scott kid fishing
That is if you can stand to be outfished. Taylor Connolly is a 13-year-old that can snell a hook and tie a rig better then me; the son of a gun also outfishes me. The outdoor enthusiasm runs in their family; I’ve had his 11-year-old sister Cora out striper fishing at midnight. In October during the Star Island Annual Striped Bass Tournament he fished aboard the Hang ’em High with a bunch of 60-year-old guys. Being the weigh master of the tournament I couldn’t fish but I got him a slot with Capt. Rick Freda. Kid won’t pop out of bed for squat but on that morning 5:00 o’clock couldn’t have come soon enough. His first trip out of the box, drifting eels in the Rips, he had four fish all 25-pounds-plus. The rest of the boat had zilch. It was hysterical to see the crew of grandpas with their hats on backwards rally-style breaking the kids shoes upon their return to the dock. I sincerely don’t know who had more fun, Taylor or the guys. His mom, slightly nervous about the long day in somewhat sporty conditions, beamed as her pie-eyed son truly glowed with the day’s events.
During the Christmas break, “T” and I jumped aboard a “crew trip” on the Capt. Lou VI of out Freeport, New York for a tautog (blackfish) trip. Again a wind against tide and some stout Northwest winds made conditions challenging, but by the time the captain blew the single whistle for lines-in on the double-anchored party boat, the quiet angler with the knit hat had a fish on. For those who’ve fished for blackfish know- and for those who haven’t – they are very tough to hook. The challenge is to keep the bait steady, keep your sinker out of the sticky bottom and wait for the second or third bite. With a swinging and bouncing boat it’s a difficult task. He had four fish in the first ten minutes. I did manage to even the score. Here again there were some real old-timers aboard and they all gravitated to the kid who kept his eye on the rod tip, lost a minimal amount of rigs to the snags below and didn’t take refuge in the heated cabin. At Marlin we’re going to expand our web and Facebook coverage to include more for the young anglers. Please send us some stories and photos of the next generation in action. And I encourage all to get a kid and take ’em fishing; you’ll never have a more fun day.
