2025 at 1:51 PM, Swamp Girl said:

ICD, the next time you take your son fishing, situate him on your lap like in the photo above, but have someone take your photo from the front. 30 or 50 years from now, your fishing son will treasure that if he becomes even half the man you are.

I do have photos of this same moment, but from the front. I'm just not comfortable sharing his face online.

 

14 minutes ago, IcatchDinks said:

I'm just not comfortable sharing his face online.

 

Smart!

There's nothing better than being a father (ok maybe a mother). 

 

I have three myself but they are all growing up.

 

Enjoy them while you can.

All fun and games until you get a practice plug whaled into the back of your head!

 

I'm kidding but not at the same time, actually happened. Anytime I'm sitting in the boat pre-rigging my daughter wants to help and then shortly after she has her zebco in her hand doing practice casts. At 4 she casts better than her mother! I'll be taking her out myself this year for some bluegill and crappie. 

 

Soak it in, it really does fly by. Very exciting and sad all at once. 

Awesome... I have 5 kids and they all love to fish..  Started them young, and now have a whole side of the basement dedicated to gear lol....  Being a Dad is the best and having them love the sport i love is 100% amazing...

Amazing! 

 

My 3 year old can sling it. I have a bobber shaped tattoo on my back from this weekend. Luckily the hook didn't set. 

 

Fishing a tournament with @Pat Brown and Jake and my 7 year old this Saturday and we are very excited!! 

 

One of my greatest joys is seeing my kids explore the outdoors and enjoy learning and playing. Hard to put into words how cool it is. 

 

Hopefully we can get together again when you're in town this year! Text me dates when you know! 

My grandfather taught my family how to crab. We've carried on the tradition ever since, and now extend it into fishing.