Are you sick and tired of your walls being covered in crayon? Is your toddler running around the house, knocking over every vase, in need of some fun outdoor activity? Or, are you simply so fed up with “Baby Shark” that feel compelled to catch one? If so, you’ve probably wondered “can a 2-year-old go fishing?”
You are in luck! Not only is the answer, yes, you can take your 2-year-old fishing, but it’s also the best time to take them! This is the perfect age at which to take a kid fishing for several reasons. First, they’ll be super excited about every little fish caught, no matter how large. Second, this is an age where they want to copy everything you do, and they’ll grin from ear to ear if you let them practice casting. Third, this is a point in their life where they’re really into slime, water, and animals. In short, 2-year-olds love to fish. You need to take them!
Now, you may have already seen my article about what a good age is to take a child fishing, but this will expand on that, so read on. Note that this article does assume that your kid is about 2-3 years old. If they are much younger, please refer to my post about fishing with babies and infants.
Why You Should Take a Young Kid Fishing
It might surprise you, but fishing is a great sport for young kids like 2-year-olds or 3-year-olds. Like soccer, it’s one of those activities they can mostly handle. Sure, most kids won’t be able to make that great of a cast at first, but they can quickly get the hang of it. There aren’t too many ways that they can be “just like mommy or daddy,” but fishing is one of them.
That’s empowering for kids. After all, how many of your hobbies do they “really” get to play along with at this age? Much of the time, they probably feel left out on the sidelines. If you take your 2-year-old out to catch some fish, they’ll be front and center for the action.
I’ve also found that my children listen to me better while we’re out fishing. While I struggle just as much as anyone else to get them to eat their food or pick up their toys, they listen very intently to instruction with a fishing pole in their hands. This is because they’re so interested that it’s easy for them to pay attention. Little kids have ADD from the 7th ring of hell, but if they find something fascinating, they’re laser-focused. I’ve yet to find a 2-year-old who saw me catch a fish and didn’t want to catch one of their own.
Finally, you ought to take your 2-year-old fishing with you because they think it’s just the coolest thing ever, and that’ll make you the coolest parent ever. Well, at least until you get back in the car.
What to Expect When Fishing With a 2-Year-Old
In a word, tangles. Lots and lots of tangles. Everywhere there will be tangles, the likes of which you’ve never seen. There’ll be no reason for you to wonder if old fishing line goes bad. It’ll never get the chance.
You may think I’m joking, but I’m not. You know how it only takes your 2-year-old two seconds to get into trouble? I think it’s more like one when they’re fishing. You should absolutely expect to have significant equipment breakdowns, and you should therefore bring a couple of spares. I recommend bringing no less than three fishing rods when you take a 2-year-old along.
- Alpha Rod: the fishing rod currently in your 2-year-old’s hands. It is in the process of being tangled.
- Bravo Rod: the fishing rod currently in your hands. It is in the process of being detangled.
- Charlie Rod: the fishing rod currently resting up against a tree. It is about to be tangled.
It might seem like overkill, but if you don’t bring along three rods you’re going to spend most of your time fixing issues with one and your kids will get bored. Fishing with 2-year-olds very much feels like reloading muskets during the American Revolution. It takes time and is a constant, all trip long.
Can a 2-Year-Old Catch Their Own Fish?
Yes, but you shouldn’t expect this. My son was casting, hooking, fighting, and landing his own fish before he was two, but I am insane. You’ll note I started an entire blog about this. I’d assume most people haven’t had their kids on this kind of track since they were little. So, it’s going to take them a few trips. Your best bet is to cast out for them, and also try to cast your own rod out. When you get a bite on your rod (which is more likely, since your kid has probably reeled theirs in immediately), hand it over to your 2-year-old and have them reel it in.
You’re going to need to coach them through the reeling and fighting of the fish. My father always used to coach, “keep the rod up high!” While this can lead to high-sticking, which you don’t want, with little kids like 2-year-olds, it really is good advice. They’re too short to keep much pressure on the fish in any other way. Also, it’s unlikely they’re catching a fish large enough to break the rod via high-sticking (if they do, it’s probably stronger than them and they aren’t lifting it that high in the first place).
Tips for Fishing With a 2-Year-Old
Here are some tips and advice to make fishing with your 2-year-old much more enjoyable. You’ll note that most of the factors discussed below are entirely in your control. Given this sport has so much that isn’t, I would advise you to consider these.
Wear the Right Clothing
Taking a 2-year-old fishing requires special clothing. You should outfit your children in some rainboots, regardless of how sunny it is. I suppose if it is really hot, crocs or other water shoes would be fine. Don’t put them in anything that you want to keep clean, as it’s not happening. You also need to get them a sunhat, even if it isn’t that sunny. Trust me, fishing is so exciting that you’ll forget to reapply sunscreen, which you don’t want. I like wide-brimmed hats that have a snap to help keep them in place.
What is the Best Fishing Pole for a 2-Year-Old
Once a child reaches about 2 or 3 years old, the best fishing pole to buy them is an Ugly Stik. They’re durable, inexpensive (important since you want three of them), and last a lifetime. They are perfectly sufficient for catching any fish a 2-year-old is likely to hook into. Kids this age don’t need the sensitivity some of the higher-end brands provide, as they’re going to be fishing mostly with live bait which provides an obvious bite. If you’re interested in learning more about why Ugly Stik is my favorite fishing rod for kids, check out my review of the Ugly Stik Elite fishing rods.
What Lures Should You Use With a 2-Year-Old?
I’d strongly urge you to avoid using lures and instead use bait. Lures are artificial objects intended to trick fish into biting, thinking it’s a meal. Bait is the real deal. We’re talking worms, crickets, hot dogs and corn (where legal).
Of these, I find that worms work the best, especially when rigged with a drop shot. I favor drop shots because they’re easy to tie and cast, keep your bait up off the bottom where fish might see it, and can easily be converted to a slower-moving target by removing the sinker.
Should You Use a Bobber?
I’m really not a fan of fishing with bobbers when I take kids out. I find the technique to be boring as people tend to cast their rod out and then set it down, waiting for a fish to bite. I find that you get far more bites by working the bait back to shore or the boat in a series of short little twitches with pauses. If I was going to fish with a bobber, I’d leave that rod off to the side and have my kid working a different one.
Bobbers are fine if fishing is the ancillary activity, so if you’re “mostly” playing catch and just happen to be next to a lake, they’re useful. I just feel that they take something that should be active and exciting and make it very passive.
This Sounds Stressful…
Yes, it can be. However, you’re in luck! I wrote an entire article about making fishing with kids stress-free that I highly encourage you not only to read, but also to share with your spouse and anyone else who is coming for the trip. One thing that bears repeating from that article is simply to keep your cool. Look, you’re catching sunfish out there. If you lose one, does it really matter? Of course not. Indeed, you might think about a fishing trip as an awesome way to showcase some resilience for your children by always being on the up and up no matter what goes wrong. So look at the little adventures of taking a 2-year-old fishing as a learning opportunity and leave it at that.
How to Keep a 2-Year-Old Interested in Fishing
My best two pieces of advice for how to keep a 2-year-old (or any kid) interested in fishing are pretty simple:
- Get a fish into the livewell or bucket as fast as you can.
- Have plenty of other distractions besides fishing.
The first one makes enough sense. For years, I’ve stressed the need to catch a fish as quickly as you can and put it in the livewell or bucket. This gives kids something to “check in on” whenever they start getting bored. I’ve found that my son and daughter spend almost as much time staring at the livewell than they do fishing some days! From a 2-year-old’s perspective, if there’s no fish in the livewell, then you’re just standing there holding a fishing rod. They don’t do well with delayed gratification. Once the fish is in the livewell, they have a “friend” to hang out with until their next opportunity to start reeling.
As for distractions, well, as counter-intuitive as it may be, one of the best ways to keep kids interested in fishing is to have other stuff going on that can pull them away from it. It’s the same concept, really, as getting the fish in the livewell. You want your kids to have other things pulling their attention away so they don’t have time to get bored with the actual angling. I find that soccer balls and worm buckets are just about perfect for this!
Conclusions: Yes, You Can Take a 2-Year-Old Fishing
You shouldn’t hesitate for a moment to take your 2-year-old fishing with you. Indeed, it’s one of the best experiences that a parent can share with their child. If you aren’t convinced, I’d suggest that you check out my article on a boatload of reasons to take your kids fishing sometime. There’s plenty of good ones!
As always, if you need more help please feel free to email me, leave a comment below, or join my Facebook group and post a message there seeking advice. You can also buy my book which was written specifically to help you with the exact kind of questions that led you to this page (click on the picture below my signature for the purchase link on Amazon). I love interacting with fans and helping people learn to fish with their kids, so please don’t feel as though it’s any trouble!
Have a great day for fishing,
John Paxton
