I remember my father teaching me to fish many years ago. "Cast over there, That is where the big ones like to hide"! "Don't reel against your drag, It will twist your line!" I remember Dad saying these things like it was only yesterday. My father told me back then that teaching me to fish had made him a better fisherman, and I did not know what he meant until I started to teach my children to fish!

Children don't have any preconceived notions about what rod or reel is best or even what bait to use. They really don't care how many ball bearings are in the reel, or what type of graphite is in the rod. All they care about is learning how to catch fish. They are fishing with an open mind! Teaching my children to fish has made me remember things that I should have never forgot. And made me a better fisherman!

My son Ricky, in an effort to be more like Dad uses only artificial baits. He likes soft plastics, and I like them too. His favorite is the Pre-rigged worm. This is great bait for him or any new fisherman, because it has its own action; it is almost impossible to fish this bait wrong! He has made me look bad from the back of my boat several times using this bait! It has smaller hooks that are easy for a 10-year-old boy to set in to a fish, and easy to get out of the boat carpet or Dad should an accident occur.

Interestingly enough, these baits are also used by many top anglers in tournament situations, they have found that it really does catch large numbers of fish in spring and summer conditions.

I have some friends that have asked me to take them fishing for the first time soon; I can't wait to teach them to fish! It will be interesting to see what tricks THIS old dog can remember. You can bet I will have a good supply of pre-rigged worms on hand, and I will have MY mind open this time!