The nuclear Ovgard family is all in town this week. It’s not a common occurrence these days, with Jake in Phoenix, Gabe in Boise, my parents here and me afflicted with chronic wanderlust that will send me to Europe in a few weeks, but there are those golden moments where we all get to be together at the same time.

I used to take this quality time for granted, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to better understand my parents’ perspective that life is fleeting and try to treasure these moments while they last. “Try” being the operative word. We still argue and fight and annoy the hell out of one another, but that’s part of being family.

Thankfully, Gabe and Rylee have two adorable little boys who tend to temper everyone.

The oldest, Brave, is almost old enough that I want to take him fishing, but I think he’s probably still a little too young.

I’ll be going to Germany on active duty shortly before he turns two, and I won’t see him for almost a year. Sure, Brave will definitely be old enough to go fishing when I get back, but it breaks my heart to know I’ll miss all the little steps in between now and then.

It breaks my heart to know that I’ll miss Brave’s little brother, Brooks, going from newborn to baby to toddler.

He’ll be walking and talking when I’m back.

I’m cherishing those moments where I’m “Uke” right now. Where we run around and play games with toy trucks and tractors and explore outside and dance to music only Brave can hear. Even if these moments don’t involve Brave’s first fish, when I get back, Brave will be ready to go fishing.

Kids

For those of you with little ones, this month is a great time to go fishing. Whether your kid is 3 or 13, September offers some ideal fishing conditions. With youth sports, hunting season and football on TV, you will have far less competition on the water. Granted, for some that means skipping a youth soccer game and chasing pheasants or ducks or deer another time, but family-centric activities rarely turn into regrets, so go fishing!

With that Oregon winter fast approaching, trout will begin moving upriver to spawn. The hardcores (like me, most years) will chase those. This leaves the ample perch, bass, sunfish, pikeminnow and chub fisheries all across the state neglected by anglers. These neglected fishes are the perfect way to take your kid fishing.

Your local bass and bluegill pond will fish well during the day so long as there isn’t a major cold snap. Small jigs or small hooks with worms or even tiny dry flies on a spinning outfit are a guaranteed way to bring a smile to a child’s face when used to sight fish some All-American pond fish.

Ponds are close, accessible and generally easy to fish.

Still, they’re not for everyone. Larger groups easily outgrow small ponds by catching all available fish or simply not having enough physical space for everyone.

Enter larger waters.

It is the rivers and lakes with populations of yellow perch that offer greener pastures. In the fall, these fish are usually just as easy to catch while being even more plentiful than pond panfish thanks to an open ecosystem that can refill and redistribute itself as needed.

Light tackle, small hooks and worms typically catch everything. Just check local regulations to make sure bait is allowed.

Better still, you can keep these nonnative fishes, and panfish (bluegill, crappie, perch) have no limits in most Oregon waters, so you can catch a mess of them and have a fall fish fry that includes even more of your family.

Best of all? It’s not difficult fishing. In fact, catching fall panfish is child’s play.

Best bets

For readers in the Pendleton, La Grande or Baker City areas, McKay Reservoir is hard to beat. Perch are plentiful in the fall, but you can also catch carp, bass, trout and crappie fishing worms on light gear to keep things interesting.

The reservoir on the Powder River, about 17 miles southwest of Baker City, has a large population of yellow perch.

The fish were illegally introduced to the reservoir about 30 years ago. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, seeking to restore the rainbow trout fishery that the prodigious perch had harmed, trapped hundreds of thousands of perch over several years earlier this century.

The perch remain a predominant species in the reservoir, though, and anglers catch them year-round, including through the ice during winter.