NANFA-L-- Appropriate age for "creeking"

Jeff Grabarkiewicz (threehorn_wartyback at yahoo.com)
Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:43:21 -0700 (PDT)

Hey folks- just wanted to pass along a bit regarding how old a young man or lady should be before entering the aquatic realm.

I took my 6-year old (thats 1st grade) nephew out to Ten Mile Creek this past weekend. I had bought him a pair of size 4 waders (he is actually a size 1 lol). I wanted to foster his already keen interest in the outdoors- he keeps butterfly collections, loves fish and tadpoles, etc..

Anyways, some thought he was a bit too young...but I really thought he was to an age where he was coordinated enough and had the interest for it. I must admit, I was right. We seined 10 species together, and he was pretty darn good at kicking down riffles and disturbing vegetation. The young man was fascinated with the fish, especially striped shiners and white suckers. In fact, he later informed me that white suckers were now his favorite fish. Imagine that. He remembered some of names, and quite honestly, did as well as some adults do their first time! Most importantly, he was eager and having fun.

I wouldn't say its for all 6-year olds. But I wanted to report this for any NANFAns that have nephews or kids.
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