News

FISHING WITH ELAINE

It was early Monday morning when I heard the door to my house open announcing the arrival
of my granddaughter Elaine as her mother dropped her off on her way to work. For the past
year now I had been watching my granddaughter every Monday while her mother went to
work. As almost on cue and with a big smile I was greeted with, “We going fishing today Papa?”
My four year old granddaughter is already an avid fishing lady and very adept at it for her age; I
answered the little tike with “of course we are” which made her beaming smile even bigger.
About an hour later we were driving to the local convenience store to buy some night crawlers
and after obtaining them, drove to Schodack Island State Park to try our luck at angling for the
day. The thing about fishing the Hudson River at the Park is you never know what you are going
to catch while fishing there. If it swims in NYS it’s more than likely in the Hudson River, from
Eels and perch to sturgeon. With me carrying a pole and Elaine carrying hers (Zebco 202 rod
and reel) we got to the river and got ready. As I checked the poles and their rigging Elaine
reached in the container and grabbed two night crawlers for me to put on our hooks. I cast my
line out and the capable youngster did the same.

It wasn’t long and the end of the rod she was using started bouncing and she shouted “I got a
bite” and she set the hook and reeled in what turned out to be a white perch. After she
“petted” her fish it was returned to catch another day. This was repeated by us both numerous
times for the next hour or so. along with a catfish or two being caught and released. Almost out
of bait and near the last cast I heard “I got a bite again” from Elaine. After she set the hook, the
rod bent more than from a perch I could tell. She was struggling with this fish quite a bit and I
asked if she wanted help which she refused. Elaine started backing up instead of reeling in her
line and I instructed her not to do so but to reel in the fish not try and pull it in. After about ten
minutes my granddaughter landed a sheepshead (Fresh Water Drum) about twenty inches long.
Sheepshead fight very hard and you think you have a whale when you catch them and her arms
were tired. After a few pictures were taken and the dish ‘petted’ it was returned to the river to
thrive and be caught by another youngster on another day. With Elaine smiling still, I could tell
she was exhausted from fighting the fish so I asked her if she wanted to go to the playground
which is also at the Park. She agreed and so we packed our fishing gear and left it in my truck
and proceeded to the playground. While she went on the swings, slides and zip-line all she kept
talking about was her” Big Fish”. After awhile we left the park and returned home where a very
excited but tired 4 year old took a nap . I sat and thought that it’s days and experiences like this
that she and my other grandchildren will remember not days looking at video games and I
myself do the same as I smile thinking of my day of fishing with Elaine!

The Rensselaer County Conservation Alliance (RCCA) encourages every adult to take a kid
fishing or get them involved in the out of doors and into nature. It is our mission to do so and
educate our youth and the general public in such endeavors. The smiles we see are priceless as
they will be for you !

Submitted by Frank Dingman, RCCA President