Grand Bayou Resort

Well, this weekend, I took my family to Louisiana to see my parents, and
we rented a cabin at a fishing resort while we were there.
My mom did all the catching. However, I can’t say that I didn’t catch
anything. I caught a mussel. Yes, a single mussel. It was a proud
catch.

The irony is that my Mom had forgotten her rod, and was using my wife's
cheapy Eagle Claw combo. Suddenly after this trip, I feel less inclined
to spend a fortune on the finest gear.

One thing I noticed is that almost everyone in that area uses
spincasters. I don’t think I saw anyone else there who was fishing who
was using a spinner or a baitcaster, and the store shelves were stocked
with different Zebco models, as well as other brands of spincaster
combos.

My oldest daughter fished for the very first time, using her Disney
Princess combo, and my 20 month old "fished" for the very first time,
holding a cane pole with a sinker and a bob attached (no hook). She had
fun until she (it was inevitable) threw it into the water.

The last morning there, my wife and I went down to the pier while the
girls were still asleep, and my parents watched them. We got to sip some
coffee, fish a little bit, talk to God, get ready for our day, and watch
the sunrise out of the lake. It was awesome.

Of course, we left Louisiana before the storm came in, but we did get
caught in a little bit if evacuation traffic. That slowed us down by a
couple of hours, but it was no big deal.

In the end, we all had a great time. And that's all it is about.

How It All Began

So, when I was a kid, my parents took me fishing. They were never avid fisherman, from what I recall, but they enjoyed it. I remember that my Dad bought me an old Zebco combo for kids. I don’t think there were characters on them yet. It was just a little spincast rod and reel. I went fishing a few times in my life. I always enjoyed it enough when I went, but it was never anything that really caught my attention.

I'm 39 now, and the father of two daughters (basically, 5 and 2). Recently, we went to Rockport Texas on vacation with some of my wife's siblings, and their families. My Brother-In-Law, Mike, had a few nice rod and reels , and he let me use one. We went fishing off the pier, and sure enough.... we didn’t catch anything. The fish just were not biting. But something happened. Something I can’t explain, especially considering the failure to actually catch any fish: I left thinking, "I can’t wait until I go fishing again."

Recently I took my 4 year old daughter to Walmart to get a little combo for herself. She picked "Disney Princess". While I was there, I couldn’t resist the absolutely overwhelming urge to get a R/R for myself. I knew, from Mike, that Shakespeare's Ugly Stick was about the best for panfish, in terms of durability and quality. But I couldn’t really afford to drop $30 on a rod. I did, however see a nice looking Shakespeare Durango for under $10. So I got it. For a reel, I ended up going to Academy and getting a South Bend 4 bearing Pisces spinner.

My wife's setup (my setup prior to the Walmart trip) is an Eagle Claw Mach 3 spinner combo. About 13 years old, purchased for me by my Father-In-Law, who decided to go fishing while visiting us one year. It's not a work of art, but it works well. After the expense of this trip is behind us, I'll probably drop a few more dollars to get her a nicer rig. I am actually thinking about getting her a Durango rod also, and mounting my unused Zebco 202 reel to it for her. Then the Eagle Claw can be an extra. Oh, I also have a telescoping spinner combo made by Coleman that I wouldn’t trust against a big or aggressive fish. But it's convenient, and I keep it in my truck, along with a mini box of tackle, in case a fishing opportunity presents itself.

This weekend, I am taking the family to Louisiana to visit my parents, and go to a fishing resrot on a man made lake. My daughter is excited. I'm excited. I cant wait. I seriously envision myself going fishing almost every weekend. I have no idea where this passion came from. Out Of The Blue, I tell you. But even though I have very little experience as of yet, if you were to ask me what my hobby was, I'd tell you that I am a fisherman. Let the games begin.