Alaina's First Fish

If you know me personally, then you know that my three year old daughter Alaina is my world and I try to get her out and experiencing life as much as I can.

I currently have her for two weeks and we have definitely been staying busy!

This past weekend we were invited to a friend of mine's house for a playdate with their children and to do some fishing at a neighborhood pond.

Since Alaina had not yet caught her first fish, I seized this opportunity.

We quickly ran to our local Bass Pro Shops and secured her own fishing rod, hooks, bobbers and a pack of night-crawlers.

Alaina's only specifications for her rod and reel was that they had to be pink. We were able to complete this objective and continued on to complete our mission.

Once we got all the kids together and got to the pond, we began our onslaught. Alaina and I were the only ones using live bait. Everyone else and their children decided to stick with lures. 

Alaina and I began by fishing near some fallen logs, that I was sure would hold fish. After about thirty minutes of not getting a bite in several areas, I was sure this "pond" was nothing more than a giant puddle that didn't have fish in it.

I decided that Alaina and I would pick up and move to the dam and fish near where the water exits the pond, as the current would be sure to have fish in it trying to get an easy meal.

After fishing this new spot for around twenty minutes without a bite, I knew Alaina was getting bored and I only had a limited time to keep her interested.

If you have ever fished with a toddler, you understand that they have zero patience and you have to repeatedly cast their line back out for them. On one such time of me casting her line back out, I decided to increase the depth of her worm from around three feet to five feet.

I then made what I believe was the best cast that I've ever made with a child's fishing rod and we waited.

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long and Alaina's bobber was snatched underwater. 

Alaina then started reeling hard as I helped her and cheered her on.

As the fish got close to us and she could see it, she got a little scared and I had to finish reeling it in for her and we landed her first fish. Growing up, we just called these "Bream". If you know the proper name, feel free to drop it in a comment below.

So anyways, we get this fish landed and Alaina is now terrified of it and wouldn't let me take the classic first fish photo that other people have with their kids. As you can see, I worked with what I had and I couldn't be more proud of her!

After our quick photo session with her first fish, I threw it back in the pond and Alaina was good as new. She however advised that she wanted to go play with her friends instead of catching another one.

I was sure that fishing wasn't going to be my little girl's cup of tea, but when we left from the playdate, she wanted to call everyone to tell them about her first fish. She even told them that she cried a little but wanted to do it again.

Turns out I was wrong about the pond being a big puddle too.

I'd also like to point out that Alaina was the only one that caught anything at this pond. Super proud dad over here.

Thank you for reading! Give me a follow on instagram @jacobdrobinson to see all of our adventures.