Catch Co. Local Leader Helps Boy Catch His First Fish

By: Liam Tonns

After getting off work, I decided to test out some new lures at a saltwater seawall spot I frequent inshore near my office. I began walking and casting along the seawall, at any structure, or casting across "potholes" with no bites for about a mile. I eventually managed to find a single Snook about 22" long hanging out along the rocks. I got the hook out and took my photos. After getting numerous inquiries from the construction workers nearby, I turned the snook loose and continued walking down the seawall.

I kept walking and came across a somewhat rare species for this area, a tripletail floating on alone pipe standing out of the water. The tide was coming in, and I decided I wouldn't cut off the heavier 30lb leader I had for snook to retie something smaller with a shrimp lure and target the tripletail, so I kept walking.

Curious Kid Catches First Fish

A short distance from the end of the trail, I came across a boy and his nanny as they struggled to cast their lines out. The boy took one look at me, saw the rod in my hand, and without hesitation said, "Hi! Did you catch anything?" I replied, "yes, I just caught a Snook not too far back." The boy says, "oh, cool! What's a Snook?" So I showed him the photo of the snook and the lure I caught it on, and he asked me to sit with him and fish. I told him I was almost at the end, but I would fish with him if he was still fishing when I started walking back. I finished the remaining 50 yards of fishable seawall and began walking back to where I saw them last. They had moved down and found another person fishing the wall, and I could tell the boy was asking them questions. As I reached them, it was clear the other angler was losing patience with the boy, so I offered to go try to catch the tripletail I had seen earlier.

As we approached the pipe, I spotted the tripletail when I noticed it was no longer there. Wanting to help the boy catch his first fish, I helped him rig up the pre-tied steel leader, hook, and weight he had in his combo kit starter tackle box. The nanny had a cooler with a single mullet in a plastic bag, so I ripped the head off the mullet, placed it on the hook, and threw it out for the boy on his Zebco combo. After speaking with the nanny, I found out the boy had just purchased his gear with his dad two days prior. While talking, his rod tip started bouncing, so I told him to reel it in. A small crab had found the mullet head and had let go when he reached the water's surface. With disappointment, I let the boy know I had to get heading home and began my walk back along the seawall. Less than a block from where I left them, I spotted the tripletail and yelled back to the boy to come down to where I was. I quickly cut off my 30lb leader and bucktail jig and replaced it with a 20lb leader and a DOA shrimp lure. I rubbed some frozen mullet juice on the shrimp lure and finessed it in front of the tripletail. I got thumped and set the hook, quickly loosened the drag, and handed the boy the rod. He got a good fight out of the fish, and I helped him flip the tripletail over the seawall. I got the hook out, we took some photos, and then I showed the boy the razor-sharp features of a tripletail and explained what I knew about the species.

I let the tripletail go as it was a few inches short of the legal limit. After release, the boy was jumping up and down with not having caught his first fish. He asked me to continue sitting with him and fishing more.

Unfortunately, I had to get going. I posted the image and story to a local fishing page on Facebook and received hundreds of likes and comments. Among those comments was an offer from a taxidermist to create the boys' first fish and cover some of the cost for the mount. I've reached out to the mom for more information on how I can surprise the boy with the mount and a little bundle of fishing gear.

Conclusion: You truly never know when that average day of fishing can turn into a life-changing moment for someone else. Always be kind, and show patience to anglers of any age, gender, or skin color. Your decision to stop and help a new angler out may turn into a memory they carry for life.