Deep sea fishing with kids

When I was nine years old, my family went deep sea fishing out of Morro Bay in California. It was something of a family reunion and there were Aunts and Uncles and Cousins. Not all wanted to go out fishing for the day and those that didn't trawled through the gift shops.

We boarded the boat and headed out to sea. Dressed warmly in jeans and old sweatshirts was heaven for me as I was always a tomboy. On the way out, one of the crew members said normally there is a prize pot for the largest fish caught on the day. My Mother agreed to put in the dollar for me even though she assumed I would give up after 10 minutes of fishing.

When we stopped, the bait went on (this was gross) even for a tomboy. And over the side the lines went. It was my first time fishing in anything other than a lake or river. I kept reeling in the line to see if there was anything on or if I had lost my bait.

The boat began rocking more and more. Back and forth, side to side, up and down. I looked down the railings and I was one of the few people still standing there with the salt water splashing up on against the side of the boat. I was told some of the other anglers had gone below because they weren't feeling well. Others were on the opposite side of the boat vomiting. I took a wider stance and persevered with fishing. A few fish were coming out and those that were caught were put into our individual gunny sacks.

On the way back to the shore, the fish were weighed. Guess who won? The skinny nine year old in bait stained clothes. Yes, I had caught the largest fish. Okay it could have been the fact the competition wasn't stiff because most the people had been seasick. Therefore due to my strong constitution I was pronounced the winner of the pot, a total of $23.00. Not a fortune, but for a nine year old in the late 60's it was a moment of great excitement.

It was possibly this that has led to a love of fishing. Now in later life, I have lakes that I fish and even farm fish. Was this a defining moment in my life? Who knows.

Fishing in Acapulco is an unforgettable experience as only a short distance from the mouth of the bay you can find an abundance of different species including sailfish, dorado and the mighty marlin. This small tour is a personal experience for the great outdoorsman in us all

Times have changed from when I was young. Now there is an enormous drive to preserve and increase the fish stocks in the oceans. So can fishing and conservation go hand in hand. I say, "yes". If there is a catch and release program not only will the fish numbers grow, general knowledge will increase and with it growing public awareness .