ARKANSAS SPORTSMAN

Fishing with children passes good thing forward

Henry Hamm of Princeton, N.J., catches his fi rst smallmouth bass Aug. 27 while wade fishing in the Caddo River.
Henry Hamm of Princeton, N.J., catches his fi rst smallmouth bass Aug. 27 while wade fishing in the Caddo River.

As much as I love catching fish, I enjoy watching children catch them more.

The excitement, anticipation and joy of experiencing something new and mysterious in their faces make it all fresh for me again, too.

About a week ago, Mark Hedrick of Little Rock and I took my daughter Hannah on an after-school "lightning strike" fishing trip to Lake Maumelle.

Storm clouds had moved into the area, and a shower drenched the western end of the lake. We went to the north shore to try our luck on a piece of structure that Hedrick knows.

Hedrick's technique for catching crappie off deep structures is complicated and precise, not the sort of thing you expect an inexperienced angler to quickly grasp. Since Hedrick was unfamiliar with Hannah's ability to work a rod, he made the first few casts for her. When he counted the lure down to the proper depth, he handed it to her and let her reel.

She caught a small Kentucky bass on the first attempt, and she was pleased. We congratulated her, took photos, and showered her with praise and encouragement.

Hannah quickly grew tired of the routine. She's been around long enough to know the difference between fishing and reeling. The way she sees it, you're not fishing unless you're running the whole operation.

She looked Hedrick square in the eye and asked, "Which one of these can I cast?"

Hedrick didn't hesitate nor betray a hint of doubt. He handed her a light-action spinning rig, told her where to cast, how long to count down the bait, and how quickly to reel.

She surprised us both with the distance and accuracy of her cast. She counted it down and started reeling.

"A little slower," I said. "As slow as you can turn it."

The rod bowed but didn't move.

"Are you hung up?" Hedrick asked.

"It's a fish," Hannah said with certainty.

"It looks like you're hung up. Let's see if we can get it loose," Hedrick said.

Before Hedrick could touch the rod, the fish awoke and surged toward cover.

Hannah reeled until she and the fish reached an impasse. She couldn't lift the rod, and it appeared the fish would either break the rod or pull it from her hands.

Hedrick put a couple of fingers under the rod and lifted it. To our astonishment, Hannah was battling a bass that looked to be well north of 3 pounds.

It was at the surface for an instant before the jig popped loose, and it swam away.

The glare Hannah gave Hedrick could have frozen a steaming cup of coffee.

"We saw it! It counts!" Hedrick shouted.

"You got two witnesses," I chimed in. "That's a catch and release!"

Hannah's good cheer returned immediately, and the rest of her afternoon was highly productive. In fact, she caught more than Hedrick and I caught combined.

Despite her late arrival home, Hannah had a little extra spring in her step the next morning as she got ready for school.

On Aug. 27, we took a family trip to the Caddo River. The group included Laura's niece Kerri Hamm and her husband Paul Hamm, and their two young sons Henry and Jacob. They live in Princeton, N.J., and though they love to fish, a southern mountain stream was exotic to them.

For Jacob, I rigged an ultralight bream setup with crickets and a bobber. I gave Henry and Paul spinning rigs with Zoom Tiny Lizards in watermelon with red flake.

"On a day like today, our best bet is to wade fish," I said. "Cast into slow water and let it sit on the bottom for up to two minutes. A smallmouth bass will pick it up."

For young Henry, it happened as described. It was a little smallmouth bass, but its leaping and tailwalking thrilled the boy and his father.

Henry got another bite a short while later in much the same fashion, but the payoff was considerably larger. That fish was close to 3 pounds, and it gave Henry considerably more exercise. He handled it adroitly and landed the fish himself.

Henry practically threw up a roostertail as he ran to tell me the news.

"Uncle Bryan, I caught the biggest fish in the lake!" Henry said.

As we rode the outfitter's bus back back to Caddo Gap, my brother-in-law Bryan Mason of Little Rock honored Henry for his achievement with an impromptu awards ceremony.

He was right proud of himself, and deservedly so.

And I'll guarantee he'll remember every moment of that day for the rest of his life.

Sports on 09/04/2016

Upcoming Events