If you fish, you don’t have to fish to have fun fishing. We all have told our share of fisherman’s tales, debated about what tackle is best, argued about the right speed to troll, and discussed any number of other various and assorted vital details of our sport. It does not matter where we are, we love to talk fishing. We also tie flies, make lures, MacGyver a kayak, cast jigs, make worm harnesses, or build fishing rods. I even have a friend who has a podcast, just so he can talk more about hunting and fishing. We do all of this because it is fun. And here is an example of having fun fishing when you are not fishing.

Recently, we had our two younger grandsons for the day because they did not have school. The youngest was a little ill, so the middle grandchild and I headed to the local YMCA. After a couple hours of basketball, he asked, “Can we go to Rt. 66 and look at fishing lures?”. I don’t know about you, but looking at lures is certainly in my top ten list of ways to enjoy fishing, and he knows it. So, we were off.

When we got back home, he and the youngest went through a couple of my lures boxes and picked out a couple of lures for themselves (cheaper than a store). Then I asked him if he wanted to get started on learning about rod building. He wants a rod for our annual family bass/muskie trip, and he eagerly said yes. We go to Pigeon Lake in Ontario for the first week of muskie every year. The tradition started with his great grandfather on the other side of the family, and his grandfather has continued the trip. It has occurred for about 80 years now. I was invited to go when our children started dating, and my wife started going when the first grandchild came along. In most years we get 8 or 9 of the 10 cabins the camp has, so it is truly a family event. Even those who do not fish enjoy this fish camp.

Pigeon has some large muskies, but most of what we catch are in the 34-to-44-inch range. There also is a growing bass population. The middle grandchild wants a rod that can do both. That is a tall order, but doable, given how he wants to fish. Last year he borrowed my Carver series Laker rod prototype and threw Bucher 500 bucktails, Mepps spinners, and a few crankbaits. He said he wanted to do the same thing this year since he has gathered quite a few more lures in this class. So, we began his rod building education.

Because he wanted a rod like the Carver he used last year, I showed him that rod blank, a MHX SJ902, and an ATX that was slightly heavier. He examined them both, asked about the differences between the two rods and then chose the heavier of the two, an American Tackle Bushido mag bass model. It is one-piece, 7’3″ long, rated for 10-20 pound test and it will handle lures around 1/2 to 1 1/2 ounces. By today’s standards, that seems too short and too light for muskie, but when I started fishing for muskies, we used 6′ pool cue rods, spinning reels spooled with 14 or 17 pound Big Game mono, ball bearing swivels and stainless steel wire leaders. Add to that, his Uncle Michael has used a custom-built Mag bass MHX rod for years and has caught quite a few muskies on it. Bottom line, the Bushido will handle bigger fish. The boy just has to learn how to use the equipment. But I am betting that next year he will have a full blown muskie rig to take along, one that he built.

We can do a lot with cork grips, but he chose EVA grips over cork, because he likes the looks of the red variegated grips. At first, he elected a split grip, but after looking at several variations, he settled on a solid rear grip and a 4 or 5 inch fore grip. He left the guide selection up to me but chose black guide wraps with red trim bands. We still have not discussed any fancies, like a chevron or a diamond pattern decorative wrap, but we can get to that, because the fancies are not required.

It took us about an hour to design his rod. He asked a lot of very good questions, and he chose confidently. Finally, he said, “Pop, I really want to learn how to do this, but I am not sure when I can get to it.” I appreciate his honesty, one of his most gratifying qualities. I told him that I would build it and just show him the steps along the way. He does not need the rod until late June. Next winter, he can build his dedicated muskie rod.

I have been looking to pass the craft of rod building to someone for a long time. I hope he does it, but even if it is not for him, he will still do a better job of choosing his rods and using them if he understands what goes into rod design.

Linda and I are truly blessed to have teenage grandchildren that want to spend time with us. Encouraging them to get outdoors, to hunt, and to fish is a true joy. Several years ago, I read a study that said that young people who hunt and fish are significantly less likely to do drugs or commit crimes. I buy it, because if we fuel their passion to fish, they will not have time for the nasties. Above all else, I want to encourage everyone to have fun fishing, whatever that looks like for them. That is one of the great things about our sport; everybody can enjoy it differently.

For me, I had a great day, enjoying fishing without fishing, with my grandson.

Thanks for being here and I hope you come back.

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Coming up: The Quest for 4. During the third week of April, Bad Ted and friends Charlie and Chris are going to try to catch 4 different species of freshwater fish in four consecutive days. We will be in Buffalo, one of the best multispecies fisheries anywhere, and fishing with Capt. Hans the Carver, who is a master of multispecies fishing. In this post, I’ll tell exactly what we hope to do and the challenges involved. The following week, in our post, Captain Hans and I will introduce you to the Carver series of multispecies rods and the Carver Bass rod. The Carver Bass Model is a no-nonsense workhorse designed for our specific needs, and we tell you how we came upon the design. –B.T.