Father’s day fishing advice: Fun first, fish second

By Mike Kays
Phoenix Sports Editor

June 15, 2008 01:10 am

— Hey Dad — yeah, you.
I know you’ve never really been great with a rod and reel but your kids were among 400 or so who got a taste of Jimmy Houston’s Kids Day fishing clinic, got a rod and reel and a bunch of neat fishing gear and they’re ready to reel in that next big record catch.
OK, so you missed it. Still...the kids are asking for you to deliver, or to help them deliver.
I’ve been there. You want to make it a big event for them not to mention show them that you know a thing or two that Houston, a professional angler himself, knows. But without a boat, are you also without a paddle?
Houston, a resident of Cookson, says for starters, relax.
“The key thing is for the kids to have fun,” he said. “The other thing is to keep it as basic as you can.”
Easier said that done, sometimes. Your kid may be one of those who, like Houston’s daughter, would spend as much time in the water as she would fishing it, which is why Houston would often let her fish or as he trolled while practicing for a bass tournament, she’d hang on to a rope tied to the boat, just “splashing and having fun.”
“They may want to get in the water even if you’re not in a boat. Let them,” he said.
But if your kid is the type, like mine, who will stay at it through the night, determined to get that big catch — or any catch — Houston has a few fishing tips.
“Ideally, for a really good time, hire a guide,” Houston said. “They know where the catches are. Guides specialize in catfish and crappie. It’s easier to catch crappie than have a successful day bass fishing. Todd Huckabee, a crappie guy at Eufaula, will almost always catch the limit of 37. You can’t get any better than that, and there’s a lot of guys around who will give you a good day of fishing.”
Guide fishing isn’t cheap — it’s generally $200 to start for two people, plus the cost of providing gas for the boat. But they provide the boat, so you get the full scale of the lake you’re at.
But if you don’t have the boat, there’s still some fun to be had.
“In all situations, you have to know what type of action is good in that location,” he said. “Below the Tenkiller Dam, there’s great trout fishing. Eufaula’s got some good white bass and striper fishing. Catfish is great below Fort Gibson dam past Okay and that’s always been a good place to snap spoonbill. And you can’t ignore farm ponds. The key there is finding people who have them and asking about fishing there. Some of those have loads and loads of fish, too many bass sometimes, and they’re stunted because there’s not enough area.”
Now comes the question — what about equipment?
“Keep it as basic as you can,” he said. “Your rod and reel and plain old live bait like worms and minnows are some of the best there is. If you want to go artificial, something like the Blakemore Roadrunner is a jig-type bait that comes in all sizes and catch all kinds of fish, particularly crappie and bass, but I’ve caught a lot of catfish on them. They’re very versatile.”
Cordell Hotspot crankbaits and quarter-ounce spinner baits are good in farm ponds. The Rebel Pop-R is also exceptional for ponds. “It’s an easy bait to use. It can be worked slow or fast,” he said. “For kids they’re good because they don’t have to pay attention a lot. It beats a plastic worm because they don’t always know they have a bite with those.”
While bass fishing has been made attractive because of the professional tournaments, Houston said it’s a hit-and-miss for that father-son trip.
“It might be a good day and it might be a bad day,” he said. “Kids lose interest fast.”
Growing up, Houston didn’t while fishing with his father, grandfather and two uncles.
“I can’t remember the first fish I caught because it was at such an early age,” he said. “But we had a lot of good times.”
Even now, he spends time with kids. He recently took a trip to his Ardmore ranch with a 5-year-old Michigan boy dying of cancer as part of Make-A-Wish and only this week had a fishing trip to Texas with a father-son pair who won the trip in a charity drawing.
One of his favorite stories involves a father-son trip where the boy was doing all the catching. Finally, his dad caught one and the little boy said ‘Dad, you caught one.’ The kid was as excited about that one as he was any of his. Which just goes to show you dads — it’s not about you. It’s about them.
So take these tips and have a Happy Father’s Day.

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