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EASTER BASSIN' WITH THE GRANDKIDS
By: Ron Wilson
April 28, 2011.... A couple of my grandkids Johnathon and his sister
Molly Griffith called and said they
wanted to go to the pond to catch
black bass during
there Easter vacation. I said no problem and I will pick you up at 8
a.m.
I was getting everything ready, rods, reels, baits and the important
stuff like drinks, duck sticks, tri-tip sandwiches and homemade
chocolate brownies etc. As I loaded everything up I couldn't help but
think to myself boy are you making a mistake here or what.
You are taking a couple hyper and excited kids to go fishing and you
have a batch of chocolate brownies you are going to feed them. I know as
brother and sister they pick on each other all the time so am I just
going to add fuel to the fire.
My thoughts were interrupted with a phone call from my wife Diana,
they are up and just finishing breakfast. 7 o'clock and they are almost
ready, guess I better get a move on. So I hurried up and arrived to pick
them up 45 minutes early and they were ready to roll when I rang the
doorbell.
The trip to the pond was a quiet one as they just watched the country
side go by as we headed to the foothill pond. The hour trip was a quick
one and since they had not had a pole in there hand for a year now I
decided a quick learning lesson on casting was in order.
Diana had taught Molly how to use top water plugs last year so that
was what she wanted to use and I had taught Johnathon to use worms so
all I had to do was hand him one of my rods that I had ready to go.
Molly's first cast was in the tule's, I got that out and told her
that she needed to go down the bank a little further and away from the
truck. Her next cast fell about about 2 foot in front of me, time for me
to get behind the boat while she straightened out her casting.
The top water bite was not happening and after Johnathon and I had
caught a few bass on worms she decided she wanted to change baits. With
the practice paying off and a few fish caught and released it was now
time to take the boat and drop it in the big pond. The quarter mile
drive was a little more talkative as the grandkids were getting excited
about the prospects of catching a whole lot more fish.
 We
got in the boat and started around the pond and it was fish after fish.
I got a kick out of Johnathon as he would try to lip a bass it would
flop and he would jerk his hand away from it while his sister Molly
would reach down and grab its lip and hold it up. She didn't care if it
flopped or not. She was a chip off the old block as her mother Melinda
is the same way. Just grab it and rip its lip off if it gives you
trouble. I told Molly she was like a bull in a china shop and she said
yep they had one on myth busters and it walked through the shop and
never broke a thing.
There were several times when they each had a fish on at the same
time and I managed to get a couple pictures of that and lots of pictures
with their single catches.
One of the better moments was when Molly had on a fish that would of
weighed about 4 pounds. The fish started jumping and on the 3rd airborne
jump Molly looked like she was trying to flip the fish in the boat from
8 foot away as she excitedly talked to the fish saying get in the boat
as she had the pole doubled over from pulling so hard. Well the 10 pound
test line didn't take the pressure and the line snapped. I chuckled at
her and said Molly you are just like your great grandma Thelma Young.
When she was alive I had the pleasure to take her fishing a couple
times for trout and black bass. On the trout she would reel and stomp
her feet on the bottom of the boat at the same time in her excitement.
Her excitement extended to the fish itself as she used a few choice
words as she encouraged it to get in the boat.
My most memorable time with her grandma was a trip to
Lake Don Pedro.
We got on a school of black bass in Six Bit and and I would move
the boat slowly while she used a spilt shot rig. She must of caught 20
black bass. I said now the limit is 5 fish. She said OK. I had my 5 fish
in the front live well and she had her 5 in the back so we were playing
catch and release.
On the way home I had to stop at Gene Popes place so she could give
him some fish and for her to brag a little. We gave him 5 black bass and
when I checked her live well after taking out her limit there was still
a limit there. I told her don't ever do that again as the
game wardens would
of just loved to find me with an over limit of fish in the boat.
The grandkids had a ball and the only way I could get them to stop
fishing and eat a bite was to start the engine and head from one end of
the pond to the other. I ate a sandwich and they followed suit and got
into the brownies and ate several of them also.
As we worked our way back down the bank catching fish about the only
chatter was, "I need a different bait", from Molly. Anytime her brother
would catch a fish and she hadn't caught one in a few minutes it was
time to change. I used 3 baits all day, a Wright Bait WB001R, a black
and blue senko and a bubblegum and
baby bass laminate senko.
We arrived at 9 a.m. and I managed to talk them into calling it a day
at 2 p.m. They didn't want to go but grandpa was getting tired and I
figured they had caught enough fish. I Don't really know how many enough
fish is as I have never reached that number but we had boated 57 bass
and one big crappie.
The grandkids had a great time and on the way home I noticed Molly
sound asleep in the back seat and Johnathon would nod off now and then
in the front seat.
There is one important thing I have noticed in my lifetime about
kids. To me no matter how they act around there parents and in town etc.
when you get them outdoors they seem to become completely different kids
all you have to do is turn them loose a little bit and let them enjoy
the moment. |
