How My Five-Year-Old Outfished the Whole Pier

Let me tell you about the day my five-year-old daughter, Emma, humbled every seasoned angler on Carolina Beach Pier.

It was a Saturday morning. The pier was packed with serious fishermen — guys with $500 rods, tackle boxes the size of refrigerators, and enough live bait to start an aquarium. Emma had a $12 Snoopy fishing rod from Walmart and a Ziploc bag of chicken nuggets she insisted were 'the best bait ever.'

While the experts cast far and waited patiently with their sophisticated setups, Emma dropped her chicken nugget about three feet from the pier. Within thirty seconds — I am not exaggerating — she had a spot on her hook. Then another. Then another.

By lunchtime, Emma had caught 23 fish. The guy next to us, who had been fishing since 5 AM with premium live shrimp, had caught two.

He packed up his gear, looked at Emma, and said: 'Ma'am, can I buy some of your nuggets?'