Discover kayak fishing
When my grandson told me he'd love to get back out on the water with me and go fishing, of course I couldn't say no to him. I just had to find the right time, which isn't easy at the moment. The first time I introduced him to kayak fishing was a few years ago. I put him in a small 3-meter kayak and he accompanied me on a trip, practicing launching and raising the kayak, as well as navigating the rip currents.
Then, over the years, he went up in float range as he grew. Now he's big enough to have his own powered kayak and accompany me on a full fishing session. So when he asked me to do this, I was delighted, because I love spending time with them. But when it's also about sharing your passion, it's like the Olympic Games: you pass on the torch, and transmission is essential within a family, as is sharing.
Sea bass fishing session
On this day in early July, I suggest a session on sea bass fishing. The weather isn't great on the headland at the start of summer, but it's doable. It's not easy to transport two fishing kayaks to the water's edge with all the equipment, and it's even harder to get a teenager on vacation up at 06:00 in the morning.
Anyway, I chose a spot just down the road from my house, 5 minutes away, and around 07:30, after rigging two fishing kayaks, we were on the water. There are already four professional fishermen doing their ballet on the chosen area, setting small bottom longlines all over the place and raising them constantly. Passing from one to the other of their signal buoys, it's best to avoid them. I think they're on gilthead bream or stingray, which are very present in the harbor at the moment.
So it'll be the edges, for scratch fishing or surface lures on the chases. It's as if I've ordered them, they start almost immediately and we'll be catching an impressive number of bass, small, medium and mesh. The kid is ecstatic and so am I. The weather conditions are complicated, a little drizzle at the launch and a steady wind all day. We follow the hunts throughout the session, the fish are on small sprats and they're gorging themselves, as are the birds who are the best of the sounders.
I put small surface lures on the rods, 3DRX Pencil from Yo Zuri in 75 mm, which are proving to be the right pick, as the sprats are small. I'll also catch a few individuals by dragging a 90 mm Deep Diver along the park lines in 5 metres of water. With the pro anglers gone, we're back on the water in complete safety, having regained its nautical tranquillity...
Sharing and passing on your passion
Of course, a teenager is always hungry, and at the kid's insistence, we leave the hunts to settle down on a corner of the beach for a hearty picnic. This kind of sharing takes me back to my childhood, when I used to share moments like this with my grandfather. I hope it will leave him with the same indelible, emotional memories as mine. It's a way of remembering those people who counted in your life and helped build you up.
Besides, it's much better to be out in nature, on the water, in a kayak, than slumped on the sofa in front of a screen. Good for me, it's not his thing, kayak fishing wins you over...
