Those of us who are fathers, all go through the process of watching our kids grow up and develop into the young people that they are destined to become. There are various rites of passage which stand out during those years. For me as a fisherman, none stand out quite so much as the fishing milestones achieved along the way.

I was blessed with a daughter, which means that my fatherhood experiences have been a bit different to those who have sired sons. Despite my child’s gender however, we have enjoyed some quality fishing time together over the years, and no, I am not at all disappointed not to have had a son, I wouldn’t change her for anything.

Sage was introduced to fishing in the gentlest of ways as a little girl. Fishing the banks of dams, rivers, and estuaries with a small rod and baits. She enjoyed it as much as any child but quickly got distracted when the fish weren’t biting. The onset of her teenage years coincided with a dip in her interest in fishing. To be honest, it was probably the same for me in my teens, when girls and surfing became more interesting than fishing and making homemade lures.

The pride that I felt with each and every catch of hers along the way was enormous. I knew that the chances of her becoming a full-blooded fisherwoman were slight, but it was great to share my passion with her.

We hadn’t wet a line together for some time, when we got the opportunity to go to Mozambique recently, to film an episode of Inside Angling. Sage agreed to fish with me on the show as my guest angler. It was to be her first offshore fishing experience and we were both pretty excited about that.

We fished off Inhassoro, with me doing some popping and jigging and Sage taking charge of jigging with some bucktails and soft plastics. I watched her to come to grips with the jigging action and was as excited as she was when she got her first bite fishing this way.

Sage landed some yellowspot kingfish, king mackerel, green job fish and kawa kawa on her lures and light rig.

She also got sorted out by a decent GT, which cut her off on the reef. All in all she got a good number of fish and learnt how to fight them like she was born to it.

I was so proud of my daughter. She hasn’t only grown up to be beautiful and intelligent, but she could handle days out at sea, and catch fish too! That feeling of pride, along with the simple act of sharing something that I loved with somebody that I love, and the bonding time on the water, made it one of the best times I have ever spent on the water.

It is a feeling that my Dad must have had when I was young and we fished together and I hope that it is a feeling that Sage will experience some day, with a child of her own. Whether it be through fishing, or sharing some other love with her children.