Who says that the pros or even the most experienced anglers catch all the big fish? We were floating the Bow River again today in severely hot weather conditions. It reached 30 degrees Celsius by two oclock and we set out to find those big Bow River trout. My friend Kerri and her five year old son Liam were out for a nice five hour float from Police to MacKinnon flats with blue skies and mountain views as our backdrop. I must admit I was a little bit skeptical to how many fish we were going to land today as the sun was very hot. I know Liam sure did not mind the conditions and he was gung ho on landing what he calls "Those fat boys" that the Bow River is known to produce on a regular basis.
I tied Liam up a gold Panther Martin sonic spinner in a size 9 and he was itching to get that hook in the water even before we launched the boat. Looks like Liam takes on the same characteristics as I possess, just cant wait syndrome. Liam asked me curiously "Mike, are we going to catch any trouts today" and I gave the young lad my personal guarantee that we were. The top end of the float was a little slow and I was only able to land two smaller trout. Liams patience level was wearing a little thin and he stopped fishing briefly but after I landed my third fish, an 18 inch Cutty, he snapped upright and re-launched his Panther Martin sonic spinner once again. We veered of the main channel into a narrow side channel that looked like it may hold some fish. Sometimes bigger fish will go into these side channels in search of baitfish or insects to feed on. or just simply for cover. As we entered the side channel Liams fishing rod bent over aggressively and he hollered I got one Mike and I encouraged him to keep his rod tip up and slowly reel him in towards the boat. This young boy is a complete natural at fishing and he did a fantastic job keeping his cool and doing just as I instructed. As I caught a look at Liams monster a massive smile came upon my face. I knew this trout was the biggest fish Liam had ever seen then we netted him carefully into the boat. Liam was so excited he started saying "Thats bigger than any fish you have caught today Mike" followed by "that sucker is the biggest fish in this river". I love it when little kids rub that kind of stuff in your face. I must admit though he was sure right. My hat is off to you young Liam and both my thumbs are up as well. Liams final words to me were, "I want to fish everyday Mike". Well Liam, I want to fish every day with you buddy.
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