Take time to smell the ice

[hookncook]

Often times, we forget to look at fishing with childhood abandon. We get too focused on catching fish, and the doing of others that we forget to look within and find our inner child; to take the beauty of nature; and to breath in the fresh cold air of the ice.

This little boy taught me a lesson yesterday. We were sitting on a hot bite, and flags were going off everywhere. When he was asked why he isn't chasing flags with us, he replied "I'm busy playing trucks".

[reinhard1]

great post!!. when my daughters where very young they would build snow castles when things were slow. i said in another thread that when i'm up north i dont sit in the portable, just because i want to absorb everything around me. good luck.

[blackdog1101]

It's all fun. When my son, now 15, was young we'd catch a fish or two (summertime), and then go search for frogs & bugs. Then go catch another couple fish. Then do something else. Mix it up and let them have fun and they'll learn to love the outdoors.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Ive told this story before, but its time to tell it again.. My Gramps passed away more than a few years ago now. Miss the hell out of him.

We were fishing, I was about 5 at the time. And was playing around also during a hot bite. Gramps got more than a little upset at me.. Asked why I was not catching fish.. Supposedly I gave him a dead pan look and said.. "Gramps, if you had caught as many fish as I have today, you would need a break too."

Its all about having fun outdoors.. Fish, breaks, Trucks.. its all the same.

Great pic, thanks for sharing.

[CaptainMusky]

Ive told this story before, but its time to tell it again.. My Gramps passed away more than a few years ago now. Miss the hell out of him.

We were fishing, I was about 5 at the time. And was playing around also during a hot bite. Gramps got more than a little upset at me.. Asked why I was not catching fish.. Supposedly I gave him a dead pan look and said.. "Gramps, if you had caught as many fish as I have today, you would need a break too."

Its all about having fun outdoors.. Fish, breaks, Trucks.. its all the same.

Great pic, thanks for sharing.

Thats hilarious and really brings perspective when we take the kids out.

I brought my 2 oldest boys out a couple weekends ago. I was hoping for a non-stop hot perch bite, but that didnt happen.

What ended up happening was my middle boy caught a nice smallie and his big bother helped him reel it in. They had so much fun and I am sure their hooting and hollering could be heard around the lake. That was all either of them caught that day. I had set them up in my fish house while I hole hopped. After about 30 minutes of that they wanted to "do what I was doing" and were rewarded with the smallie.

There was probably a total 30 minutes of fishing done by those two while I diligently tried to catch fish.

After we were done fishing I apologized for us not catching many fish and they both said "dad, it was awesome".

So yeah, for them it isnt putting a pile of fish on the ice or the bucket its having fun.

[Slabasaurus]

After we were done fishing I apologized for us not catching many fish and they both said "dad, it was awesome".

So yeah, for them it isnt putting a pile of fish on the ice or the bucket its having fun.

They're off to a great start with that attitude!