Young Carter Hinman receives his first fishing lesson. Submitted Photo

A few years back there was a little known philosopher named Lao Tzu and is credited with one of the greatest sayings of all time, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

For those of us who love fishing, very few things fire us up more with passion than fishing. Taking that to the next level is teaching someone to fish.

Oftentimes we hear about teaching kids to fish, and yes that is so very important — we will discuss that in depth in a little bit — but teaching an adult to fish is an entirely different level. To see the excitement of a child’s eyes on Christmas morning as a grown man or woman boats their first fish. Few things on this great Earth give me more pleasure than watching a newbie catch their first fish. It doesn’t really matter the size or species; what matters is they have caught their first fish.

Old or young, anytime we begin to learn something new, it takes time and patience. Here comes the important part, patience. It doesn’t matter the age of the new angler just as long as they are having fun and enjoying their time outdoors. Learning to fish is easy as one makes it.

Of course, everybody wants to catch fish, heck this is why we do what we do. But catching is only a small part of fishing. Learning about nature, watching a waterfowl come and go, listening to them communicate amongst each other, learning how to read the water, what makes a good fishing spot, what type of cover or vegetation is best for the species of fish you are chasing.

Taking time to talk with the folks you are sharing your fishing adventure with. My Grandpa Robbins always said, “you can learn more about a man after time on the water fishing or in the woods hunting then you could learn in a lifetime.”

When Grandpa would say that to me, I would shake my head as if to understand what he was talking about. Like most lessons — at least for me — it took some time to begin to figure it out.

If you’re fishing with somebody, it is just you, your fishing partner and the fish. It’s pretty simple, we talk if you prefer or sit back and enjoy the quiet of nature or possibly the splash of the water as you reel them in.

Fishing and hunting are the most basic forms of entertainment. It is up to us to sit back and enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory. Our children become the center of our universe the moment they are born, and we struggle mightily throughout our lives maintaining that relationship to our satisfaction. One of the ways we try to accomplish this is to create the same passions in our children that we possess, and hope that we can share that throughout our lives. One only has to look at fathers on the sideline and mothers in the audience to see the best and the worst of this relationship.

This is no different for the angler who dreams of spending time on the water with their child. From the moment that child enters this life, the passionate angler looks forward to creating this perfect bond. Where we run into trouble as angling parents is when we overestimate their interest at a young age and underestimate their ability to absorb and learn.

The most important thing for a parent to realize is that the child’s first love of fishing is simply the fact that he or she can spend time with you. It has nothing to do with fishing; it has to do with your undivided attention. The fun of fishing is, to the child, simply icing on the cake. Where we make mistakes is trying to make the next BASSMaster Champion out of five-year-olds.

Take the child fishing and just let him or her enjoy the moment with you. If they want to throw rocks in the water, put down the rod and teach them to skip rocks. Once a child is old enough to understand the premise of fishing and the fun he or she can have, find ways they can be successful. For you, the joy of fishing may be taking a large brown on a spinner during the Hendrickson hatch. They, on the other hand, will stand there for days with no success. Lower your expectations and make the child successful.

Nothing spells fun for a childlike bluegill on their beds in spring. With an ultralight spinning rod or even better, a bamboo pole with a worm and a bobber, you can catch forty or fifty fish in an outing.

Enjoy every fish with your child, it will be unquestionably the best time of your life, but don’t do it for them. Teach them how, help them when they need it and then just enjoy the moment. There are few moments in life that can compare to a day fishing with your child.

Don’t underestimate your child, they have a remarkable capacity to learn and if you give them enough opportunity to learn for themselves, you will be astonished at their progress. The quickest way to turn a child off is to turn fishing into school.

Young, mid-aged or long in the tooth fishing is an activity anybody can enjoy. If your better half is a squeamish handling nightcrawlers or minnows, then you do the honor. Trust me, over time their squeamishness will pass and they will be the first one with their hand in the bait bucket looking for the best nightcrawler or fattest minnow. It will take time to show them the ease of baiting a hook and the art of taking a fish with care to be released back into the water.

Nothing gives greater pleasure to us, as parents, than creating that shared passion. It’s something we search for desperately, but often that desperation creates more problems than it solves.

Relax.

Your chances of creating a fishing partner are much greater if you don’t drive them away with unrealistic expectations. The fact is, whether you’re catching fish or skipping stones, you’re together, and that’s what it’s all about. This summer try to introduce somebody new to fishing, you will teach them a life skill that makes sure they will never go hungry. Go to the local tackle store, purchase a fishing license, grab some bait and your new fishing partner and head to one of the many public fishing areas we have to offer in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus County.