Never Too Young

Someone once asked me what the proper age was to start a youngster fishing. My answer was that as soon as the child can wear a life jacket that fits, they are ready. My three year old granddaughter Gemma kept asking me to take her fishing.I gave her a couple of  incentive challenges which she accomplished and I took her out on the lake on her third birthday. The bite was kind of slow but she showed surprising patience, which is rare for youngsters. Finally after about 20 minutes she hooked this nice three pound spotted bass. Once she got over her initial surprise, we took this picture and she returned the fish into the lake. She not only got her first fish but also a lesson in conservation when she asked why we were putting the fish back. I told her that it would let the fish grow and give another child the chance to catch it again and receive the thrill that she had.