FISHING WITH THE KIDS

Young Brother and Sister Fishing from Dock

Fishing with the kids or other children, even somebody else’s can be the most rewarding thing you can do for yourself, your family, and the kids you take fishing!  You can start someone off on a lifelong journey of fun and enjoyment that they can then pass on to children of their own.  You can consider fishing off the dock, off of a pier, from the beach, on a pond, wadding shallow water, or from a boat. There are so many fishing options and even more in Florida. Making it one of the easiest and most fun things to do.  What equipment do you need? You will need Patience, patience, and more patience. It’s the most important thing you can bring on a fishing trip.

After all, it is the first few fishing experiences that will either hook kids for life or send them running back to their Playstations and Gameboys. Show them a good time, and kids will put the outdoors on top of their list of preferred activities. If you or your kids are inexperienced fishermen pick an outing that you and they can handle – something not too challenging the first time.  Remember the trip is about having fun- if it turns into a swimming outing, a rock-throwing contest or just exploring the shoreline it should be considered mission accomplished if all have a good time!

HAVE A FAMILY DISCUSSION

Before considering your next family kids fishing trip, you should sit down and talk to your kids about fishing. Explain the safety and the do’s and don’t while on the activity. Get on Youtube, show them fishing, and watch fishing videos together. Educate them on how to know the different fish species you can catch in the places where you plan to go fishing. It’s commonly known, and a proven track record that you should not start the kids fishing for Marlin or Shark. Experiences shows take them to places with a lot of activity of small fish to peak and keep their interest. don’t start with Billfish or Sharks!

Use the discussion to tell your kids what you expect from them. Explain the basic techniques, such as ‘rod’, ‘reel’, and ‘lure’, but keep it simple, fun, and interesting. Show them on the videos how fishing works, that you don’t always catch every fish that bites the line. You can consider drawing on a piece of paper or letting them show you what they think they know. Let them know you can bring some toys to play with. Not all kids are going to spend hours just fishing, so just think ahead and don’t get discouraged if their interest is not at the same level as yours.

CONSIDER A PROFESSIONAL

This can also be one of the best uses of a fishing captain and a reason to hire a fishing charter. Searching and fishing the right captain, that loves fishing with kids can be worth its weight in gold. A good captain is good storytellers, he will call your kids by there name, share information about the boat and the fish in the area. The reasoning is to add a third-party validation to experience to make your kids comfortable with the captain, in fact, they will enjoy fishing more in the long run.

Teach Your Kids Fishing, it brings smiles

WHAT TO BRING

Make sure you and the kids wear proper clothing and bring a change of clothing for everybody is important. Light jackets, flip flops or shoes they can get wet, plenty of sunscreen and hats all around.  A small medical kit with band-aids and hand sanitizer is a good idea as well. Make sure you pack a lunch, bring plenty of drinks including lots of water and plenty of snacks. Fishing can make a young angler very hungry.  If the area has bugs, don’t forget to bring bug spray, equally important is sunscreen.

An hour or two out on the water is generally enough for most younger anglers and as kids get older and if they have a liking for the water and fishing then you can plan longer trips.  In these days of video games and indoor electronics getting kids started outside can be a real challenge but it is important to introduce your kids to all that the outdoor has to offer now.

TACKLE

Keep it simple, light tackle rods and reels are the best things for the beginners. Consider buying reasonably under $25, stay away from the real kid’s stuff like toy rods and reels. These products will only cause you more aggravation. Consistently trying to get them to work properly, you end up spending more time with your lines out of the water. Do your research before you go, have the proper bait and gear, and know what to use for bait. Make sure you take the kids to the tackle store with you. An old fashioned tackle store can be a wondrous place for a youngun.

Find some kind of seats to bring with you. This is a must, even if it is just five-gallon buckets turned upside down standing all day in the hot sun gets old quick.  A pair of needle-nose pliers and a hand towel are basically all you need along with extra hooks, sinkers, snap swivels, and a bobber or two.  Practice casting in the back yard before you go, this will raise the anticipation and also get everyone use to handling the equipment.

SAFETY

Always, always have all young children wear life preservers. They are going to kick and scream, they are going to tell you how hot they are and how uncomfortable but never give that one up!  And if you are out in a boat, make sure you wear one as well. The kids can do nothing to help save you and if you get into trouble helping them you are no help at all.  You are out there to catch fish not each other – hooks are sharp and eyes and skin are tenders make sure you supervise the casting of bait and hook now is the time to teach your child proper casting etiquette, always look behind you before you cast!

WHATS THE RIGHT LENGTH OF THE FIRST TRIP?

This heavily depends on how much the kids have been exposed to fishing up to this point. There are some kids who grew up in families where the moms and dads may be outdoors people. Other family kids haven’t had the chance to spend that much time outside or near the water. If this is the first fishing experience or the first time the kids are on the water that’s completely different.

If the latter is true, we would suggest starting with shorter trips that are closer to home. Keep it to a few hours, especially if your kids are under 9. This short window of time will provide a solid exposure to fishing. Maybe even, without the kids getting bored by the time the trip is completed. Start slow, no reason to overwhelm them, or push them to the breaking point at the beginning.

This can be handled differently with all ages of kids. Teenagers will have more patience however, you can go to long and push them away also. It about managing the time of your trip around the kids and not you!

Teach Your Kids Fishing

BEST TYPE FOR FISHING WITH THE KIDS

Some areas and styles of fishing are easier than others. Starting with, fishing for Speckled Trout in Miami Biscayne Bay and Redfish in New Smyrna on the east coast of Florida. Easy fish to catch and very rewarding to catch. In places like Orlando, the panfish and bass are easy to access. Other places like on Lake Erie kids can also try fishing for Perch or Smallmouth Bass. All across the United States, there are great places to go fishing with great access with little to no cost.

IN CONCLUSION

And finally, this is your opportunity to teach them about conservation, “catch and release.” Build a foundation early, that they should leave the area where the fish, in better condition than when arrived.  A properly planned trip can be as rewarding for the adult as it is for the child. To see the children’s faces when they catch their first fish, may bring back childhood memories of your own. By helping to “pass on” the love for fishing. You are helping to ensure that there will be another generation of future anglers.
Good luck and have fun!