Outdoor Dads – Fishing Family Style

by Dennis Quinn

Fishing came to a near halt when my kids were born. Not only did I want to spend my free time with my new family, but my wife really needed and deserved a break when I was off. In turn fishing 5/6 times a week went down to about once every 2/3 weeks. This is a fairly common problem among new parents who love to fish. But…I was able to get creative and as they say, “Adapt and Overcome.” I started Fishing Family Style.

One of our first family camping trips was to Assateague State Park in Maryland…as my kids played in the sand I looked out at the vastness of the sea and I had a vision:

”Self…you could be fishing right now, fishing the Atlantic Ocean, something you have never done from the surf…your kids could be playing in the sand, right at your side, just as they are right now…and they wouldn’t be any the worse for it…in fact you could begin to share something you love with them…fishing.”

Since those early days, when my oldest was just 1 ½ and my son only six months old, we’ve caught a lot of fish together, and have all fallen in love with surf fishing. In 2005 we bought a truck camper and we sleep out on the National Seashore side of Assateague Island… 60 or so yards from the breakers. My son learned to walk while camping there, one of many trips to the island that I’ll never forget.

If you are a new Mom or Dad, live near enough to the surf and have had to modify your fishing habit, give “Family Style” a try. It’s real fishing, trust me there’s more to it than first meets the eye…reading the water, the shoreline, the tides…it may appear to be a bit boring, chunking out a big bait and waiting…but when that heavy rod doubles into a surreal looking arc, it’ll get your fishing heart thump’n something fierce…that I can promise you.