My niece went fishing with her grandfather on the 12th back home in WV. She's only been fishing a couple times that I know of. Well, this time out she caught a 23 inch 5.42 lb (weighed and measured by DNR) largemouth with her spongebob rod and reel. I have to admit, that's bigger than my best largemouth (yeah, I know...but at least I still have fun when I'm catching my little chubs). I'm proud of her and I just felt like sharing.

LOL. Most awesome pic. Nothing like the little ones with a smile as big as their fish.

 

 

This is great to see, start them young and fishing is good fun and keeps most off the streets and away from drugs etc.

Great Story My sister who is much older than your niece has a Scooby Doo rod and reel. She got it as a joke when she first started fishing with me. Anyway, she has caught some nice sized catfish on that rod and it took a long time before I could talk her into buying an adult size rod and reel. Every now and then, just for fun, she'll bring along her trusty Scooby Doo Rod and reel. Hey, I say whatever it takes to them interested in going and getting hooked on fishing

March 26 I finally got to try out my new Lifetime memeber rod and reel. I live on a Corps of Engineers flood control lake so every winter they drain the bottom out of the lake so much I can't get a boat in near my home. Well my buddy and I was checking to see if the Crappie were spawning yet. I mean the Dogwoods are blooming. We went into the mouth of a small creek and worked our way into the creek. All we could catch was small strippers. We decided to try a different creek. While trolling over to the next creek, in about 9 feet of water, I got a very hard strike on the new rod. I reeled that sucker in a had a very nice 12 inch Crappie. Man that rod is very sensitive. I felt the fish just soon as he bumped my jig. Thanks NAFC.

I caught this Pike the second of january and it was my first flag of my first fishing trip of 2009 I new the potential of catching a large fish was going to be good so I made sure I had fresh line and new 30# leaders on all my polar tip ups. I was using bait I had caught in the same river that fall 8 inch shiners with a big Owner hooks through them. It was my first flag of the day and there was one other guy fishing not to far away, (not many people fish this river during the winter months) it took me 10 min to get this thing through the hole but it felt like a hour. when it past buy the hole the first time I could hear my heart beating in my ears.  I new I had to get this thing up through a 9 inch hole. The first time I finally tried, the leader was caught behind his gill plate and there was no way I could get him up the hole like that, so I let him run, about the third time I got him to the hole the leader was in the same place I new that I was going to have to reach down the hole to try to free it up. So I did and thank god it worked the next time he came to the hole the leader was straight out the front of his mouth and I was able to get its head up the hole. I had to grab it with both hands behind the head to pull him up. The Pike was 40 inches long 19 inches around and weighd 24.87 lbs.

Normally I would have let it go but this was a very large fish for the area I live in Maine and I didnt have a camra with me, so I had to bring it home, who would have believed me? the state record is only 31#. For the river I caught this fish in the Pike have only been there for a few years now and i'm confident the new state record will be taken out of it soon. Cory Tidswell Greene Me. ( I tried to attach a pic but the file was to big for this sight)

A few years ago, I was fishing with a retired Army first seargent in a local bass tournament.  As in most bass tournaments we started out at first light, and attempted to enter the upper end of Beaver Island on the Mississippi River at Clinton, Iowa.  Right at the opening was a large "snag", really a tree partially blocking the entrance.  Chuck reached out to shove us out of the way of the log, well we were in large bassboat that weighed more than he could move easily.  The end of the log opened a laceration in his left hand, and Chuck said we needed to go to the emergency room to sew up his laceration.  I informed him that I always carry a first aid kit with me in the boat, and that I would sew him up.  I am an ophthalmologist and always carry suture and needed equipment to do the job.  Chuck held the light, while I washed his wound and used Novacaine to numb the would.  A few sutures later and all was well!  I didn't have any tape so I put some antibiotic ointment on the would and we found some Duct Tape to cover the laceration.  To this day we still get a laugh out of him fishing with the tape on his hand.

Garry Land MD

that would have been something to see.  You stitching up someone in a fishing boat. 

Here is a little story about fishing and how it has changed someones life.
       Almost two years ago I got a call on the forth of July from my family that was together for the holiday in Mass. It was raining and I was at work waiting to hear if the events would go on that day despite the rain (I worked in staging and had set up a sound system at the local college for their fireworks display). Long story short I had just quit my other job and was the only person in the family that could move to take care of my grandmother w/ dementia. A stressful job indeed. I accepted the challenge w/ out a second thought unawares of how bad or for how long. I moved to my aunts house on a lake here in Mass. Soon I found that I needed things to do out here in the woods and it dawned on me one day that I should go fish. Now I fish every day that it isn't pouring and even snuck out to the winter as the ice receded. It has been a life saver as I now have a way to get away. I hadn't fished since I was 14 w/ my father, now I am hooked and can't wait to teach my niece and nephew how. Bring anyone you know to go fish, especially the kids because if it weren't for my dad I wouldn't have this pass time now!

If they still do it, there used to be a tournament in San Diego Bay called the "Scoobie Doo" tournament.  You could use any bait, hooks or lures you wanted but you had to use the rods and reels supplied on check in, yep, they were Scoobie Doo sets.  Never made it to that but I had a couple of people say it was a gas.