Raising kids.

[Larry S]

Shame on you John, for letting the line and rod be away from the water for so long! That's a great story and
I'll bet you forgot about your illness for a bit. Looking forward to seeing pics of you and your son.
Best,
Larry S

[Dan LeCount]

I grew up in LaHonda CA, a place most of the mainstream doesnt know about, and for that Im glad. Growing up in the country, I felt like I grew into a more independent minded, balanced person compared to a lot of the people that grew up a short distance away in the cities. I really cherish the independence our parents let us have and the exploring we did. We had a small bass pond about a mile from my house and a creek down the street with its headwaters in my back yard. Wed clamber around catching crayfish, frogs and newts and anything else we could find. We poached some steelhead from the creek a couple times in our childhood ignorance, but mostly went after the bass, bluegill and bullheads in the local pond. I started around 4 or 5, fishing with my older brothers while they played babysitter. My dad was a teacher, so in the summers wed go to the sierras to trout fish on the east side. Thats when I had my first few experiences with fly fishing, but I still mostly used my ultralite spinning rod. When I got to be around 11 or 12 I started carving out my own plugs from balsa and wine corks and testing them on the ponds. Shortly after I discovered fly tying and it was game over. It was like lure making with less limitations. You could put the fork in me somewhere around that point in time. Done.


Me and my brother and 1 of 2 steelhead I remember him catching. A snaky 33 incher. (Im the one with the frying pan)

Fishing with my grandpa and my brother somewhere in the sierras.

[DFrink]

All of these stories are why my wife and I moved back to the country when we had children (now have 2 little boys, one 3 years, and one 3 months). Living west of Highway 49 is just not for me, someone else can have it. I commute 400 miles per week (but work 4 10's so I have 3 day weekends). It's all worth it to have some property and a place for the kids to do all of the above mentioned activities. My oldest son spent Saturday afternoon digging worms in the yard and thought it was the best thing ever.

[DLJeff]

My parents took my brothers and I to American Samoa and the Panama Canal Zone. I went from 5th grade through high school overseas. The adventure opportunities my brothers and I had because of that were fantastic. I'm sure my parents sometimes felt they were missing out on some things the good ol' USofA was providing to other families. My mom told me one time they often wondered if my brothers and I felt we were missing out. I assured her I could not have had a better childhood and a more rounded upbringing. The freedom we had allowed us to see and do things 99% of other kids never got a chance to.

For example, the one road in Samoa only went part way around the island so they delivered supplies using an old Navy LCM. I could beg to ride along and drag a hand line behind the boat for tuna or wahoo or anything. Here's a photo of me with a bonita I caught one time.


Of course I didn't tell my mom about half the places and things my friends I did. It would have aged her well before her time.

[Ralph]

Hey Bill-
It would be nice to have a "like" button for some of these posts. Nice thread.

[PaulC]

My Dad used to take us out every year to camp and fish in the Tioga lake and Saddlebag area.
Have lots of great memories fishing out there as a kid.
Now I'm trying to pass it on to our son as well.
The sierras are a bit far, but the surf isn't.
Here's his first surf fish he reeled in with me holding the rod.
We're still fishing plastics and jerk baits, but he'll hopefully stay stoked to continue onto the fly.
Of all things he catches a halibut and wonders why we can't catch them like that every time.


Here's a picture from Fiji hand lining as a kid a little bit older than my son in this picture.
Funny how you remember the fish being so big as a kid and then you look at the pictures again decades later.