Introducing a youngster to a shark is pure magic and can give that child a love for the sea and her critters.
Wide-eyed kids head to sea on their earliest fishing adventures, sometimes just old enough to turn the handle on the reel. They are ready for a meaningful introduction that will shape their relationship with the sea and her critters.
Making those introductions within the concentration span of kids is key to success.
One day last season on my charter boat WaveWalker, we were fishing just off the side of a low reef extending offshore, and we began hooking pinback, smooth-hound and leopard sharks. Most weighed about 6-12 pounds, with a few bigger ones mixed in.
These were sharks the kids could do battle with, and they had a blast catching and releasing about a dozen sharks over an hour’s time, before they finally got tired, lost interest and went happily back to playing with the anchovies and sardines in the bait tank (a favorite pastime for many kids).
When relatives or friends with kids, from inland states or counties, come to visit some of my regular local charter clients, we often take them out and specifically look for small sharks to catch.
A youngster from Kansas, for example, becomes the hero of his or her school when they go back home talking about shark fishing on the West Coast. They can tell stories about catching several sharks, and feel great about it.
Funny thing is, the parents get just as excited as the kids, and I’m pretty sure they’re returning home and telling their coworkers about shark fishing. In fact, I’ll bet the parents stretch those sharks in the storytelling even more than their kids do. After all, the parents are just bigger kids themselves.
When a child catches a fish, shark or whatever, the first question is usually: “Can I keep it?” That’s when I provide an education.
I explain that keeping a sea creature for a pet won’t work well. I say that keeping it means eating it for the family dinner and we should first thank that critter for its life so our family can eat, and then we need to take very good care of the meat.
But if they want to let it go, treat it gently, thank it for the fight and let it go right away after the picture is taken. Good lessons.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
