Catch More Fish Printable & Fishing Adventures at the Lake

We’ve been spending a lot of time “up north” at our lake cabin this summer – hosting friends and family, and making the most of our weekends. The weather lately has been absolutely beautiful, so we’ve traded in the tablets and cell phones for “lake life.” That means lots of jumping off the dock and playing in the water during the day, and when dusk sets in. . . well,  that’s when the fishing poles come out.

It’s not always pretty, let me tell you. We get a lot of tangles, many snags and, at times, can hardly keep up with baiting the hooks and taking fish off. But, it’s all good. My husband and I love to fish, the kids love to fish, the grandparents love to fish, the aunts and uncles love to fish. . .and our dog, our sweet, sweet, Belle also loves to fish and needs to be right in the middle of the action.

The whole thing can actually get quite comical. We have adults using princess poles, worm-fearing women putting on gloves to bait hooks, lines crossing more often than not in the water and kids complaining because they lost their “fishing spot” on the dock. It’s pure madness and we love every minute of it. Bottom line, when people come up north, they want to fish. It’s part of the “lake life” experience and it’s also the way lifelong memories are made.

The Catch More Fish printable I’m sharing today really says it all. I have it framed and setting on a shelf at the cabin. You can download your own free 8″x10″ printable, here!

On the weekends, even if we’re not fishing at our lake cabin, we’re most likely down the road at our good friends’ lake house fishing with them. Because we’re always going back and forth between places, we needed some extra fishing rods and tackle we could just throw into the car. . .and GO!

We traded in our toddler poles (even the one that lit up) for a couple Catch More Fish Combos from Shakespeare. Let me tell you what. . .best investment ever!

The fishing combos come pre-spooled with Stren fishing line (made in Spirit Lake, IA) and include a fishing kit equipped with hooks, bait and bobbers. It really doesn’t get any easier than that.

It really doesn’t get any easier than that. There are a variety of different types of combos depending on what type of fishing you’re doing.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned fishing expert, like my husband (he paid me to say that), the Shakespeare combos are a smart choice.

Because we do mostly lake fishing, we chose the Ladyfish and the Lake/Pond Combos. I’m not going to lie. I loved the pink pole, and so did Cora, our 3-year-old. It’s super cool that she and I can use the same rod!

We normally use live worms when we take the kiddos fishing. Why? Well, because in the lakes we fish, bluegills are abundant, and they are literally waiting for worms to drop in the water. Have we ever had a day where we’ve thrown in a worm and not caught a single fish? Nope. Never. Lucky? Maybe. Maybe not.

Seriously, even if we wouldn’t catch any fish, I’m betting we would still have a great time. But let me tell you what, when those fish are biting and the kids are catching one after another, there’s so much laughter and hootin’ and hollerin’ going on you would have thought we’d all won the lottery! It’s just that much fun. And the smiles on their faces when they hold up their big catches are priceless!

Our Shakespeare rods get passed along from person to person – heck, everybody wants an opportunity to catch a fish. Our son, Dane’s, interest in fishing continues to grow each year. At six years old, he runs and grabs the pole on his own now and yells, “I’m going out on the dock to catch some fish.” And I’m yelling back, “As long as your Dad is around to take them off!” 😉 Did I mention that I do love to fish? I do! But it’s the whole handling part that. . . well, I’m a bit squeamish about.

You’ll be happy to know that this is the first year I’ve been able to bait the kids’ hooks with worms. How do I do it? With a latex glove of course. No judging here. At least I’m making progress.

My dear friend, Terrie, and I are working on it together. She doesn’t like taking fish off either, but for her, worms are even worse. So we compromise. We each have a glove – she takes off the fish – I put on the worms. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. You do what you have to do when you’re fishing with the kiddos, you know? When the dads are busy untangling lines, the moms need to step it up!

What a GREAT day. We’re headed up north to make more memories this weekend again, and the kids are already talking about who’s going to catch the biggest fish. Who knows, it might be ME! Hopefully Terrie will be around to take it off. 😉

Do you have a fun fishing story or favorite fishing memory you’d like to share? If you do, NOW is the time to tell it! Head on over to Stren to enter their Drop a Line Contest for a chance to win a dream fishing trip with a friend! All you need to do is upload a photo of yourself fishing and share a story of one of your favorite fishing memories! Who doesn’t love to tell fishing stories, right?!

Good luck! And, hey, get the family out fishing this summer for the laughs. . . for the experience. . . and for the lifelong memories.

When planning your family’s fishing expedition, head on over to Shakespeare’s website and check out their fishing checklist. They have some recommendations on what essentials you’ll need to pack to have a successful day out on the water, as well as some additional outdoor tips for making your fishing adventure fun, easy and unforgettable!