Father/daughter Canoe Outing - A Proud Moment For A Father...

[Clay Goforth]

Saturday morning was one of those mornings dad's dream of. Over a breakfast of fresh eggs and "pigs in a blanket," my four year old daughter said, "Dada, can we take the canoe out fishing today?"

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES! "Why, sure sweetheart. Let's finish up breakfast and while mama runs some errands, I'll take you out."

I loaded up the canoe and we drove up the road to our family farm since we didn't have a whole lot of time before we would be needing to get her ready for her dance recital (We are trying to raise well balanced girls). Once at the pond of my daughter's choosing, I tied up a simple but effective bait for her, a 1/8oz jig head with a Berkley Power Grub on a 6ft St.Croix spinning rig with 4lb test line (the rod is twice as long as she is tall). We launched the canoe and started fishing.

A 4 year old girl using a 6ft spinning rod, you say?

And after a few casts, with dad holding the boat steady, she began to land some fish.

No big fish landed on this day, but a HUGE moment for dad, for sure. She ended up boating about a dozen bass, on her own, before some flowers on the bank caught her eye and she thought they needed picking. I am trying my best not to burn her out early, so I let her dictate how long we stay on the water. If it is 10 minutes, that is fine. The most important thing, again, is that I balance all my girls (Currently have 2 but adding a third in September) tutus and princesses with a good dose of the outdoors.

[J-Doc]

K-U-D-O-S!!!!!!!!!!!!

My hat's off to you sir. Well done. And that little girl can CAST for a 4yr old! I'm hoping to get my 4yr old girl out in my boat this summer for bluegill. I can't imagine her being in a canoe catching bass. She's too hyper and all over the place. Not calm and reserved like yours so you're doing a great job! Balance is key and like you said.......let her determine how long to be there. Well done Dad!

[mic]

Awesome

[Mitch f]

That's Great! I can relate!

[dtrs5kprs]

Nice work. I have been there, done that, and let me tell you it pays off down the road. Girls need that sense of adventure they can only get from time with Dad.

Boys on the other hand seem to make their own adventure ...

[shawncat]

Wow,very nice!Had to watch the cast twice was hard to believe the first time!Well done!

[Clay Goforth]

Thanks for the encouragement everybody. These girls are new territory for me. I grew up with a brother as my only sibling and I was always outside shooting something, catching something, or playing with a ball. The only colors that mattered were black, blue, and blood red. The princesses, dancing, singing, and pink everything is a bit overwhelming. I'm swimming in a sea of estrogen so I have to make every attempt to level the playing field.

[Guest P. owensby]

Even though I'm not a parent, I am an uncle & the few times that I had the opportunity to experience something similar, those memories are very special! What an awesome story!

[rainbow]

That little girl can fish. Good job man.

[REDSOXWSCHAMP]

I remember the first bass my little girl caught. One of the proudest moments a father can have