It was about time my German Shepherd Finn came along on his first ultralight fishing trip.
We headed out early evening with high hopes of an LRF bass session. Conditions looked decent on arrival, with that familiar calm in the water and a slight drop in energy that usually comes just before fish start showing. Nothing extreme, just steady, fishable conditions that felt worth committing to for a few hours.
From the moment we got down to the water he was fully alert. Not in a nervous way, just constantly scanning everything. The rod being set up, the movement of the line, the small ripples pushing across the surface, all of it had his attention. He stayed close the entire time, which made the setup feel slower and more relaxed than usual, like I was not rushing into the session in the same way I normally would.
Settling Into the Session
As the light started to fade properly, we settled into fishing. I started light as usual, working small soft plastics slowly along the bottom and covering the likely areas without overworking anything. The water had that in between feel where you know bass could be around but nothing is fully giving itself away yet. Finn stayed right beside me during this period, sitting or standing depending on what was happening, but always watching the water more than anything else.
Fishing was slow early on. There were no obvious surface signs, and nothing that really gave a strong indication of fish being active in numbers. Just the occasional bit of tension in the line that could have been weed or a very soft touch, but nothing that turned into a proper bite. It was one of those steady sessions where you just keep hoping, rather than expecting constant action.
First Bass of the Session
Eventually I got a proper take. It was not aggressive, more of a steady pull that felt different straight away. I tightened into it and the rod loaded up cleanly, confirming it was a fish. On ultra light gear even small bass feel proper lively, and this one stayed deep for a moment before making a couple of short runs and coming up towards the surface. Nothing dramatic, just a typical small bass fight, but enough to break the blank and confirm there were fish in the area.
I brought it in steady and unhooked it quickly. Finn was immediately interested at that point, moving closer and watching the fish in the net. It was the first time he had properly seen anything like that up close, and he stayed focused on the fish with pure curiosity.
After the First Fish
After that the session stayed fairly similar. A few more small signs of life, including short taps and a couple of half commits, but nothing that fully developed. It felt like fish were present but not fully switched on, which is fairly typical for that kind of early evening window when everything is still settling.
I kept the approach simple and slow throughout. Same lure, same general areas, just adjusting retrieve speed slightly. There was no need to overcomplicate it, just steady fishing and reading whatever signs were there.
Finn stayed calm through all of this. He would sit beside me, then stand again when anything changed or caught his attention. By the end of the session he had settled into it completely, not reacting to every little sound anymore, just watching and occasionally shifting position when I moved or when the water changed slightly.
End of the Session
As darkness came in properly the activity slowly faded out. No sudden stop, just a gradual drop in interest until it reached that point where casts felt less and less necessary. I wound down shortly after, as there was nothing really left to work with and the water had gone quiet again.
It was a simple session overall, but a good one for a first trip together. Nothing overcomplicated, just steady fishing, a few signs of life, and a chance to get Finn used to being around the water properly during an actual session rather than just a short visit.
Final Thoughts
For a first outing, it could not really have gone much smoother. Finn handled the environment better than expected, settling quickly from full curiosity mode into a calm presence beside me as the session went on. There was no stress, no pulling around, just steady observation and gradual understanding of what was happening around him.
From a fishing point of view it was a typical early season bass session. Not explosive, not packed with action, but enough signs to keep it interesting and confirm fish were in the area. The kind of session where you earn every bite rather than stumble into a feeding frenzy.
What stood out most was how different the pace felt with him there. Everything naturally slowed down a touch, not because I was trying to fish differently, but because the session felt more grounded and less rushed. It made the whole thing feel more like an experience than just a quick evening session.
