Cam and I

As promised, I took Camryn to the river for a long overdue trip to catch up on her lessons. I've been trying to get her education well rounded with exposure to different techniques. Keeping in mind that at 12 yrs old there are certain things that just aren't going to find a home in her just yet. Trolling has been our mainstay for a few years and she learns things very quick. So today all the trolling gear stayed home and it was a one pole at a time day. I carried a couple of 10' rods for dipping, a couple of 6' with popping plugs in case we needed to aggravate a LMB that showed himself, and several short rods with a jig and cork setup. I had my 4wt fly rod out for a short while but it wasn't the day for that. The alarm going off at 5sharp got us rolling with plenty of time to make the ramp just about sunrise.

58* as we parked the truck at the ramp at SR44 and pulled out f the harbor, no sun but plenty of light. A short run a couple of miles and we were back at the coordinates from a previous trip. Took a few minutes to familiarize Cam with the different tackle and how we would be going about this day. We hadn't gone very far than her cork went nuts and a textbook big bluegill struggle was underway. The fish decided he wanted to go whichever way she didn't want him to go, wrapping pads and grass, but he came to the boat and after a pic, got to visit the live well. High fives and back after it. Not long after that I dipped one of the long rods and got an almost immediate strike from a good crappie, sealing the lesson on that in fine style.

We worked the river main channel without going into the oxbows and cuts that we saw others go into. There must not have been much going on in the back as we saw most of those folks again in just a little while as they went hunting for better grounds. Boat traffic was low until after 10 or so and even then it was nothing like a couple of months back. The wildlife was mostly birds of many species with the Deer and Raccoons and even Turkeys not saying hello today. Come to think of it, no Eagles either. What we did see a lot of were Manatees. None were close but we heard them blowing and saw them rolling often.

No live bait came along today. Camryn had a rubber Cricket on her little Tiny Lite rod when she came today, and it showed us what was going to be the ticket today. My rods had BGBS and a beetle spin and something else, but all brighter colors. They only brought a fish or two to the boat. The darker colors were what kept us busy once the light came on in my crowded little mind. I have to give credit to the guy who made the plastics that brought all the rest of the fish to the boat. H2OHammer made some Hellgramite bugs that he was gracious enough to send me some of. They looked to be about 5/8" for the small ones and just over an inch for the larger ones, which we used today. They were black with a hint of silver glitter and did a fine job for us. Everything that swims paid attention to them. I don't know if he is a sponsor and sells them or not but you need to put some of these in your bag of tricks. Thanks for letting me try them out, I'll be in touch for some more real soon.

Now for the visitors. We caught a mixed bag today. 8 Crappie came for a showing with 4 of good size of about a pound or a tad more. At least 3 different varieties of bluegill were caught, and a few largemouth got the early release but 1 good one that hit the scales right at 2lbs was a bunch of fun on the little rig. The one Crappie had a lump on his nose like I have never seen before. Soft to the touch and like a dime in diameter, you can see it in the one pic. All total we had between 20 and 25 fish that kept us busy. Camryn's skills of picking the little pockets that held the fish improved a lot.The weather improved as the sun rose in a wonderful way, and had us getting out of our sweatshirts before 9am. Another first was that after starting at sunrise, she was still ready to fish at 12:30. The attention span has officially lengthened, and that makes me smile real big. Now we can plan those longer trips. She is also paying attention to what the electronics are saying and why the fish are where they are. I realized today just how blessed I am to have a Granddaughter to pass this on to.

About 1pm we put the boat on the trailer and headed for some needed lunch at the BBQ joint a few miles off to put the finishing touches on a super day. The 4 Crappie and 1 stud bluegill that Cam caught went to a retired couple that we met at the ramp. Seems they had a slow day at Beresford and had just a few to show for it, and these made it that much better. So no fish to clean, put the boat up and a good part of the day to just visit. It just doesn't get much better. Attached are some pics from the day and I leave you with a wish that you have a day as good as this one was for me. And as always, thanks for taking the time to read this and visit with Cam and I......Skeet

Great post!!! You are both lucky to have one another. Way to go papaw.

Nice work Tim. Much easier to keep their attention fishing instead of trolling I have f found. Wondered where you ended up going today. Looked for your truck when I went down to the park to flush trailer and motor bdfore heading to the car wash..

Always enjoy reading your post Tim! It's wayyy more than just about the fish with you, a lucky girl to have a Grandpa like you. :ThumbsUp

Thanks for the post and nice to see you had quality time with the Gdaughter, believe she is hooked. I know that times like this is special for the both of you and will never forget.

Great day with granddaughter, a few fish thrown in and memories to last a lifetime. Does it get any better?

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Great read Skeet. Thanks again!

Very nice, glad you all got to enjoy the day together.

I really am pleased be able to read stories like this I have two girls myself 20 and 15. Both love to fish. I started with them at an early age as well. This will stay with her forever. What I noticed when my girls would go with me I had more patience with them like you said about asking questions on techniques . The bond was there , we caught fish each outing and their trust and faith grew stronger . So these two are my fishing buds . There are some great lessons while being on the water . So from one fisherman to another thank you for taking time out you are a good man. Glad to hear there are guys out there like you. God Bless you.

Nice pics and a beautiful granddaughter. I have a 10 year old granddaughter that likes to fish, but, she is in Colorado, so, we don't get to see her as much as we would like.

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Really enjoyed this post , takes me back to my childhood fishing with my grandfather


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Good job pa. Memories that last a lifetime.

Looks like a great day to me Tim, great memories for sure !!:highfive

Thanks for sharing Tim - great read - good pictures
Granddaughter sure has proud grandpa.

WTG Skeeteroo....Kids are always a great way to observe what they are thinking & sometimes break us from stubborn habits....looked like a fun day!!

I have to recant a previous statement as to what we used as our "bug" yesterday. With a little help from Drdore (Sam) I found out that it was a Stonefly Nymph and not a Hellgramite that we used. an inch and 3/8 model was the hot ticket for us. SOOOO----MyBad, but I will be ordering more of these. I'll post a pic soon so everyone can get a look at em......Skeet.

Recant or not....very familiar with Mr. Hellgramite...best small mouth & catfish bait you can find...back home as a kid, would roll over a many rocks in the river to find a few.

Amen brother, back home in Indiana - couldn't find a better bait.................
To a fish this was best candy of all. They were quick & fast in rocky parts of river to catch.... but such a good bait

life doesn't get any better than that. awesome pics skeet, glad you had a good time.

Great read, thanks for posting.

Great post and pics Tim, glad to see you out there with your GD.

Good report and pics