We finished up work around 2p.m. and immediately set out to go fishing. They said it wouldn’t work. They said we didn’t have the right boat or the right gear. But that day it didn’t matter. We didn’t know much about Salmon fishing but that was exactly what we were going to do, in a twelve foot aluminum boat with no downriggers.

A few months back my son told me he wanted to try Salmon fishing. Asked me why we never tried it. I told him I was a Trout fisherman and didn’t know much about Salmon fishing, but was willing ta learn. So the next few weeks we spent reading up on it and asking questions. Turns out Salmon fishing can be expensive and people often spend more time rigging than they do catching.

But that day, in spite of being on a boat that was, “Way too small for Salmon fishing”. We launched and started trolling a herring weighted with a lead ball, that dragged the bottom. Allowing the herring to do a kind of lazy roll in the water. Less than an hour in and David had one on. And what was just a peaceful cruise up a slow moving river turned into pandemonium.

That was by far, to this day, the most epic catch I have ever witnessed in my entire life. IT. WAS. AWESOME!

I don’t even know how we both didn’t end up in the water. David was fightin that fish, I was scrambling for the net. It became very clear to us both at that moment why people had said our boat was too small. But we managed it. He landed it and neither of us ended up in the water.

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It was one of those “Cat” roads. You know, the kind that are in the woods that have a bit larger rocks, so its a bit rougher of a ride. They use them for logging and they often lead to some of the best hunting spots.

So my daughter and I are moseying down this Cat road nice and slow. And it’s an old road that’s over grown on either side with bushes and tall grass growing down the middle of it.

It was the one time her brother didn’t come along hunting with us cause he had to work. So I was driving and she was riding “shotgun”. That year snuck up on us. She had a controlled hunt tag but had to borrow my rifle because I couldn’t get her one of her own before season.

I shoot a Semi-Automatic 30-06. Which was a much higher caliber than she was accustomed to shooting.

But on that day, we were gonna go with what we got. So before we headed up that hill I asked her if she wanted to throw a round through it, but she declined. But I insisted that she at least feel the trigger pull. Then we headed up the mountain.

We had been scouting for a place to do an evening hunt for about an hour and I found myself humming the song that was playing on the radio and spitting sunflower shells out my window. Totally oblivious to the fact that my daughter was no longer sitting in the seat next to me.

I simply looked over to ask her a question and she was gone. So I stop the rig and looked beyond the empty seat and open car door next to me. To about 30 yards up in front of me just off the road, as I watched her shoulder that 30-06 and slowly squeeze off a round. My heart was pumping. As she took two steps, brought it to her eye again and squeezed off another round. Then she held it up over her head with one hand and yelled, “I got it!”

It was by far one of the most epic shots I’ve ever seen an animal taken. Her form was perfect. I asked her if she felt the kick of the rifle, cause it’s a bit big for her. But she said she didn’t feel or hear a thing. She got her deer that year. Her first deer. She’s put down more. But that was her first one and I’ll never forget it.

I can’t help but get excited when talking about those stories. 

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Sometimes people will say things like, “Well you’re really lucky to have kids that want to do things with you.”

But it’s not luck. It’s habit, familiarity, or even a comfort zone. But it didn’t just happen out of chance. I have spent years cultivating a relationship with my kids. From the time that they were in diapers I have always taken them with me.

Lotta you guys complain about how your kids aren’t around or never want to do things with you because you’ve spent years trying to get away from them.

And hey, I get it, doin kid shit sucks at times. Sure, they can add a different dynamic. You’re gonna spend less time fishing and more time rigging when you take kids along. And ya, you’re sometimes gonna work all day and then spend your time doing kid shit in the evening.

There was no “guys night”. I never really understood guys that would leave their lady and their kids to go hang out with a buncha dudes by themselves. I mean sure, I was always keen on date nights with my lady. But if I wasn’t doing that, I was doing something with my family.

Every. Weekend. 

And don’t get me wrong, I am under no illusions. I know that my kids are older now and have that need to do their own thing. But we have dozens of stories together like the ones I told above. And my kids, when I am long gone, will be sitting around a campfire, telling about how they did something with their old man and about how great it was. Of that I am sure.

Copyright©2025 Jacob C. Larson All Rights Reserved

***Stop continually making it about you. Grow up! If you have kids, then it should be about them. I get more excited seeing my son or daughter catch a fish or get an animal than I do myself. I’ve spent countless hours showing them what to do over and over. Seeing them shoot and miss, pull too hard and lose a fish. But they are both seasoned Sportsman now. There is no mystery to this. Spend time with them when they are young and they will want to spend time with you when they are old. 

****You don’t need to worry about your time hanging out with the guys. That’ll still be there. There will still be women to chase. But your kids are only going be young for so long. And if you show no interest in them while they are young, they won’t magically suddenly find interest in hanging out with you when they are older. And they’ll have no solid strong memories of you when you want them to. 

*****Some of you have spent so much time attempting to be the boss that you’ve forgotten to be a dad. I wouldn’t want to hang around with someone who was barking orders at me all the time or who was consistently telling me I’m doing it wrong either. Maybe you should get over yourself, give your kids a break, and just let the milk get spilled? 

******So what do you do now that your kids are grown? You acknowledge that you are a guest in their life and you make yourself available for any moment they are gracious enough to let you in. Then you do what you should have been doing all along, create some together memories. For me, I took my kids fishing and hunting, for you it may be something different. The point is to do it together with them. Whatever that may be.