Take a Kid Fishing
Fishing with small children! You will go nuts! You may as well try to wrestle your mother-in-law, it's a tough situation to win. Make it easy on yourself and follow these few simple rules.
1. Take them to a small pond or lake which is loaded with fish. The idea is to ensure a catch, any kind of fish will do, as long as they are biting. Use a size 10 hook with a bit of worm on it, not the whole worm, just a piece. Put a split shot on the line about six inches above the hook, attach a bobber to dangle the bait just off the bottom and cast it out for the child.
2. The child will immediately reel the line in, thinking this is the thing to do. Let them! You can cast it out for them again while explaining that a good fisherman lets the worm stay still so the fish can find it. Tell them to watch the bobber, when it goes under, then they can reel the rig in.
3. Most likely, the child will lose interest in about five minutes or less. Their attention span is not very great and they will want to explore the surrounding area, the bait container, other people's catches, etc. Allow them to do so, you keep their rig in the water so if they do happen to hook a fish, they can then reel it in themselves. (legal notice- YOU must have a fishing license, if you are handling a rod in any way, then YOU are fishing. It's an expensive lesson to learn the hard way, most game wardens will not listen to your explainations that the child is fishing. If you touch the rod, then you must be licensed.)
4. When a fish is landed by the child, let the child decide if it gets thrown back or kept. They may want to show their prize off, let them do so. Throwing a fish back unexpectedly can cause some real anguish for the child. The lesson of catch and release can be taught later in life, right now all you are looking for is a good time for the child.
Good luck! You are doing one of the best things anyone can do for a small child, taking them fishing. Keep it short and sweet, no matter what happens out there, keep a smile on your face, this is supposed to be fun! Don't forget to take a picture.
Fishing with small children! You will go nuts! You may as well try to wrestle your mother-in-law, it's a tough situation to win. Make it easy on yourself and follow these few simple rules.
1. Take them to a small pond or lake which is loaded with fish. The idea is to ensure a catch, any kind of fish will do, as long as they are biting. Use a size 10 hook with a bit of worm on it, not the whole worm, just a piece. Put a split shot on the line about six inches above the hook, attach a bobber to dangle the bait just off the bottom and cast it out for the child.
2. The child will immediately reel the line in, thinking this is the thing to do. Let them! You can cast it out for them again while explaining that a good fisherman lets the worm stay still so the fish can find it. Tell them to watch the bobber, when it goes under, then they can reel the rig in.
3. Most likely, the child will lose interest in about five minutes or less. Their attention span is not very great and they will want to explore the surrounding area, the bait container, other people's catches, etc. Allow them to do so, you keep their rig in the water so if they do happen to hook a fish, they can then reel it in themselves. (legal notice- YOU must have a fishing license, if you are handling a rod in any way, then YOU are fishing. It's an expensive lesson to learn the hard way, most game wardens will not listen to your explainations that the child is fishing. If you touch the rod, then you must be licensed.)
4. When a fish is landed by the child, let the child decide if it gets thrown back or kept. They may want to show their prize off, let them do so. Throwing a fish back unexpectedly can cause some real anguish for the child. The lesson of catch and release can be taught later in life, right now all you are looking for is a good time for the child.
Good luck! You are doing one of the best things anyone can do for a small child, taking them fishing. Keep it short and sweet, no matter what happens out there, keep a smile on your face, this is supposed to be fun! Don't forget to take a picture.
Labels: fishing, kids, small children
posted by TTB at 7:50 AM
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