It’s all kid’s stuff

If you are a fisherman, then let me ask you one question. Who took you fishing for the very first time? Yep, dear old Dad! My start was so far back I was barely out of diapers before my pop threw a fishing rod in my hand. Being the youngest of five kids, I think he must have learned from taking my oldest brother, Tim, fishing that it was a great way to keep the children out of his hair, even though he didn’t have much.

From my experience raising two kids of my own and showing them the ropes of fishing, it’s a process that constantly evolves as they get older. When they were very young, their attention span was all of 10 minutes, while their patience was even shorter. But as the years went by, that patience grew longer.

Of course, it took me a while to understand that this lack of patience just comes with the territory, and I wasn’t always as patient as I should have been. It was just that I desperately wanted them to love fishing and being outdoors as much as I did. Being new to parenting, I didn’t understand that each child is different. If I remember correctly, it was my daughter Camden who caught on faster than my son Logan, who spent most of his younger years back by the baitwell torturing and dissecting shrimp by pulling their legs off.

Had I had the means and the money, I wish I would have had a whole passel of kids. They are just so much fun! Being the kid that I am, it is really easy for me to relate to children, and more often than not, I was scolded more than they were for being immature. I guess that little tidbit shouldn’t surprise any of you who know me.

Anyway, now that my kids are both grown, I jump at any chance to fish with kids. This past week, my wish came true as I went out with a newcomer to the Lowcountry and his three sons, ages 9, 8 and 6.

With a new boat and not at all familiar with our waters, the dad gave me a call and asked if I would tag along to take his boys fishing and maybe show them some places and rigs that work in our waters. Meeting up at the Hilton Head Boathouse at dawn, I watched as he arrived with three of the cutest boys, who all looked like they came out of the very same mold. With short, sandy blond hair and good manners, I could just tell this day was going to be fun, especially if I could put them on some fish.

Since the winds were light and the sea seemed to be behaving itself, I decided that instead of sitting in the sound catching small shark after small shark, maybe an offshore trek to the Betsy Ross would be more fun. Having never taken his boat that far out, the dad had a twinkle in his eye that told me he was all in for an offshore adventure.

But first we had to catch some live bait, specifically menhaden or, as we call them, pogies. As we got close to the south end of Hilton Head, huge schools of pogies were popping on the surface, so I grabbed my cast net and made a toss. You should have seen those boys’ eyes as I pulled up no fewer than 100 menhaden in one throw. I probably could have turned around right then and there, headed back to the dock, and they would have been as happy as clams. But with all that live bait, off we went.

Arriving at the Betsy Ross some 15 miles out, I rigged four rods, and we bump-trolled in hopes of getting a king mackerel or possibly even a cobia. Glancing over at the youngest child, I saw a look on his face and instantly knew what was coming.

With no Dramamine on board, he simply crashed, but I have to say he took it like a champ. No sooner had he finished chumming the water than a large barracuda hit the short bait and jumped almost 8 feet in the air. All three boys were dumbstruck!

The 9-year-old was the first to grab the rod and got the fish in after a 10-minute battle. I knew that was the birth of a new lifelong, die-hard angler. Having mentored lots of kids, I can usually tell which kid will be hooked on fishing and which one would rather play video games than bend a rod.

Though we missed a couple of cobia, the day was full of firsts for both the father and his sons: loggerhead sea turtles basking on the surface, hourlong battles with unknown monsters of the deep, huge remoras behind our chum bag and up-close encounters with massive tiger sharks that would swim up our chum line only to chow down on our closest topwater bait.

I guarantee these watery encounters are something these kids will never, ever forget.

So, take a kid fishing. And especially if you decide to go offshore, remember one simple thing: Dramamine!

Collins Doughtie is a 60-year resident of the Lowcountry, is a sportsman, graphic artist, and lover of nature. collinsdoughtie@icloud.com