It is Father’s Day today, so I need to say “Happy Father’s Day” to my dad.
![Dad and Sam on the flats of Grand Bahama](https://bonefishonthebrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Dad-and-Sam-300x225.jpg)
Dad and Sam on the flats of Grand Bahama
My mom used to say parents are a child’s first teacher. That is true. It is also true, in most cases, to say that a Dad is a child’s first fishing guide.
![Dad on the Metolius](https://bonefishonthebrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DadWalkingMet-300x224.jpg)
Dad on the Metolius
My dad is the guy who got me interested in fishing. He did it in such a way that I craved the experience and never felt pushed into it. I don’t know how he did that, but he did. It didn’t work on my brother, but for me, it stuck.
My dad mostly took me steelheading and shad fishing as a kid, but I started out with a worm on a hook and some willing pan fish in a little creek he knew as a boy. I have fond memories of orange soda (for luck) and those little fish.
There was a lot of “Keep the rod tip up” and “Reel in the slack!” in those days and there was some early success, which seems to matter a lot.
Later, my dad got me into fly fishing by getting me a day with a guide, thinking it was something I might enjoy. That act changed my life, giving me a new passion which I’ve chased in mountain streams and ocean flats. I am a fisherman, not just a man who fishes. A passion is a fantastic gift to give a child and my dad gave me that passion, sprinkled with lots of opportunities to be on the water and to spend time together.
![Here's to you dad.](https://bonefishonthebrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/me-and-dad-300x224.jpg)
Here’s to you dad.
I strive to be that dad. I hope you both had that dad yourselves, or work to be that dad in your own life.
![My dad pulled out the cast of his lifetime to get this pretty fantastic mutton snapper.](https://bonefishonthebrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Dad-Mutton-Snapper-300x225.jpg)
My dad pulled out the cast of his lifetime to get this pretty fantastic mutton snapper.
Happy Father’s Day!
- If you liked the story above, check out these stories below
- Father's Day (1.000)
- The lessons of Dad (1.000)
Tags: Father's Day