Picked him up at 7:30 and headed down to Cedar Creek to get him on some fish. Pulled up to the first brush pile a little after 9:00 and dropped my jig in and snagged a nice keeper. Then I missed a couple of bites and landed another keeper. My dad didn't have a bite and so we moved to the next spot only after 10 minutes. Next spot, I drop in and pull off 2 keepers back to back and then missed a couple and he didn't get a bite so we moved to another spot. There is a pattern here...

Fished about 7 different spots and pulled off some fish here or there and left them pretty quick since he didn't get a bite. Pulled a couple out of the docks and he didn't have a clue as to how to shoot a dock so he wasn't about to try to learn.

By 11:00 we had some nice slabs in the livewell but he still hadn't caught a single fish and was a little rattled to say the least. Since this trip was for his birthday and I felt real bad he hadn't caught anything, I decided I would get him on some sandbass. I went to the only hump I know on the lake and dropped in and got hammered on my first pitched. Pulled in a fat sandie. We stayed there for the next hour and I proceeded to catch a fair amout of sandies in that time all the time trying to figure out why my dad hadn't caught a single fish. Well, we ended up with a nice cooler of fish, all caught by me... so much for my dad's birthday trip. At least he gets some good slabs for dinner tonight.

I would post pics but my dad needed to catch one first before I wanted to pull out the camera and well you know how that went. Don't really know how many were caught or anything. Just felt so horrible for him that I chunked the fish in the cooler without counting. It was a cooler of big fish though. Them sand bass are some good fighters.

WTG Too Bad your father didn't catch anything. Man, you gotta stop posting about sandbass.

Bud,

It's always good to go with your Dad,

It all ways is, (enjoy em while you got em), I think everyday about mine - and Yea (he is in my dreams too) - You Bet - I miss him.

Enjoy him while you got em,

Way to front end your Dad on his birthday Tom!

Nice job and I'm sure a memorable trip. Did you have the guts to look at your Dad's setup...line weight, jig, etc. Something weird here. My wife is a poor fisherperson but always is sucessful in pulling in a few, despite her jigging technique.

Anyway, nice to take your Dad out I'm sure.

Hey Blake, I only front ended him for a couple of them hours...

Hey Lund17.5, I looked at his setup and it was an Ugly Stick with a Shakespeare reel. I told him to put it down and fish with my rod and reel but he refused to until I was up by 10 fish then he switched and used one of my rod and reels. Still couldn't get one in from there.

It really was nice to be able to spend time fishing with my dad though. Hadn't really talked to him in a while one on one and all. Outside the normal bi-weekly visits where we hang out and visit with the game on that is. I tell you what, an hour and a half car ride there and then back sure gives you a chance to catch up. Would have been a little more fun ride home if he had caught one though.

Quality time spent Tom ...good job

And so ends your first guide trip.

When that's going on, sometimes you just gotta put your rod 'n reel down, sit back on the trolling motor and guide. If you get questioned by your dad as to why you're not fishing, just tell them that you're tired, or thirsty, or whatever. Make it up - lie.

Then you concentrate on putting him on fish. Nothing else matters. You position the boat so that he is in the strike zone. The next thing you know, you're calling out bites. There's one. Missed that one. There's another one. Hit it. Set the hook. You gonna catch the next one or what? Oh..culling as you go, I see.
Find your style of 'coaching'.

The next thing you know, your dad has put a couple of fish in the boat and you weren't concentrating on your own fishing so much that you didn't miss his smile.

Because THAT is what fishing is all about. The smiles. Especially those of a loved one when they get to, on the oft occassion, do something that you love to do so often. And you get to be a vast part of it.


Congrats on the trip with your dad.

Tom maybe you can practice guiding me on friday for the next time you take your Dad out.

Hey Tom you know I was just kidding. Glad you got to spend a day on the water with your Dad.

I'd love to spend another day on the water with mine. Congrats on the day!

That's awesome taking your dad out. I try to get mine to go with me(since he's the one that got me started)but he won't take no days off of work and don't go on weekends. Think I need to try harder. Great job!

I'm sure he did.

Nice job Tom and I am glad you got to spend the day with your dad. That's the only thing that really matters.

Good advice, Jeff.

Tom, I'm glad you got a chance to go with your dad. I've seen him tear up the sandbass...what was going on?! Maybe a spring trip on a hotspot will correct the situation.