The last couple days have been "take kids fishing" days! The average age of the four kids I had out yesterday and the day before was 9-years-old. (I'm writing this report on the day after my trip on 8/14.) I often get asked what age kids I can take out. For lake trout jigging, 8-years old is about the youngest. You have to gauge whether your child is old enough to work the jigs smoothly, fight a good sized fish and most importantly, not get bored if the fishing is slow. Finger Lakes lake trout jigging can be hot 'n heavy, but it can also be tough at times. What many people fail to understand is that even on good double-digit days, sometimes we don't get a fish for one, two or once in a while, even three hours. Fish can turn on and off like a light switch and bite-windows can be intense at times or very short. Bottom line, is that if your child is 8-years old or older and has demonstrated patience and perseverance, he/she should be ok for a 1/2-day trip or more.
Today I had John, who was out with me for an incredible Seneca Lake salmon/trout trip back in March or April, and two of his grandkids - Reagan and Hudson. Gone are the days that we had Mike, John, Paul, Pete, Dave, Dan and Sue, Laura, Ann, Kathy, Mary and Lisa. Those names are so far in the rear-view mirror, that they may as well be in space. These modern names are very tricky for me to remember! I have to pause every time I want to say something to one of the kids, so I don't screw up the name. I'm 60 years old now, so I will need to assimilate these new-fangled names sooner or later. The day before it was Simone and Isa - pronounced "Eessa." However I digress...
Fishing was tougher today than yesterday. Monday was fantastic, Tuesday and Thursday were good and Wednesday and Friday were fairly slow. That's fishing. All that being said, our first two fish were nice rainbows! Hudson had a follow from a big rainbow which stayed up top for a few seconds before descending. John, who fishes a lot and had just returned from Alaska, didn't think twice and dropped his jig in and hooked up! Great runs before I netted the fish, which they kept for dinner. Not long afterwards, young (going into 6th grade) Hudson hooked and landed a 20" bow on his own! He reeled it right in to the tip of the rod and fortunately didn't break it! Some lakers came later, all caught by John, but he did have Reagan reel two of them in and she did a great job. After the first 4-hours, we decided to make it a 6-hour trip. After 6 hours, fish showed more signs of activating - Reagan had a hit just before we left, but everyone was ready to head home and grab some burgers and ice-cream on the way back. Although the fishing wasn't hot and heavy, the kids hung in there great and saw how the day's fortunes can change by the hour.
