Sunday was Family Boat Day - my wife and I took both girls and my mother-in-law out for an afternoon on the lake. The plan was to cruise around, enjoy the scenery, swim, and just maybe get a little fishing in.
It started according to plan, and the boat cruised north blaring opera on the stereo - my wife figured her mother would relax and enjoy the outing more if there was some opera to listen to. The kids were screaming to change the music, so I just gave it full throttle, got up on plane, and both the opera and the yelling were drowned out.
We found some 68-degree water in a bay, anchored, and everyone jumped in for a refreshing swim. With the crew tired and calmed down from the swim, we trolled back figuring chances of catching a fish on a sunny afternoon with no wind or waves were slim, but doesn't hurt to try. By the time we were almost back to the boat ramp, there hadn't been any bites and I reeled in both downriggers and then the planer board line. Just as I was unhooking the planer board, the one line that was still in the water fired, and our 6 yo, the Little Smidgeon, took the rod and started reeling in. She struggled with it for a while, and the fish was tugging hard. She finally got it to the boat, we could see silver, and I got the net under it but the fish jumped out of the net ! Somehow it stayed hooked and I netted it again and this time got it into the boat.
That was the only bite for the day, but what an exciting one. 19" and 2.5 lbs, caught w/ a Honeybee "Spoiled Ham" on 5 colors of lead in ~60 FOW.
The good photos from the boat are on my wife's phone and I'll post them later, for now here's the Smidgeon with her first ever salmon just before it became dinner:
Daughter's First Salmon
- Dilly Worm
- Posts: 276
- Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:22 pm
- Species: target salmon & catch togue
Daughter's First Salmon
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I do not exaggerate when I talk about fishing - I underestimate, like I say "just one more cast honey, then I'll come home" !
Keep Calm and... Fish On !
Keep Calm and... Fish On !
- Crayfish
- Posts: 558
- Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:47 am
- Species: All of them
- Location: Jericho, Vermont
Re: Daughter's First Salmon
Nice job, Dilly and Smidgeon!
- Detritus
- Posts: 538
- Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:50 pm
- Species: Anything we can catch
- Location: Vergennes
Re: Daughter's First Salmon
4 girls, Opera music, screaming and swimming. If that's how you catch salmon, the derby is going to look a lot different out there this year. Proof is in the pictures though, isn't it?
Glad you got to cook a nice fresh caught salmon for the family. That must have added a little icing on the cake of the day, and shined a little light on the whole fishing thing for those members of your family who might be a little skeptical of the "why" of it all.
Spoiled Ham strikes again! We've had a lot of good luck with that lure.
I've got a pretty good picture of that honeybee here.
Nice job Dilly, special congratulations for the salmon dinner, the little ones first salmon, all with the mothers on board. Pretty rare and awesome moment in time.
Glad you got to cook a nice fresh caught salmon for the family. That must have added a little icing on the cake of the day, and shined a little light on the whole fishing thing for those members of your family who might be a little skeptical of the "why" of it all.
Spoiled Ham strikes again! We've had a lot of good luck with that lure.
I've got a pretty good picture of that honeybee here.
Nice job Dilly, special congratulations for the salmon dinner, the little ones first salmon, all with the mothers on board. Pretty rare and awesome moment in time.
"Country Angler" - '93 Trophy 2002 - Cold water boat
"Strike Three" - '04 Triton SF21 - Warm water boat
"The Dumpster" - '90 Starcraft SF14 - Camping Boat
Jack
"Strike Three" - '04 Triton SF21 - Warm water boat
"The Dumpster" - '90 Starcraft SF14 - Camping Boat
Jack
- ReelInvestment
- Posts: 229
- Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2019 6:57 am
- Species: Salmon/lake trout
Re: Daughter's First Salmon
Good work Dilly! The smile says it all. Keep after them opera music or not!
- Reelax
- Site Admin
- Posts: 5754
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:27 pm
- Species: Salmon, steelhead, brown trout
- Location: Fletcher, Vt
Re: Daughter's First Salmon
Great report and ending. Now you have a hooked salmon troller for a mate!
Thanks for sharing..
Thanks for sharing..
Matt B
Re: Daughter's First Salmon
awsome dilly keep on fishing.
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- Posts: 4462
- Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2011 12:26 pm
- Species: whatever crazy enough to bite
Re: Daughter's First Salmon
Congrats on your daughter's first salmon.
Gecha (Gerry North of the Border)
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- Posts: 245
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- Location: South Eastern VT
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- Posts: 63
- Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:43 am
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Re: Daughter's First Salmon
Way to go!