Bring The Kids...

Bring the kids when you can, because if you dont.....you're not doing it right

There's a infinite higher amount of excitement in a child's eye when rolling down a river, looking for hawks, otters, ducks, herons and anything else that is not a video game or tv show.

Turning over a rock and finding giant stonefly nymphs will always create a better memory than that shitty plastic toy that now sits in the corner or his or her room

Learning how to row a boat, cast a rod, pick out a fly and sleep under the stars cement a bond that sometimes cant be broken by teenage angst.

When my buddy Ryan told me that instead of bringing another fishing buddy for our float on the Deschutes, he was bringing his 7 year old son, I was pumped.   It reminded me so much of floats with OMR on the Salmon River when I was about Ryan's little guys age.  Talk about impact, being outside with my dad is a foundational element to my life and having Jack in the boat that day was awesome.   It allowed me to relax, watch the day unfold through the eyes of a 7 year old and not worry about finding the next run to fish.

At the end of the first day, one of the best runs in the river was before us.  I waded out and began working down cast by cast as the light of the golden hour hung beautifully on the river before us.  The wade to the spot was tricky and as much as I know Ryan was dying inside (just a little), he stayed on the bank and spent that hour with his son.   Jack wouldnt have been able to wade to the spot but Ryan selflessly stayed back and watched the golden hour go into the night.

I'd say that was a great choice.  Fish come and go, but that's some quality time spent

Jack even spent a good amount of time on the oars, learning how to read the river (in the safe spots of course) and adding skills to his game for a life outdoors

You're doing it right Ryan, you're doing it very right

So as a father of 2 boys who are 3 and 1, I cant wait to get them into the boat and on the river so that the question of going fishing never competes with things like tv, video games and the internet.