I never wanted to push my daughter into Fly Fishing. That said, I started looking at suitable equipment for a toddler as soon as I knew I was going to be a father…
5 years later Scarlett has a #2 and a #4 set up. Almost every day she will ask “Daddy are you working tomorrow?” if my answer is “no” she will quickly say “Can you take me fishing?”. This makes my heart melt every time.
Scarlett caught her first fish on a fly aged 2yrs 8months. Her preferred technique is still more like jigging than fly casting. She loves to be elevated on her favourite pier where she can see the fish and watch them chase her fly.
We keep casting lessons separate and are currently seen more as a game known as ‘backwards… forwards’ than as as a fishing method.
Maybe now as she’s turned 5 I might soon be able to put the fishing and casting together.
I’m very proud she finds fishing such fun and never want to stop hearing her ask “Can you take me fishing?”.
P.S I have a personal goal to get her a Tarpon before her 6th birthday, she’s already good at driving the lagoon boat.
- Nick and Scarlett Denbow