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The Complete Guide to Taking A Kid Fishing!Jan 02 '08 (Updated Jan 05 '08) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Take a Kid Fishing! --------------------------------Reasons to Start a Kid Fishing:---------------------------- There are many reasons to get kids involved with fishing. You might want to pass your knowledge of the sport down to them like it has been passed down to you when you were a kid. You might want to get them involved in an outdoor activity and away from television and video games. You might want to get them involved in a sport that can be as competitive as they want it to be, they can compete in tournaments and make a career out of fishing if they want to take it that far. You might want them to bring home dinner or a meal from time to time. Or you might just want them to take part in that good old fashioned fun. You might want to spend some quality time with the kids and there aren’t many better places than out on the water. But the best reason of all is that They Want To Go Fishing. ------------------------------------- The Most Important Things-------------------------------- Safety: Safety is the most important thing to consider when taking a kid fishing. Fishing is exclusive to water and water can be dangerous if not taken seriously. Make sure that if you have a kid in a boat or canoe that they are wearing a life jacket that fits properly and is fastened. Teach them this from day one and it will become habit, like second nature for them to practice safety in the future, just like wearing a seat belt. Kids are notorious for falling out of the boat from standing up or leaning over the edge. Even if they can swim it is still a great idea to make sure they have the proper life jacket fastened because they might bump their head or get trapped under the boat or several other things that we pray never happens. Most States require children to wear life jackets anyway so make this a top priority. I also recommend dressing a kid in a life jacket even when fishing from the bank as kids are notorious for falling in or taking an inadvertent plunge from time to time. Most of this is common sense and the kids age and experience should be brought into consideration for the freedom you allow them. Watch out for hooks . Kids love playing around with anything within reach and if the fish aren’t biting then they might get into trouble playing around the tackle box. Make sure they only have access to lures without hooks such as soft plastic or rubber worms and flukes if they want to play around. Keep the hooks away from them and keep a watchful eye on the hook you are allowing them to use. I like to make the cast for any of the inexperienced kids I bring out on the lake and this not only proves to be safer but more enjoyable and more successful for all involved. This is a great time to teach kids to watch their back cast so they don’t hook themselves in the rear or anyone else in the boat. I have brought adults to the emergency room to get hooks removed from other adults inadvertent back casts. This is not fun and a little bit of education and learning at an early age will prevent future mishaps and ruined days on the water. Fun After safety, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the kid has fun. Make it fun for the kid no matter what. When I am bringing young kids fishing I don’t even wet a line for myself because I am so busy casting for them or getting lures free from snags, tying on new lures, or teaching them how to cast or retrieve a certain lure. This in turn becomes fun for me, watching them learn and have a good time can be much more rewarding then catching any trophy fish. You really have to cater to their wants when out on the water. If they want to throw that ugly looking frog lure even though its not the right season or the right location tie it on for them. They will have fun trying out the lures they want to. In a couple of minutes you might have to tie on something else but that is ok, tie it on. I have found that kids have the most fun just like adults, when they are catching fish. Since I am a bass tournament fishermen I don’t make it a habit to fish with bait because it is not allowed during competition. When I am fishing alone or practicing on a lake I fish artificial lures only. But with a kid I will make an exception and for the sake of them catching fish I will bring worms or shiners for a fun day out on the water. No matter what anyone says, you cannot beat the real thing. I have fished a spot for half an hour before with artificial lures and the kids decided they wanted to fish so they threw their shiners over with their Snoopy poles and slayed some huge bass instantly like I hadn’t just made about 50 casts right off of their noses. Make sure the kids have fun by catching fish. Worms, live bait, and bobbers are only looked down upon by seasoned fishermen because they work so well and are said to be for beginners, keep that in mind. Swallow your pride and buy them a Spongebob Bobber or Barbie bobber and pole if it will keep them interested longer and let them fish some live bait. When the fun is up and they want to go home, go home. Nothing spoils a kid on fishing faster than the parent who makes them stay out on the lake when they are not having fun. Sure you might only have one day of the weekend to go fishing and you want to spend more than an hour or so on the water but the most important thing is to get the kid hooked on fishing and don’t burn them out if they are not into it. On the other hand, if they want to go and want to get out on the lake more often or for longer durations do all that is in your power to give them that chance and opportunity. Catch and Release: The conservation of the sport is very important after safety and fun. If generations had not practiced catch and release before us we would not have the great fisheries that we have today. I often wonder how many times I have caught the same fish in lakes that I have pounded and when I get a large fish called a lunker in the bass world, I know that fish is at least 8-15 years old and I wonder how many times it has been caught and released before. I really enjoyed catching it along with all of the other people who have already caught it and the ones that will catch it after I release it. I have heard so many Old Timers tell stories of the buckets of fish they brought home five and ten gallons at a time and the fishing aint what it used to be, gee, I wonder why. If you teach the kids that you bring along fishing the importance of catch and release they might do the same and teach other fishermen and other generations. I was lucky enough that my Father taught me to Free the Fighter. ------------------------------------- Choose the right Equipment:-------------------------------- Equipment: Start the kids off with the right equipment. Reels such as baitcaster and spinning reels are made for more experienced fishermen. A Push Button reel is not only fool proof, it is kid proof too. I can remember that old Zebco I had when I was a little kid. I can remember graduating up to a spinning reel and then finally learning how to fish with a baitcasting reel. For little tikes the push button reel is great, they compress the button and let it go when they want the line to come out. Casting is very easy and there isn’t much that can go wrong. The spinning reel can be used for more experienced kids and this offers a better drag system and a little more accuracy in casting. Starting kids off with equipment that is too difficult for them can not only ruin their day but yours as well. Take them shopping and give them some choices of rods and reels in their skill level and let them choose. There are enough rod/reel combo’s on the shelves of Wal-Marts with Snoopy, Spongebob, Spiderman, Superman, Barbie, and other characters to keep the kid entertained even if they are not catching fish. Bobbers are great for the kids whether you have them using artificial lures or live bait. It gives them something to focus on and is very exciting to see get pulled underwater by a fish. It also helps you in keeping an eye on their line and letting them know if they have a fish. My father used to take off most of the treble hooks on my lures when I was learning to cast so I wouldn’t get hung up so much in the bushes or weeds and I wouldn’t hook myself. He would leave one per lure so I had enough to catch a fish but not ruin the day for both of us. It was a good little trick that I like to use now. If you don’t have the knowledge or equipment, try hiring a fishing guide . Let them know you want to bring a kid and you are interested in getting them involved with the sport. Most guides will take care of you and give both the child and you an enjoyable day on the water. They have all of the equipment you need and the knowledge of where the fish are and what they are biting. Call around or look on the internet for a good local guide and let them know just what you want. I am sure they will be able to accommodate you and the kids. --------------------------- The Benefits To Taking a Kid Fishing:--------------------------- Shared Time: Fishing with a kid is great time spent with a kid. They will have lasting memories and learn things out on the water that can never be taught in the classroom. I know this because my father brought me fishing every chance we had when I was growing up. The time we spent on the water was great bonding time and we had a great time together. Now I bring him out in my boat every chance I get. He loved to teach me how to use a certain lure or learn how to use a new reel. He taught me how to catch fish of all different species and under many different circumstances. There are so many little things that he passed down as an experienced fishermen. Even greater were the life lessons and conversations that we shared that seemed to be much easier with a fishing rod in our hands and a line in the water. Patience: This is an extremely hard thing to teach to a kid. Once they have some success in catching fish and they get positive reinforcement and feedback, they want to catch more. It is almost like they become hooked. When the fishing gets tough the ones who are hooked buckle down and get their first lesson in patience. Fish don’t just turn on like a light switch or a Gameboy, or PlayStation or Wii . I got my first lessons of patience out on the water trying to catch fish. Good Clean Fun: Fishing is a great sport and it gets the kids outdoors. Too many kids are spending their childhood in front of a computer or television screen and don’t get out for fresh air. Take them fishing, get them outdoors and see the smile on their face when they reel in their first or one hundredth fish. I am sure you have hear the slogan, Hooked on fishing, Not on Drugs . There is truth behind that as my fishing buddies all grew up clean and out of trouble. Out on the lake is a tough place to get into trouble. ---------------------------Don’t Make These Mistakes -------------------------- Pressure: Don’t put pressure on the kids to catch fish or bigger fish. Give them positive reinforcement for good casts, any fish they catch, and just for trying. Fishing at that level should be very loose and laid back. You will find it more enjoyable for everyone involved if things are kept loose. Keeping Every Fish Kids hate to throw fish back. I have seen it a hundred times. They want to keep every fish they catch until they learn that they can catch more and the importance of catch and release. Don’t start a bad habit of keeping every fish you catch. If you plan on eating a fish then keep it but I hate to see a nice fish become fertilizer for a backyard garden. Bring a camera and take pictures to assist in making memories. Kids love the pictures just as much and the picture smells much nicer a couple days later then a dead fish. Don’t Force them into it: Kids love to fish but not for as long of durations as adults do. Their attention spans are much shorter than ours. They might not be comfortable on the water for long periods of time. The worst thing you can do is to force them to fish, they will rebel. I have found that bringing plenty of food and drinks, maybe a set of binoculars, will help to keep them occupied for longer periods. Let them bring their Ipods if they want to. Growing Up has changed from when I was a kid and I am sure my Dad said the same thing. Try to keep them happy and they will naturally take to fishing and you will be happy in the long run. --------------------- One of My Favorite Kid Fishing Stories --------------------- I will never forget the time I brought my Kid Brother out on the lake for some bass fishing. He won't either, I know because I am reminded of it every time we fish, "Remember that time you dove in for your rod and caught that lunker," he says. I brought him to one of my hot spots for largemouth bass. Bass offer kids and grownups alike chances to just catch a fish. They offer an excellent fight when they are on the line which makes them even more of a choice fish to start a youngster on. My Kid brother was 7 at the time and had only fished a couple of times. I let him use my good gear because what the heck, its just gear. He was fishing out the front of my 14 foot aluminum deep-V. "I got a mess", he hollered and did he ever. We were fishing over a steep drop off where the depth goes from 6 to 20 feet deep in a matter of inches. Bass hide on the side of these drop off to ambush bait and other prey as they come over the edge. It also offers them a difference in water temperature all the way from cold to hot. They will often school up in the thermocline, where the two temperatures meet. Back to the mess. I looked up and he had not one, not two, but three of my rods in a tangled mess. I couldn't believe it. The fishing was slow and he thought he would have a better chance of catching a fish if he had three lines in the water. I set my rod down, with my jig still in the water, to help him. The fishing was slow anyway and I didn't think I would get a bite. Boy was I wrong. After about five minutes of untangling the mess he hollered and yelled full of laughter, "Your rod just went over the edge." I looked back just in time to see my rod flip over the edge of the boat, fly about 10 feet in the air and land in the water. Then it started to sink and swim away from us. I had to do something fast so I did the first thing I thought of, I jumped in after it. "Man Overboard," my brother yelled as I jumped in. After swimming down about 8 feet I finally reached my rod. I grabbed it and set the hook. I kept reeling as I got closer to the boat. When I made it to the boat I handed him the rod and told him to reel it in. He landed a nice 4 pound largemouth before I could even crawl back into the boat. What a day! He always likes to remind me of that story, and it was a good one. copyright smallmouth 2008 Click on my other Fishing Reviews: -------------------------------------------LURES-------------------------------------------- Soft Baits: Zoom Horny Toad – The Senko – Gary Yamamoto's Ugly Kreature – Zoom Lizards – Zoom Salty Chunk Trailer Hard Baits: Rebel Pop-R - Arbogast Jitterbug – Zara Super Spook – Rat-L-Trap by Bill Lewis – Storm Wiggle Warts Skirted Baits: Chatterbait – Strike King Premier Spinnerbaits – Strike King Redeye Spinnerbait – K.V.D. Spinnerbaits – Terminator Ball Buster Buzz Bait – Terminator Finesse Jig --------------------------------------FISHING LINES----------------------------------------------------- Berkley Trilene XT – Berkley Trilene XL – Spiderwire Super Mono – Spiderwire Stealth Line --------------------------------------------REELS-------------------------------------------------------- Abu Garcia:Ambassadeur 4600C3 – Ambassadeur 6500 C3 – C4 series Reels Cardinal 500 Spinning Reel – Ambassadeur Revo SX-HS – Ambassadeur Revo S Shimano: Curado CU-200B5 – Curado CU-200B Quantum: Energy PT Baitcaster – Kinetic PTi Spinning Reel  |
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