Fishing with a dog?

[albula]

When being with you is the most important thing in their life they seem to be quite able to figure it out.

 

[Creatch’r]

I totally understand. He had to check out a stump earlier this year in a river channel this year. Wondering if getting him in the water at 12 weeks was such a good idea.

Don’t let the intrusive thoughts win. Labs are fantastic river companions, several of my friends also have labs and there just isn’t a bad one in the bunch. I don’t care how swim obsessed your dog is, they are more obsessed with you and your happiness. If you reward him for being good and ignore the bad or give him the dad voice “leave it” he will sort it all out quick. 12 weeks is not too soon for a swim, they were born to swim.

 

[brownheron]

Yuki is a terrible fishing dog and and even worse surfing dog. As a herding dog from working bloodlines, the concept of not actively working with her handler doesn't make sense to her. If we're outside, we're supposed to be working together on whatever it is we're doing. Gun dogs are bred to be trained to wait and then spring into action (I think, being a herding dog guy) which is a little different and probably better for fishing.

I started taking her with me when she was tiny and still do when conditions permit but those aren't my 'real' fishing days. It's more getting out to the river and spending time with my best friend than trying to seriously catch something. Her prey drives comes out though... She knows what a float is and what it means when it goes down. She gets really excited and starts yapping looking for the fish.

 

[Guy Gregory]

I take Dugan all the time. Yeah, he swims. Yeah, he splashes. He's real intent on what's going on, loves to watch a riser that I'm casting to from right next to my hip. I work pretty hard at not being around other anglers, and I've a collar so if he forgets I can remind him gently, then rather firmly about things like other folks, vile things to roll in, or traffic. I work pretty hard to respect the space of other anglers. But in general, I don't much care if he spooks fish or whatever for me, it's all part of it. I've some great stories of him as a pup, doing the superdog thing into a wonderful pool of rising cutties in Wyoming....., sitting in the NForkClearwater on a rock with my previous dog watching the 96% eclipse....I've stories of 4 dogs now, it's so easy to start and so hard to think about them now....

My advice: Take'm, they'll learn, you'll miss a fish or two but gain a ton of memories with your best pal. A trip without my dog just isn't as much fun for me. Of course, I don't fish a lot with other folks, just mostly with my dog.

 

[krusty]

Fishing with dogs is like fishing with children; the fishing can't consume your total attention, but it provides its own pleasure. Ya just gotta go with the flow and roll with it!

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

My advice: Take'm, they'll learn, you'll miss a fish or two but gain a ton of memories with your best pal. A trip without my dog just isn't as much fun for me. Of course, I don't fish a lot with other folks, just mostly with my dog.

Here, here!!!!

cheers

 

[Uptonogood]

My dog, Grits’s, was very obedient, both wading and in the boat. She enjoyed the fight and landing the trout, never made a move to grab. She was fond of snacks and lunch.

I have read a number of news reports of dog owners drowning while trying to save their dog swept away by river current. The owners died, the dogs always made it to shore. Be damn sure your dog obeys you totally and instantly while on the wate.

 

[krusty]

My dog, Grits’s, was very obedient, both wading and in the boat. She enjoyed the fight and landing the trout, never made a move to grab. She was fond of snacks and lunch.

I have read a number of news reports of dog owners drowning while trying to save their dog swept away by river current. The owners died, the dogs always made it to shore. Be damn sure your dog obeys you totally and instantly while on the wate.

Many years ago I was riding on the back of a 6 wheeled swamp buggy in the Alaskan interior with a local resident and his big yellow lab, and returning from a lengthy day's journey. About an hour from home the track started to run adjacent to a good sized river with plenty of current. To my amazement the dog launched himself into the river and we rapidly lost sight of him as he was swept away.

I was plenty concerned for his survival and asked if we should start looking for him...figuring he might be a goner. The owner shrugged and said his dog did that sort of thing all the time and that "he was just taking a short cut home".

Sure enough the lab beat us home, and was happily sitting on the porch, drying off from his swim.

 

[dirty dog]

I take my dogs fishing in places where it is safe for them to run amuck.
Bank fishing it is important for your dog to know how to heal, nothing worse than having your dog spook the fish.
When taking you puppy fishing it will be more important for training than you fishing.
Most important "if you don't train yer dog, yer dog will train you"

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

I have a friend that gill nets off Southern California. His Chesapeake Bay retriever would calmly watch him bring in huge sharks, swordfish, marlin, sunfish etc... But whenever a mammal was "encountered", that dog went ballistic. Puzzling, but it shows that a very mellow dog can be "triggered" when it encounters mammals. Beavers, otters, deer etc. might cause a well trained dog to disobey. That being said, my buddy always took his dog fishing.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

I once knew a dog named Betty. She was a "dock dog" that was absolutely obsessed with fishing. Anyone fishing, she was right there staring at the action. A fish on, she was dancing around barking. They actually trained her to grab the pole in her mouth when a fish was on. One day I was reeling in a 2lb spotted bay bass. Betty saw this from three docks down, defied her owner, and ran to watch me land the fish. After I released the bass, she slinked back to get her scolding. Perhaps she was a reincarnated sport fisherman, just perhaps.

 

[krusty]

Our beloved German Shepherd Tasha loved to go fishing in our canoe...pouncing upon any fish brought aboard, which she'd proudly 'hand-over' to whoever hooked it. Needless to say one didn't bring aboard trout that weren't going to be harvested.

She was amazingly logical; though she disliked swimming she loved retrieving thrown sticks, but when thrown out into a lake she'd jump into the canoe so she could be paddled out to the stick...where she'd jump out of the canoe and swim to shore with it.

She hated squirrels, which in itself is not an unusual canine attribute, but when she'd tree'd one of the varmints she would bite the offending tree that provided its refuge, apparently in the belief it would then give up the squirrel.

A loyal family companion, she once aggressively foiled an attempted abduction of my wife when she returned home from work late one night...yet was an incredibly gentle dog with children and those she accurately sensed to be no threat.

 

[Dekartes]

I have been training my Bernedoodle pup for hiking and fishing. Recently took him up to the Meadow Lake Camp. He did great. He did go into the drink fairly quickly when looking over the front of the boat. He learned and didn't do that again. The handle on the PFD is great for fishing a pup out. The comment about teaching your dog to heel is spot on. We spent more time off leash training and teaching commands than fishing! Fun trip none the less.

 

[John Svahn]

Mr. George fishing and dreaming about fishing

 

[John Svahn]

George likes to fish. He is pretty good with rattlers, but eats a dead fish on occasion, which I'm told can be toxic. We go the boat route usually. Oh one other thing... he gets fussy the most about the canoe or boat getting cold. Esp with the canoe, the water cools the hull down significantly. Our skiff is better but the aluminum sides get cold.