Musky or Specks Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) I took my nephew fishing today. Its was a pretty tough task. He's developmently challenged as a result of oxygen deprivation from being born at 28 weeks. He always begs me to take him and I thought now that he's twelve he should be able to handle some easy wading for some river smallmouth. The success we had of coarse were about the male things. Talking about turkey vultures and the animals we saw on the drive fishing. Teaching him to use an adult rod and reel(spinning). And of coarse DQ when it was all over because even though the fishing was very tuff its always pretty easy to score a brownie batter blizzard. As I said conditions were tough, the water was fairly cloudy for this river and I have a feeling it got hit pretty hard on Canada Day. I still managed to get him to catch one decent smallmouth all by himself although he missed many others. I'm not to sure about this wading thing Uncle Brad Uncle Brad I think I got one Keep the rod tip up Okay now one for the magazine cover That was really it. The failures were all on my part. Didnt consider that it might be to cold for him should have waited for some warmer weather. Also patience is not one of my virtues so working(playing) with the handicaped is a lip biting challenge for me. All in all it went okay but I'll know for sure if he asks me to go fishing again. By the way the quickfire feature on Shimano reels is a really great tool for teaching kids how to use a spinning reel. He was awesome at casting by the time he was done for the day. Edited July 3, 2009 by Musky or Specks
Radnine Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Nice job Uncky! Not an easy one to tackle so my hat is off to you. Jim
splashhopper Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 WTG Brad... Working with anyone with disabilities is a worthy deal.. and to introduce him to a sport you love is truly a gift shared... i am sure that spending time with him on the river put any troubles in your own life today, in its proper perspective,,, again,,, WTG Brad.
Musky or Specks Posted July 3, 2009 Author Report Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) WTG Brad... Working with anyone with disabilities is a worthy deal.. and to introduce him to a sport you love is truly a gift shared... i am sure that spending time with him on the river put any troubles in your own life today, in its proper perspective,,, again,,, WTG Brad. Compared to the disabled I have no troubles in my life. I have nothing but praise for the people who do this on a daily basis. I dont know where my nephew and others like him would be without their patience and understanding. Edited July 3, 2009 by Musky or Specks
Bassaholic Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) He got to spend time with his uncle, catch a nice fish and got some ice cream at the end of the day. Sounds like a perfect day for a 12 year old to me. He's proabably constantly asking his parents when he gets to go back out with you again. Cut yourself some slack. Edited July 3, 2009 by Bassaholic
Musky or Specks Posted July 3, 2009 Author Report Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) I know Im not perfect but there were times when I was very frustrated with the process and wish I wouldnt have been so seething on the inside. Id do it again and will but gotta be better mentally prepared for the challenges. I figured I guess that it was going to be just a little harder than teaching my own son to fish. Edited July 3, 2009 by Musky or Specks
splashhopper Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 I know Im not perfect but there were times when I was very frustrated with the process and wish I wouldnt have been so seething on the inside. Id do it again and will but gotta be better mentally prepared for the challenges. I figured I guess that it was going to be just a little harder than teaching my own son to fish. hey M/S:.... give yourself a break brother....not everyone is cut out to handle this kind of situation... I learned a big lesson in this about my mom who was an RNA.... i never understood it... until I had to help my mother inlaw got to the washroom one night( she had Lou Gehrig's disease) and couldn't help herself... then I learned the gift that my mother has.. Just know this.... you took him out for a day with you... how many others are even trying to do the same... Keep it up bro... You will be fine....and count the blessings in your own life when you are out there with him. Splashhopper
bushart Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Good stuff. An uncle can be a big part of a young persons life. Bushart
stan_133 Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 i'm willing to bet that even though you found it to be a bit of a challenging day, your nephew will remember it for the rest of his life. thanks for sharing.
bigugli Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 You did good M/S What you did was not easy, and the result was positive. that is all that matters. Working with the handicapped or developmentally challenged can be hard. Patience is everything. It's alright if a day doesn't go right. Nothing in life goes completely to plan anyway. As long as you can keep an outing fairly simple, without too much built into the day's agenda, you will usually do O.K. Be prepared to change gears and have a Plan B when things don't pan out, or if the boy loses interest/fish aren't biting/ thunderstorm, etc... . Those are also good planning tips for any outing involving kids(and some adults ). As a former scouter, I used to get involved in the SYDs program, to make scouting available to disabled youth. I think the practice is still in place. Just a bit harder to find suitable leaders to provide the 1 on 1 mentoring that is so important. The successes and satisfaction far outweigh any effort involved. Again,
b2kptbo Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Didn't see any failures in this report, ya did good, WTG...
Roy Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 I'm kinda familiar with that scenario as well. Large pat on the back to you for getting her done. WTG! ps. From another perspective, the youngster deserves a pat on the back for putting up with you for the whole day. You did well.
Spiel Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 He'll definitely be wanting you to take him again. In the meantime if you have not already done so the above picture framed would be a great gift for him.
Bly Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Good for the two of you! The first time is always the toughest as you are not quite sure what to expect, learn from each adventure with your nephew and the times will only get better for both of you
Fish4Eyes Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Good job bud! Seeing as most of us are avid fisherman and we like to believe we know what were doing as we have put in so much time into the sport we love, it is always frustrating teaching somebody that is doing it for the first time, whether they have mental disabilities or not. I guess you could say I'm impatient as well. Good on you though!
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 What a nice report!!..good on you for taking your nephew out...something he'll never forget
Mike Pike Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Wow, what a nice river smallie! You got your nephew into a nice one and he looks like he did a darn nice job of bringing it in! And no problems with the casting either, eh? Terrific! I've introduce my niece and nephews to fishing at a young age and once they get a handle on just casting, I find it frees up my time to help 'em with other stuff and actually get a little fishing in myself. Way to go Uncle! Maybe a good idea to put him into some hip-waders. That water's darn cold now. Cheers!
Dusky Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Kudos to You! You took him out, put him on his first fish and treated him with ice cream... ask him what does it mean to him. Trust me you are his most favorite person in the world at the movement.
johnnyb Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 :thumsup_anim: Awesome...simply awesome That's an adventure he will cherish
JohnF Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Hey! Kids are people too. And tell the kid that I'm jealous. His bass is better than any I've caught so far this year. JF
muskeybugged Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 Nicest report I've read in a long time! Good job!
Leecher Posted July 3, 2009 Report Posted July 3, 2009 I believe the feeling of freedom is what was going through your nephews mind while he was fishing along the waters edge and to be able to hook and land a nice bass on his own must of been a supreme feeling!!! I'm sure that he will cherish this moment for ever.... Kudos on you for taking him out and thanks for sharing this special moment!!! Leechman
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