My 11 and 13-year-old nieces were keen to write and share their family fishing experience. They’re mad keen outdoor girls. As a teacher, I love giving them the opportunity to see their work published. Photos by their Mother.

A family fishing trip is very fun. It’s special when we’re together as a family. We’re all sitting on the bank being silent because the fish can feel the voice vibrations in the water. We have a picnic. Mum brings the esky with boiled eggs, ham and salad. Also watermelon, tomatoes from our garden, homemade bread with butter and homemade marmalade.

Family Fishing

The Conversation

The other thing we have is a conversation about fishing afterwards.

Mum and Dad ask us, ‘How was that guys?’

We answer: ‘That was awesome dad! That was great Mum!’

Dad has caught dinner once. Then Mum slow cooked it with butter and herbs in alfoil in the oven. We had it with salad. It was so delicious.

Feel the Bite

It can be really boring when you’re waiting for a catch. But when you get a fish on the line it’s fun. When I go off fishing, I get excited that I’m going to catch something. We load up the water, food – lots of food, fishing gear and head down the creek. When we get there we cast the net to catch the live bait. I put the whiting or little prawn on the hook. Then after I’ve cast the line, I sit and wait for a bite and if you feel the line, it means something is nibbling on it. When you feel the bite, you gently yank the rod, so it hooks the fish. When the rod starts bending you pull back and reel. You lean forward and pull back to keep the momentum. You continuously do that until you wear the fish out. Then you pull it out of the water.

The Waiting

When I’m waiting, I’m anxious to see if I’m going to get anything, but it’s really fun when everyone rushes towards you.

‘Guys! I’ve caught something!’

When Dad yells out, ‘There’s lots of bites here’, the kids either reel in their rod or pass it to someone and rush down to see the fish biting.

Patiently Perceptive

It teaches you a lot about being patient because we have to sit down for a long time without catching a fish. You start humming to yourself or you think about something else. You start to notice stuff around the bank, that you never noticed before. Then sometimes you get so lost in your thoughts that it’s a shock when you get a fish on the line. Depending on the strength of the fish, you must keep your hands on the line at all times otherwise you lose your rod and your fish.

It’s best to get a fish of some description, so long as it’s the legal measure and you can eat it, go for it.