Feeding kids to the fish. (Kombat fishing at it's finest)

[svpdgcar]

[][#505000] Ok I know I'm partially to blame for this fishing trip fiasco. All in all it really wasn't that bad a trip I did catch a lot of fish so I can't complain too hard. However it was a kombat fishing nightmare. [/#505000]
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[#505000]A friend and I decided to take his boys fishing Friday night. We had some big plans to go someplace cool, but as often happens big plans fall apart. With an evening to kill we decided to go someplace close where we could catch some fish for his kids (my kid being too young to fish). [/#505000]
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[#505000]We decided to go to Burraston's Ponds. We knew it had recently been stocked with nub finned fishery pets so we figured it would at the very least produce some action for awhile, and get his kids into some fish. [/#505000]
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[#505000]When we arrived we found there were a lot of people camping but still plenty of places to fish. We chose our spots away from most other people and threw out our lines. [/#505000]
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[#505000]Not more than five minutes after setting up my chair a herd of kids between the ages of 5-13 decended on us. My friend Rvanman2000 (a new member here) quickly impressed them by pulling in a fish (8 inches, a real whopper!![sly]). The children promptly proclaimed him a professional fisherman. Seeing the dire position he was in Rvanman2000 advised them he was but a mere mortal and told them I was the real professional and to go watch me fish because I would surely catch a much bigger fish as soon as they arrived. His ploy worked and the horde decended on me [mad]. Then just to prove he has a sense of humor God encouraged a fish take my bait just as the horde arrived, cementing Rvanman2000's promise to the munchkin herd that I was a "real professional"[]. [/#505000]
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[#505000]After answering such insightful questions, such as "what is the best hook ever", the herd started poking around the shore (still in my fishing spot) for bluegill and crawdads. Since I always take a back-up pole with me I was getting nervous watching them walking so close to my second pole laying on the ground. I finally had had enough and as politely as possible told them to get lost which sort of worked for about 10 mintues before they slowly starting wandering back in.[/#505000]
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[#505000]I promptly hooked into another fish and had Rvaman2000's son reel it in. One of the muchkins proudly proclaimed "My turn next! I get to reel in the next one". I ran the group off again and took the fish out of the water. It was a decent sized fish, hooked deep so we decided to keep it. I took the fish over to my stringer which was with Rvanman2000. I walked the 40 feet back to where I was fishing and there was some 13 year old getting ready to cast into my spot (a new herdling I hadn't seen yet). Normally I wouldn't care but we're talking a 6 foot wide open space in the trees where you can access to the pond to fish. There are spaces like this about every 5 or 6 feet all the way around the pond. In this particular space I had my chair set up, two poles on the ground my tacklebox open and various baits strewn on the ground around it. [/#505000]
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[#505000]Starting to lose my patience I asked the kid if he was intending to fish in my spot. He looked at me like I had a third eye in my forhead then cocked his arm back for the cast [shocked]. A little less politely I asked him to move along and respect the fact I was fishing that spot. [/#505000]
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[#505000]Finally as it got dusk and my reputations as an A-hole started to blossom the herd left me alone and finally wandered back to their various campsites for dinner. [/#505000]
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[#505000]I'm usually a really nice guy, and I stuck with that until my patience got stretched thinner and thinner. I hope nobody on this board would allow their children to run unchecked and pester other fishermen. I doubt any of you would. However there was a group of children at Burraston's Ponds which would have gotten swimming lessons free of charge if I didn't think it would've scared the fish!! [][/#505000]
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[Gumbo]

What a shame. And to think you had the chance to teach and help those kids--and to make your own son proud.


[black]Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.[/black]
[font "Verdana"][black][size 2]--Henry David Thoreau[/size][/black][/font]
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[aquaman]

hey give the svpdgcar a break i'm all for helping fellow fishermen but i would NEVER walk up and fish another persons spot.... would you ? as far as i am concerened he taught this child a very valuable lesson RESEPECT ANOTHER MANS SPACE
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[svpdgcar]

[#505000]In my defense Gumbo, the three who were actually interested in what I was doing I was nice to (Rvanman2000 can attest to that) . I even let one reel in one of my fish, and the with another I used my own tackle and bait to rig his pole up, then pointed him to an open spot to fish. I also gave a deep hooked fish to another. [/#505000]
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[#505000]My big pet peeve was the fact it was a mob of kids, most older, and most more intrested in messing around my pole fishing for bluegill and crawdads (they skewered the crawdad with a stick for no other reason but to kill it). I also failed to mention a few started looking around inside my tackle box without being invited to do so. Also in my opinion there is no excuse for the 13 year old kid to try and snake my fishing hole. [/#505000]
[#505000][/#505000][#505000]The pointless crawdad killing was what put me over the edge and made me run them off of my hole for good. [mad]
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[#505000]Also I have a little girl not a little boy. (I dread the day I have to buy that Barbie fishing pole, I'm going to gently encourage her to have a normal pole [])[/#505000]
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[Theekillerbee]

With a day like that you almost earned a purple heart! Thanks for the report.
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[road]

I couldn't agree more aquaman. First off where's their parents? Believe me having had 6 children I know how exhausting chasing them around a campground can be. But they should have been taught to respect others. I know how much they want to be part of the *catching* experence. I have on several occasion been mauled by a group of youngsters at Jordanelle. I have never had one take my spot. I can't believe the gall of that youngster. I think I would have looked up his parents and had a word with them. Willing to bet they have the same manners as their kid. But it would seem all ended well and no real harm has been done. Maybe a lesson or 2 was learned. Hope svpdgcar next fishing trip is as memorable. Hey its the ups and downs that make it fun.
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[tlspyder13]

Is nice to hear I'm not the only one that gets a little warm under the collar when people won't watch their own kids. Last time I was at Burraston's Pond with my boy last fall if they weren't trying to take his pole away from him they were throwing rocks at his bobber. When I spoke to the parents they didn't see a problem as we weren't catching anything anyways but did finally move their kids down the bank a little way. I finally had to look at it as a good teaching experience for my boy on what not to do when around people fishing (he likes to throw rocks too). In the end we did catch some fish and spent some quiet time together which to me is worth more than the fish. You should let your daughter try the Barbie pole. It got a good review in F&S this month and you become a hero over night dad. My daughter loves hers even though the tackle box is now a purse.[]
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[FlyFishingMoose]

There is no shame in providing a kiddie pole to your daughter, let her pick it out, that helps cement the kids involvment in the fishing process. My daught picked a kiddie pole (Godzilla) about the size of my ice rod then proceeded to spank my butt, by out fishing me on the few fishing trips. Since she has now outgrown the kiddie pole, I no longer need it but she refuses to let me get rid of it. KIds need to learn fishing ediqutee) and that should be taught by their parents, but when parents don't care and let the kids run then I feel its OK to teach them yourself, but with patence and make it fun. I've had several times where the dreaded herd of kids decended upon me, I've tried to talk to them, and ususally end up putting the rod in one or more of their hands for a little while, then I quit fishing for a while and come back later for some private fishing.
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[ocean]

Hey i totally i agree with you!Sometimes kids are not taught to respect .I have 2 kids and my daughter she is 10 wont ever do that to someone.My son on the other hand is 6 he will occasionally throws a rock in the water.But they do show people respect when they are fishing.Even adults are the same way .I had a guy at lincoln wade out right in front of with his buddy stepping on my lines.So i just reeled in one line and casted out right by his head!He turned at me and looked at me like i was crazy.Goes to show you us parents are the ones that need to teach our kids how not to be ignorant.Svpdgcar i dont see that you did anything wrong exept show a lot of restraint because i would have not had the patience you did.
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