Kids and the ISE
Blog by: David Coulson , CO 1/24/2017 (Return to blogs)
Mid-January was spent at the International Sportsman’s Exposition. Normally when I visit a show, a half day is more than sufficient to visit friends and the booths of interest. This year I managed to get in three days.
Friday was strictly “business.” The evening was spent at the ISE Tying Booth demonstrating fly tying alongside three other tiers. Saturday, I tied during the evening shift again, but ended up going down for the full day as I had a meeting in Denver before the show. I made a day of it, visiting the show before tying flies. Needless to say, by the time the show closed, I was ready to head home.
So why attend Sunday? Turns out that was the only day Cody was free to attend and take the granddaughters, Alexandria and EllieMae. Remembering the fun we had the year prior, I figured a repeat trip was in order. That morning we met Donna and Gary, the girls’ other grandparents, for breakfast and as a group attended the show. It always amazes me how it’s a chore for four adults to keep track of two kids.
At almost two and four, I’m not sure how much the girls understand what’s going on. Still, I’m sure they take in more than we give them credit for. That became obvious when Alexandria commented on things she’d done at last year’s show with her Uncle Tyler. Regardless, it’s obvious to me the girls enjoy these outings. The crowds, lights, noise, time with dad and grandparents, all make for a good time.
Alexandria loved the fish tank, where we spent time watching and talking about the trout swimming around. I worked with her on distinguishing between the species, cutthroat, rainbow, brown, and brook trout. Throughout the show we were able to point out various fish and animals.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) had a large number of booths and educational activities for all, kids and adults alike. This year the lines were short for the kids’ fishing area, so I took Alexandria through. Turns out it wasn’t my best choice of activities. Primarily because Alexandria has done enough fishing that, from her perspective, fishing entails casting and retrieving a lure, which wasn’t possible in the limited space. The fishing consisted of the assistant putting a rod in the child’s hand, hooking a fish, and then landing and showing the child their catch.
Personally, I think they could have put a platform for the kids to stand on around the tanks, allowing them to be at least waist level with the tank edge, and then let the kids “fish” by holding and jiggling the lure, ice jigs in this case, until they hooked a fish. Take all of a couple minutes given the aggressive nature of the hungry trout in the tank. That way the kids would get a bit more of a fishing/catching experience. Still, Alexandria was OK with it and wanted me to fish also. Ah, well, spring will soon be here.
The live raptors CPW was exhibiting while we were there, eagle, hawk, owl, and falcon, captivated the girls. Both are fearless around animals and wanted to “pet” the birds. While not possible, the hawk handler did drop down with the hawk to Alexandria’s eye level and answered a number of her questions. I’ve no doubt she’ll remember that for a long time.
Fishing and hunting shows aren’t typically designed with kids in mind, although many of the booths, especially CPW’s, are kid friendly, offering a variety of enjoyable educational experiences. While taking the girls to the ISE wasn’t a fishing outing, it was close.
First published in the Fort Collins Coloradoan Jan 21, 2017
Blog content © David Coulson
Comments
sickws6
01.24.17 4:57 PM
Good write Dave, I noticed that also at the trout tank, I was thinking of a way where the kids could feel "more" like they were fishing. I think a platform for some of the kids that have been before could benefit from a platform and make the experience more enjoyable. The Raptors were one of the highlights as usual for me, The vendors this year did seem pretty oriented for the kids and tried to "entertain" or be kid friendly as the adults talked with the vendor. All in all I thought the ISE was done well this year.
About the Author
To say fly fishing is a passion for Dave is an understatement, he lives by the adage, �fly fishing isn�t a matter of life or death, it�s much more important than that.� Simply, if it�s a fish, then Dave�s willing to chase it on a fly. This includes making two or three trips a year out of state to places like Alaska, Canada, East and West Coasts to fly fish for salmon, northern pike and salt water species, such as redfish. The rest of the time Dave spends his time plying Colorado waters with a fly rod for everything the state has to offer such as bass, perch, crappie, bluegill, walleye, catfish, pike and yes even trout with a fly.