# Take Your Dad Fishing



## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

My dad taught me to fish and gave me my love for the outdoors.

He has had a lot of health issues over the last 15 years and hasn't been able to do much worth mentioning for a long time. A few years back my wife and I took him in and built him a small home on our property to get him as healthy as he could get and give him the best life he could have. Since then, I have even gotten him out fishing a few times.

On Thanksgiving, he told me he was feeling better than he had felt in years- a temporary condition, no doubt.

And so, I cancelled plans and woke up on Black Friday at 3:45 AM to get the Towee ready, and rigged up for his needs. We made the run to our favorite waters in time to watch the sunrise over a slack negative low. We had these flats to ourselves, which is the way we like it.

The water was alive. Mullet were tailing, and you could hear, and sometimes see the predation that occurred on edge of the flats. That is why we were there.

On the slack, the bite was slow, as expected. However, once that water started moving in, things changed. In terms of numbers, it was by no means an epic day, but we weren't after numbers.

This time of year, our waters don't hold a lot of numbers of snook; in fact, it holds a lot of redfish. Still, the snook that are around are always bruisers. They are difficult to to hook, and harder to land, but that's what we were after. My dad is a certified snook fanatic.

It just so happens that the last time he was well enough to go out was a few weeks more than year ago. It was on this outing that he bested the largest snook he ever got to hand. It was just 1/4" shy of 40", but relatively skinny. I was sure that this was likely his last big snook. I was wrong.

I had recently been fishing these waters as religiously as a Muslim to a Mosque. I knew they were there. I knew right where they were.

We started the day casting artificials. I knew this wouldn't last long given his condition, but I obliged because- well, because he's my dad. Surprisingly, he managed to sight fish a respectable, double-spotted red using a Little John. The day was already exceeding expectations

As expected, casting wore thin in short order. I went to the trusty Ladyfish hole and pulled out two large models in two casts, a feat reserved liars and the lucky. We took a short ride to pinched spot between some mangroves that divides a deep flat and a shallow flat, each flanked by sand. Dad wanted to keep things fair, given the cut bait handicap, so we stuck with light tackle gear spooled with 10# Spiderwire and tipped with 20# Fluoro, terminating with a 5/0 Trokar circle hook and a 3" chunk of a fresh dead ladyfish.

I instructed dad to place the bait in a sandy undercut under a mangrove. By now, the incoming tide was obvious. I'd love to pretend I was confident, but anyone who has chased big snook in skinny water long enough knows that confidence is largely rewarded with disappointments, and tales of the one that got away.

Not today.

The fish hit soft. It started as nothing more steady pressure. A lesser fisherman would have likely pulled the bait to "check," but not dad. His years of pain had taken more than it gave, with the exception of patience, of which he now has an abundance. He waited. The pressure increased, and as it did he slowly lowered the rod tip to keep it even and not disrupt the dance that this big girl was courting with this stinky hunk of ladyfish. Just as his rod tip leveled out, she began to swim. With the precision of a sniper, he reached out and began a slow reel. She knew something was amiss, but she had no idea she was already licked. My dad had played that fight in his mind every day for decades. He was ready; She was not. But, that certainly did not stop her from trying.

Her first mistake was running the cut, and staying off the closest flat which was flanked by deeply rooted mangroves. I was banking on that when I selected this spot. She screamed 50 yards off the reel on her first run. With barely enough water to cover her back, the scene was unreal. Dad let her run, holding steady pressure, but not so much as to snap the light leader. She then turned towards the mangroves, as expected. However, these mangroves were shallow; there wasn't enough water for her to get in. She turned to the open and the angling began.

Dad had two jobs, and he did them flawlessly. The first was to keep enough pressure to keep the hook in without applying so much pressure as to snap the line or leader. The second was to play her angles well enough to keep her gill plates off the leader, which of course results in an instant game over. With the sixth sense of a cat on the prowl, he predicted every turn and beat her to it. She managed a few more spectacular runs; a noble effort that would've bested a lesser angler. Dad was having none of it and guided her to the net like he had done it a thousand times.

She taped out at 41.5", which was short of the lip and with no pinch on the tail. She was fat and healthy and I estimate she weighed 25#. We snapped a few pictures and she swam away with vigor, into the cool, clear water. The old man still has it. He had done it again. Two trips, yielding two giant snook in the skinny, barely a year apart. No doubt he had earned a cosmic karma of some sort.

I fished Saturday and Sunday as well, taking my usual fishing partner on Saturday and my wife on Sunday. While they were not busts, it's safe to say that my dad got the best of the weekend by a wide margin.

After returning to the house after a long, slow Sunday, dad came out and asked how it was. "SLOW," I said begrudgingly. He grinned and said, "I'm happy to take you out and show you how to do it again, soon. Eventually, you'll get it."

"I hope so, dad. I hope so."

Take your dad fishing.

Here is last year's fish.





















This year


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## makin moves (Mar 20, 2010)

Awesome!


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Great story! 

Hope my sons take care of me in my old age as well as you have for your dad....well done.


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

Strong work. Good onya.


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## georgiadrifter (Jan 14, 2009)

Wow! Nice fish Pops! Way to go Renegade.


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## Cronced (Nov 18, 2016)

That smile on his face in the last picture is priceless. It's got all the surprise of anyone who is still amazed that this fishing thing we do even works, but the smugness that comes with the knowledge that the old man's still got it. It's like he is saying "I'm as surprised as you are, but I knew this was gonna happen!"


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Cronced said:


> That smile on his face in the last picture is priceless. It's got all the surprise of anyone who is still amazed that this fishing thing we do even works, but the smugness that comes with the knowledge that the old man's still got it. It's like he is saying "I'm as surprised as you are, but I knew this was gonna happen!"


Nailed it. 

“We should go catch 40” snook every time we fish! Oh, wait. I already do.”


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Great trip


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Thank you for sharing that---did my heart good!


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## fishnpreacher (Jul 28, 2018)

Great read, and as already said, the smile says it all. God bless you!


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## IRLyRiser (Feb 14, 2007)

Great story, thanks for sharing.


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

What a great fish and better story! I just showed my nearly 16 yr old the pics in hopes he will remember to take me fishing when I need it!


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

That was a great write up.

I will tell you this. My kids are 7 and 11 and taking them fishing is no small feat. I sure appreciate how much my Dad took me fishing now that I'm a dad.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Jason M said:


> That was a great write up.
> 
> I will tell you this. My kids are 7 and 11 and taking them fishing is no small feat. I sure appreciate how much my Dad took me fishing now that I'm a dad.


It is so true. My dad took my brother and I every single weekend. Canoe camping, night trips, bridge trips, wading trips- every weekend! That is no easy feat. He definitely earned that fishy karma.

My boys have moved out of state. I wonder if I will ever get the same treatment. I damn sure hope so!


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Fishing is cool, but if any of you are interested in the real gift I gave my dad, check this out:



Eventually, if we are lucky, we all grow old.

I designed and built this home for my aging father. My dad adopted me when I was two. He was the hardest working, most selfless man I have ever known. His whole life he fantasized about retiring to a cabin in the woods. Unfortunately, health issues cut his career and his dreams short. I had to rescue him, but our budget was tight.

To keep him close, I found a prime spot on our family farm. I had to evict the pigs from their pen! The pen dictated the building size, as I chose not to remove trees to build the house. I minimized the foundation to protect the palms and maintain drainage. The structure was cantilevered beyond the foundation to keep it light in its location and to allow for the program without removing trees. The rear is set to the west, overlooking an adjacent wetland, where he can watch the birds and the deer with nightly sunsets as the back drop.

The design is intended to be incredibly cost efficient, durable, comfortable, low maintenance, fitting for its environment and my dad’s love of cabins, and considerate of his unique health issues.

The shape is a reflection of standard material sizes, resulting in a waste factor of less than 1%. We filled only a 10-yard dumpster in its construction. The cladding wraps the walls and the roof to break the perceived length of the structure and minimize maintenance, with the corrugation matching our 70-year old barn.

Yellow Pine, run cohesively through and up the ends of the structure to stretch the perception of space and create visual interest at every moment in the home. White interior dividing walls were intended to be lost visually, while reflecting light.

The kitchen is full sized, with a hidden pantry, flush microwave, and no uppers. The IKEA cabinets feature all full extension drawers for easy access, and saved my wallet. I used every inch of space.

The bathroom is oversized with a walk-in shower, made to fit my dad’s needs.

The HVAC was custom designed and built by Carrier. It is the smallest variable speed, split-system in the US, to help maximize indoor air quality and comfort control.

Scraps, small lots, and left overs make up the majority of finishes.

This home is proof that we can provide better design, better construction, better care, and a better life for our aging loved ones; even on a budget.

My dad’s health has improved drastically since he moved in. He loves his home. He’s out tending to the chickens right now.






















































Mike's Hammock — Josh Wynne Construction







www.joshwynneconstruction.com


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## NealXB2003 (Jun 8, 2020)

I was impressed by the fishing story..... then I got to the part about the cabin. Wow!


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## fishnpreacher (Jul 28, 2018)

AWESOME!!


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Very skilled builder right there. That cabin is bad ass way to take care of your dad. My father chose to chase woman and hang in the bars after I was born so my parents split when I was 2. I was fortunate to have a wonderful mom who put her life on hold and had the step father that treated me like his own I had a few aunt's who would take us of 41 to catch bass bream and catfish. I believe this made me a better Father to my kids and grandfather to my 3 grandsons. My dad did come get me occasionally and I did have good times with him but have a closer bond with my mom. My kids only spent time with my Dad at family functions and they never spent the night with him or my stepmother. Now he's late 70s and trying to reconnect with my oldest son who lives 30 minutes from him but has nothing in common with him and tells me there are long pauses whenever they speak on the phone.

The moral to my story is spend as much quality time with your kids or grandkids as you can life is short and before long you look back and it's passed you. I love my dad but my mom's the one who raised me so she will always have a special place in my heart.

Be kind to your Kids they pick your nursing home or if your lucky they build you a badass cabin like @Renegade did well done sir.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

Well told! If that isn't a heart warming story I don't know what is. Thanks for sharing @Renegade


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