Sunfish excursion on 4MR with my 3 yr old daughter 5/16/26

[Misha Gill]

I've come to really love this sunfish spot in Shirlington. Jennie Dean Park is a top-notch Arlington County public park. It's really accessible, with easy parking in a parking lot, and there are good facilities if needed. There's even a restaurant with a stellar name there for lunch: ye olde Weenie Beenie (just punch that into your maps and it'll navigate you right to the parking spot!). Once parked, you can either put in directly at the bridge or walk up along a walking path right next to the stream. If you go downstream, there's a canyon section. But going upstream, the stream itself is very easy to wade. 

Its a charming setting. Today there were families pushing strollers, an adult softball game being played, and plenty of people just enjoying the sunny 70 degree weather. There was even a mulberry tree in bloom right at the beginning of our walk. I picked a few off the tree, and they were perfectly ripe. Truly an immaculate day. 

I first discovered this spot four or five years ago. I noticed a bass hanging out in the stream below the dog park. I thought, "Oh, maybe I should come back and try this stream sometime." When I decided to try it, I brought my buddy and TPFR board member Brook Rolter with me, and at the end of two hours we had caught 122 red breast and green sunfish. I have a picture of the clicker to prove it. 

So when it was time to teach teddy fly fishing and get him his first fish, I knew where to look. I scoped out the perfect spot. On an island below a pedestrian bridge, there's a flat rock right next to some deep water. I think of it now as Teddy's Rock. Teddy was three years old and standing on this rock when he caught his very first fish all by himself, a beautiful red breast sunfish. There's a video of it on my Instagram. It's an unforgettable moment. He caught his sunny on a fly Brook gave me, Brammer's pheasant bugger.

Since then I've taken Teddy fishing a bunch of times. And now that Avery is three, she's started to tune into it when we talk about going fishing. As the younger child, naturally she's started to experience some fomo when Teddy and I have gone out for some father-son excursions. Long story short, I've been promising to take her fishing. So yesterday when she asked to go, I finally had the chance to say yes! I figured since it worked so well the first time I would take her to Teddy's Rock.

Snacks, sling pack, and six foot 2 wt rigged, we started walking. We encountered the mulberry tree, then a perfect interpretive sign describing the wildlife, and caught some enticing views of the stream. I even had the opportunity to point out some poison ivy to Avery and give her a little lesson on it. Eventually we came to the spot to get off the trail and bushwhack down to the stream. I located a perfectly sized stick to give Avery, got below her on the path, and helped her down the semi-steep bank. I'll say she kinda got the hang of using the stick to find and secure a spot before walking. For a three-year-old, it was pretty good. We enjoyed some rock hopping, and then one little daddy boost got us over the stream and on to what im now calling Avery's Island. Avery kept her spirit up as we rock-hopped down to Teddy's Rock. I rigged up a fly, and we started fishing. 

The thing about sunny fishing is that it's got all the elements of any other flavor of fishing. At the end of my day, I'd figured out which fly worked the best, but then lost it on a hook set. The bigger specimens of our quarry were elusive, although I did get one or two decent ones. And we did have to work some technique in order to be successful. 

Avery did a great job. Teddy and I had given her a little lesson in roll casting with an Orvis Practi-caster in the morning, and she put her newly developed skills to work. Overcoming my excessive coaching, she even managed to get some bites! Then, she caught a fish! She celebrated by having a protein bar for a snack. Then I got to do a little fishing, and we switched spots and we caught some more, and then it was time to go to a birthday party. 

I've attached a few photos, but head over to my Instagram profile for the full album.  The attachments limit for Google groups is only 5 items or 8 MB!

Tight lines everybody! 

 

Michael "Misha" Gill

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