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More Info Tarpon Springs Fishing Charters Corporate & Group Fishing Charters
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Friday November 9th, 2007 Mission Accomplished.
When we finally got ready to hit the road, all my son Cade could do was tell Mommy and his little sister that he and Daddy were going fishing and that he was going to catch a big redfish. Cade has been on the boat before but not for a fishing trip with just he and Daddy. He was excited to say the least.
Once in the water we worked our way to one of the spots I mentioned in yesterday's report. On our way there, Cade just had to play with the shrimp. He asked all sorts of questions like, "Can the shrimp swim? Why do they have so many legs?" and, "Can we eat these?". He kept me busy for the 10 minute idle out to the mouth of the river.
It wasn't 5 minutes before the rod bent over and I handed it to Cade. He struggled to turn the handle of the reel but I told him that he could do it all by himself. He finally beat the fish and drew him up beside the boat. I pulled the little 19" red out of the water and he grinned and said, "I caught a big redfish!" I said, "You sure did son. Good job!" We took a quick photo and released the fish to fight another day.
What an awesome feeling to take your son "real" fishing for the first time. We've spent countless hours on the dock of our neighborhood pond catching bass and bluegill, but taking him on the boat and seeing him get excited about landing a fish that I am passionate about was a real joy. When the day was over and I was putting him in the car seat, he looked at me and with a childlike sincerity he said, "Thanks for going fishing with me Dad. I had fun with you." The word "Awesome" is the only one that comes to mind every time I remember that moment.
On the way to go fishing.
The ride home after fishing.
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My
very important client arrived early this morning. Very early. We
were supposed to catch the last of the incoming high tide today
which would put us in the water around 11am. However, he tugged on
my bed sheets around 6am and quietly whispered, "Daddy, it's time to
go fishing." I assured him that the fish were still snoozing and
that he should climb into the bed with me and nap a little longer. 
First
up on the agenda was to get some bait. Instead of trying to manage
the cast net and watch after him, I decided to stop at Hart's 1 Stop
in Tarpon springs and pick up a dozen pinfish and a dozen shrimp.
From there we headed to the boat ramp in New Port Richey. 
When
we rolled up to the first spot, I didn't see much in the way of
fish. Yesterday I could see reds everywhere. I may have been early
though as yesterday I hit this spot three hours later in the tide.
Oh well, I cut the first pinfish in half and chunked him out there.
I stuck the rod in a rod holder and resumed answering the deep
questions of a three year old little boy.
We
didn't get another bite today. Mostly because we had done what we
had set out to do and Cade's mind was occupied with accomplishing
other goals. He wanted to drive the boat for one thing and he wanted
to make the boat go fast like the boats he saw leaving the river. I
granted both wishes and we called it a day. 
