Early August, my son and I
made the long bumpy drive to one of our favorite fishing spots here in Idaho. The jeep was packed with gear, tents, and
lots of anticipation. We would be
chasing Cutthroat Trout mostly, with the chance of a few Bull-trout and hopefully
the opportunity to see some spawning Salmon as well. Camden and I have been making this trip for a
few years now. Each year, we hike deeper
into the wilderness and find better fishing holes along the way.
Camden has been lucky
enough to hook, and land many a fish.
Being 9, he still learning much with each trip out. Whom am I kidding, I have been fly fishing
for 20 years and I still learn something new with each trip.
The trip started out much
like we expected. Lots of eager fish
ready and willing to take a dry fly. The
first couple of days brought many a Cutthroat and a few decent Bull trout to the
hand. Camden and I decided to hike
another mile or so deeper into the canyon to fish some new water. We found a beautiful little water fall
dropping into an amazing looking pool. A
mellow soft-water seam along with the white froth line was our target. To say we were both excited and eager to throw
a line is quite the understatement.
We entered into this new
water far downstream as not spook any fish.
Right where we entered the river, we netted a few small trout at the tail
end of this very large hole; the hole was about 75’ long. After making a few casts without any action,
we cross the river which put us into the optimum casting position. I was teaching Cam about fishing the close
water first to keep from spooking the larger fish holding deep in the
pool. The day was going just as any fly
fisher would hope. Almost every good cast would end with a strike. Not necessary a hook-up, but a strike. Camden noticed that my fly seemed to attract more
attention than his. He asked if he could
cast my line. I hand handed him my rod…
a quality handcrafted bamboo rod from Dave Dozer of Oregon. I know Bamboo is extremely durable, but I
will admit I was a little nervous allowing my 9 yr. old to cast such a
rod. He caught a couple good fish, 13-15”,
he was all smiles. Camden moved a couple
feet upriver and made a truly impressive cast.
As the line and leader lay out onto the water, a huge strike was
made. Cam yelled in excitement, I cringed at the
thought of my beautiful cain rod being mishandled… Yet, I was thrilled to see my son hook into
such a beauty of a fish.
Camden sets the hook, feels
the weight of such a great fish and all his training goes out the window. He starts yelling and asking for help, for
guidance, for his dad to grab the rod and land this great fish… As a dad and as a fisherman, what should I do? Do I help him land this fish, a fish he will
remember for years to come, or do I turn this into a learning experience and have
him land the fish all by himself.
Hoping of course that he is able to get the job done.
I quickly decide to give only
verbal instructions about getting the fish onto the reel. The excitement of big fish often plays tricks
on fisherman… 9 year olds are no
exception. In all the excitement, Camden
actually holds the fly line with his teeth in order to quickly get the slack
line onto the reel. Just as the line is
on the reel and fish feels the weight of the fly fisher, the big Cutthroat makes
a run… Here I am on the bank making loud
enthusiastic recommendations. Let go of the
reel, let him run,… no, no no, reel,
reel, reel… OK, keep pressure, oh no,
let him run, hands off the reel…. This
same episode was played out a couple of times before the fish was within
netting distance.
Now my son Camden is
yelling at me to help him net the fish. Over
the past couple of days, prior to this fish, Cam was getting some practice of
netting his own fish. I pondered, was he
ready for such a test after only a couple days of practice. Here
we are, another teaching moment. My son
had the net tethered to his shorts.
Yes, the net was being pulled down river, but it was still connected. He so wanted dad to net this fish, 1) because
prior to this year, I often did, 2), this fish was BIG. I jumped into the water, collected his net
and handed it to him. His facial expression
said it all… he was stunned, proud, scared, and simply in awe, that dad was
going to make him net this fish alone. At
this time I questioned my own sanity, but I wanted Cam to have the complete
experience of catching a fish of this caliper.
While giving instructions, not to chase the fish with the net, don’t
come from behind, etc, etc.
After a couple of missed
netting attempts, Camden finally got the fish into the net. During
the immediate seconds after the fish was netted, we almost lost him again. Between the weight of the fish and the net
along with the current, the fish almost squirmed his way back into the river. The past couple of minutes were such a roller
coaster of emotions for the both of us. I
took the rod from his hand, placed it on the ground and gave him the biggest of
hugs. We snapped a couple of pics, (no
great ones) and quickly got the fish back into the water.
We sat, we smiled, and we
stared out to the river, not much was said for a few moments. I think we both understood that a milestone
had just occurred. Both a fishing
milestone, as well as a special event between father and son.
I know how lucky and blessed
I am to have a healthy child that loves spending time in the woods with
dad. Being a nine year old, I am guessing
this was simply a big fish in the mind of my son. For me, this was so much more.
A big thank you to Dave
Dozer from Bamboo Pursuits for not only building such a quality rod, but helping a father and son
build such great memories.
Click Here to learn more about the Handcrafted furled Leaders used on this trip.
