My little fishin buddy.

[jdmidwest]

We fished the Lake Girardeau, a fine MDC lake near Jackson, on my birthday July 4. I had my 12 y/o daughter this year and she wanted to go fishing. I bought the new boat for her (and me) on her birthday in May and we have been using it alot. I just fixed the motor on it and restored it to full repair.

We bought the tube of crickets and headed out. We only had a few hours to fish and the gills were still in the usual places. She out fished me 5 to 4. We caught bluegill and 2 redears.

CC, if you read this, this is why I went vintage on the boat. I grew up fishing with a great uncle that had a 14' jon and an old johnson outboard. We watched several other nicer boats at the time go by, but I was happy just getting out to fish the day. My uncle would envy my boat, 2 trolling motors, a livewell, padded seats, and a motor that starts on the first pull. We never had that luxury, but my daughter will not have the bacon and egg sandwichs and fried apple pies that my aunt made for us.

As she matures, I will teach her to flyfish. That is something I had to learn myself.

[gonefishin]

Looks like you got a good fishing partner to me.

[bobber]

the best part is she will never forget that day!!!!

[davekeim]

Ah! Frame that picture. Never lose it. They grow so quickly. My girls are now out of the house. I miss all those moments. Give the picture to her when she is about 22 and you'll get a big hug!

Signed,

Cardiac

[Terry Beeson]

As she matures, I will teach her to flyfish.

Put a fly rod in her hands now. You will be surprised what she can do and how her cast will mature with her. She's definately not too young to start.

As for the bacon and egg sandwiches, I know what you mean. But I bet 20 or 30 years from now she'll be posting about how her kids will not have something similar... But I bet they will have something special to remember... Your job as grandpa would be to see to that...

Yes... frame that picture for sure!!!

[Crippled Caddis]

jd wrote:

<CC, if you read this, this is why I went vintage on the boat. I grew up fishing with a great uncle that had a 14' jon and an old johnson outboard. We watched several other nicer boats at the time go by, but I was happy just getting out to fish the day. My uncle would envy my boat, 2 trolling motors, a livewell, padded seats, and a motor that starts on the first pull. We never had that luxury, but my daughter will not have the bacon and egg sandwichs and fried apple pies that my aunt made for us.>

Good work jd! On both boat and daughter! Of the 2 your heart will remain lost to her while you may eventually find a new love in watercraft.

Invest as much time as you can in her over the next couple of years---steal it from somewhere else if you must, but the investment you make in her right now will repay you many times over in comparison to where you might steal the time. Every hour the two of you spend together in the outdoors represents a heavy deposit in the 'memory savings account' for both of you and the interest it accrues will get both of you through rough spots in life. Believe it or not but the things she learns out fihing with her Dad will give her guidance in many difficult aspects of her life, lessons she will learn nowhere else.

She's a 'cutey'! She reminds me very much of the 3 girls I raised as much as possible outdoors. None of the 3 of them got into any serious troubles and all have had successful careers tho I couldn't afford the higher education they deserved. I think the 'reality training' they got in the woods and on the water stood them in good stead in place of diplomas.

As someone has already said, they grow up and are gone seemingly while you're still trying to arrange a couple of days off to spend with them so enjoy her while you can---she'll be a young woman with children of her own before you can figure out what the Heck happened! CC

[Thom]

JD: Great story and Priceless picture.

Though there are many differences of opinion on this forum it is amazing that the core values of life seem to follow simular pathways.

The picture congured thoughts of the days when my two sons and I spent time togheter in a homemade dingy on small lakes fishing for redear and gills in Southern Illinois.

PRICELESS

TIME SPENT WITH GOD, FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

[davekeim]

All right! That's enough. You guys are to start making me shed a tear soon!

Signed,

Cardiac

[drew03cmc]

I cannot wait to take my son fishing! He is 6 months and three days old! I am psyched for the day he can hold a Snoopy pole and catch gill after gill while daddy baits the hook and does not fish himself.