The photograph accompanying this article shows the new tool that my daughter and son-in-law recently presented to me for Father’s Day.
This new “chainsaw” will make cutting up my winter wood supply a lot quicker, which means I will have more time to fish.
Speaking of having more time to fish now, it is a great time to take someone new to the activity out for some fishing fun. That someone can be some young kid or maybe even some older person who is looking for something to do on a pleasant summer afternoon.
If you plan to get someone out for the first time, there are a couple of things that are important to keep in mind. Certainly, you want pleasant weather, and it would also add a lot to the outing if you actually had some success. Taking someone fishing for the first time and sitting around for two or three hours with no fish on the line is not likely to bring them into the fishing ranks.
Keep it simple: head to a lake or, maybe better yet, to a farm pond that you have permission to fish and that you know has lots of catchable fish. Going after panfish is a good move since they are more willing to bite more frequently, and to be honest, they are great fun to catch. Even myself, my wife, and other fishing friends still enjoy outings geared at taking an assortment of panfish like crappies, bluegills, and perch. Most farm ponds usually have some bluegills, and a boat is seldom needed for a successful outing.
Even if you decide to go to a lake for your outing, you do not necessarily need a boat to catch fish. Granted, many fish species have moved to deeper water in lakes, but bluegills may still be catchable even in shallower water near shorelines. If you don’t think the shallow water will be productive, head to a section of lakeshore that drops into deep water quickly; the fish may be holding anywhere up and down the water column.
Crappies have, for the most part, moved to deeper water, but they can still be caught from shorelines that have quick drop-offs.
Part of keeping your fishing outing simple and productive is to keep your gear fairly simple as well. If you are taking young kids out on that first outing, using a simple closed-face reel and a shorter rod might be a good idea. Some of these outfits are made colorful and attractive for children and are fairly easy to cast and use without problems. With youngsters, a simple small hook with a chunk of good old worm is all that’s needed. You should probably attach a small bobber to detect strikes.
If you’re taking older kids or even adults, you’re probably better off with a light open-faced spinning outfit with maybe a four-pound test line; the lighter equipment makes detecting strikes easier.
If you find yourself fishing deeper water, say over five feet, you may want to switch to a slip-bobber. The slip-bobber can be set so that after the cast, the bobber will stop wherever you have the depth set for on your line, and now you can fish deeper even with the bobber.
Last week at church, I had a friend who doesn’t fish much asking me about what he needed to get his grandson out for some fishing, and that’s where the idea for this piece came from. Fishing is a great way to spend some time with friends or family enjoying nature, and now that I have that new “chainsaw,” I’m going to have more time to enjoy that fishing.
