We’ve got two kids and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t put a crimp in our personal fishing time, but we’ve gone all out to make sure they get out on the river with us. In fact, our daughter Willow made her first trip to Yellowstone and the Madison River with us when she was only 10 weeks old. She’s 7 now and can not only identify all trout species (and caught them too) but will point out rising fish on the stream and advise me to switch to a dry fly. Good girl!
By the age of 3 Willow was an old hand on our Western trips. Here she is on the sticks on the South Fork of the Snake
Our 3 year old son Boone is coming along as well and I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that he caught his first fish last year and has already logged a number of days on the stream in 2013. Most of that has been following Mom and Dad around, but occasionally he’s gotten in on the action.
Boone reels one in on Little River a few weeks ago
The reasons to take your kids fishing are long and important, but we’ll skip the touchy, feely stuff. Let’s talk cold, hard cash. There’s a purely financial incentive. We spotted this article about a boy who racked up $2500 in iTunes charges on the family iPad.
In less than 10 minutes…
Are you a Dad? We’re betting you’ve shot that look at your precious offspring a few times. We know the look well…
We’ll lay it out for you. If you went to a fly shop to buy a Scott Rod, Abel Reel, Shark Skin fly line, and premium Simms or Patagonia waders and boots it would take you at least 30 minutes to rack up those charges. There you go! Another 20 minutes with your hard earned money. Of course you could save money on flies by spending more on a vise, genetically raised hackle, and chemically sharpened, carbon steel hooks, but we won’t even go there.
But in all seriousness starter outfits are cheaper than ever and the savvy parent will buy a cheap model in a size they don’t already have and reap the benefits of having another rig in the trunk.
Plus, tablets and smart phones don’t seem to contribute a ton to family time. Even better, there’s damn little cell or 3G reception on a trout stream in the Smokies. (4G you ask? Not even close!) The perfect spot to pull the plug and get a fix of reality. Besides, do you have any framed photos of your son or daughter playing a computer game? Doubt it…
We’ll see you on the river with the kids in tow.
John Coley says
well said! Very convicting to me personally. We don’t have all that much time with our kids until they leave home. This post is a great reminder to me that I need to make the most of it. True, it puts a crimp in, but it’s worth it. In my neck of the woods, turkey hunting with my kids means I won’t be near as nimble when moving or still when I am not, but this time is priceless. The Lord has only loaned us to them to raise, and what a privilege. Thanks for the reminder, Ian!