The best feeling in the world?
Hi all,
Yesterday I took a friends son fishing for the very first time, he is from a single parent family and his mum asked me to take him as he is getting to that age where he is about to fall in with the wrong croud unless he gets something to occupy his free time. He is 11 and to be honest I dont think he really looked forward to going that much, he hasnt got any gear so he used mine.
We went to the local lake and I showed him how to tie a hook and make up a rig, how to ship the pole in and out, use a pole cup etc....
So we started at about 5pm yesterday and after baiting up feeding pellet and corn he got the odd bite which he kept missing fishing at 5M - just wasnt striking in the right way.... then a load of kids came and played behind us so that killed the peg for the next hour until they had gone...
At about 7 the light started to drop and he was getting bites again, now the trouble started.... as a youngster with no experience when you hook a big carp on 5M of pole and need to attach extra sections very quickly and your fishing partner slips over trying to rush to his aid - you end up with the hook pulling out and a very glum young man!
After a quick lesson on how to join the pole together he was back in, 10 minutes later he had his first fish - it was a good practice as it was only a 2lb common but it gave him a practice on how to play the fish and ship the pole plus use the landing net.
By now it was about 7.30 and the light was fading fast, I was thinking I could do with him getting a proper fish in to tell his friends about.... out flew the elastic as if my prayer had been answered.... it was a proper un - 5m, 7m, 10m .... of elastic - I'm thinking I've never seen that much elastic come out of my pole as a very big fish came up at about 20M out... (there are a few 20's in the lake)... elastic bottomed out and tournament pro began to bend - at which point I became very worried as the lad started to point the pole at the fish - I grabbed the pole off him, it bottomed out and broke 0.18 - the lad then turns to me and says "thats your fault"...... hummmmm !!!! At least I still had my pole!
Having disturbed the swim and home time rapidly approaching I got him to put one more big pot of corn in while I tackled up an 0.20 rig with a size 10 Tubertini 175 - nothing comes off that rig!!
In he went, and two minutes later the lad struck into another lump.... you have never seen anything like it, the fish went everywhere and after alot of coaching on how to play the fish (I have to give him credit as he did everything he was told) and 5 minutes later I slid the net under a common of between 11 and 12lb... it was absolutely pristine and fully scale perfect a truly beautiful fish.
The lad was shaking - physically shaking, smiling and shaking and screeming oh my god look at that - look at that, get the camera.... my mates will never believe I caught that....
It took me back to when I caught my first decent fish - a tench about 3lb - but Dion had just started his fishing life with a 11lb+ carp and I was so pleased for him, I had done something good - I dont think I have ever seen someone so happy!!!
What an experience - I highly recommend all you guys on here if you get the chance take a youngster fishing and get them hooked!
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