I have always loved listening to Bob Nelson talk; it doesn't matter the topic, it doesn't matter who the audience is. This time it was to local children at the Big Sandy Library.
He answered the question why do you fish? Bob said, "Why do people go skiing? Why do people ride motorbikes? Why do people ride horses all over the place? People have all kinds of wonderful interests."
Jane brought several shells and talked about how each was alive when they were in the water. To be honest, I loved the Pufferfish! She went into teacher mode. Children were asking questions and talking.
He talked about the different ways to fish. Sometimes in these rural areas, you must drive a while to get there. He showed the children a set line, and to be honest; I didn't know what a set line was. He talked about the different poles. Open-face reels are Bob's favorite. But he has fond memories, he said with sarcasm which I'm sure the children didn't pick up, about bait casters when he was a child getting away from him and having a mess that took all day to untangle.
"There is nothing more fun than going out on a kayak, throwing out a line, and catching bass. Bass are something like some of you people; they have an attitude. They are going to come and take the bait and fight. They are a lot of fun to catch."
Casting takes practice. And when you get a fish on, don't keep cranking.
Safety is huge. I'm a huge stickler for safety. In Montana, we always have people die because they drown. Life jackets have to fit. He showed them how to make sure they fit. If the jacket is too big, it will do no good as a child will slip through.
He told them it was a law that anyone 12 and under had to wear a lifejacket and every adult in the boat had to have a lifejacket that was easy to reach.
On a boat, you should have rain gear, towels, a neck gaiter to help protect you from the sun, water, sunglasses, and a good hat to protect your face from the sun. He showed them his ice fishing electronics. He wants to know how deep the water is and if there is any structure there-structure meaning rocks or old logs because where there is structure, there is going to be fish.
He throws a lot of fish back. He visited with them a little about how the hook is removed. He showed them how to measure a fish. Someone asks what if it's too big for the board. Bob says he uses his friends because his friend's board measures up to 40 inches. The last Northern Pike Bob caught was 36 inches.
Seeing the children's faces as he talked about fishing was fun. Some knew more about fishing than others, but all gave Bob their complete interest in the subject. The children got to climb into his boat. It would have been nice to be on the water, but children have great imaginations.
