Category: Fishing with Kids

My five-year-old is completely enamored with fishing, so much so that he even walks around saying, “Fishing is my life!” It’s cute, very convenient for me as I also love the hobby, and something I want to encourage. Reading him kids fishing books before I tuck him in is a great way to do this.

Over the past few years we’ve collected many fishing books that are well suited for toddlers and preschoolers, and even one or two that are better suited for older children. I thought I’d take a couple of minutes and go through a few of them to let you know my thoughts and impressions of each in case you’re trying to decide which one to buy. I also want to bring some attention to the authors (one was even written by an eight-year-old!) in the hopes that they’ll keep on writing books in this genre!

I’m going to divide this into two sections. First, we’ll have the best fishing books for teaching kids to fish. These are your nonfiction works that your child will look through while they’re planning their next fishing trip. Then, I’ll talk about some fishing books that make good bedtime stories. If you’re interested in books geared to adults, I also have a post about the best fishing books I’ve ever read. Check it out some time.

Non-Fiction Fishing Books for Kids

The following are fishing books for kids that are designed to teach them how to fish. These are non-fiction and aren’t great bedtime stories, but are perfect for long car rides to the lake. Many are filled with pictures that will excite your little angler and keep them engaged.

The Barefoot Fisherman: A Fishing Book for Kids

A solid kids fishing book written by Paul Amdadahl, The Barefoot Fisherman: A Fishing Book for Kids is structured more for kids who have gone fishing a few times, this will give them various tips for a number of species they’ll catch (like sunfish and bass) as well as some that’ll keep them dreaming (like Sturgeon)!

Kids Gone Fishin’ – The Young Angler’s Guide to Catching More and Bigger Fish

Written by David Maas as designed for kids who are just starting out, Kids Gone Fishin’ is a colorful book full of fun text choices and interesting pictures. It’s cited as being one of the better kids fishing books out there for kids who aren’t that familiar with the sport. Consider picking it up to get your kids interested in fishing.

Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide

While I wrote this book for parents, it would also be useful for older children to read. Note that it is in black and white and designed for adults, so it’ll take a stronger reader. However, if you want a fishing book for your kid and they happen to be an older child, this could definitely help them. It was designed to teach parents who know nothing about fishing how to go out with their kids and be successful. There’s no reason it can’t also help kids so long as they’re strong readers.

My Awesome Guide to Freshwater Fishing: Essential Techniques and Tools for Kids

This is my second book and one that is designed primarily for children ages 8 – 12 years old. It is written in easier language than the first book and designed with bright colors and interesting graphics to keep children intrigued while they read. Pick up your copy today!

Fictional Fishing Books for Kids – Bedtime Stories

The following are a series of fishing books for kids that I’d describe more as bedtime stories. For the most part, they aren’t designed to teach a kid to fish so much as to keep them engage. These books are a good way to keep kids interested in fishing. Just don’t expect them to teach a kid how to cast!

The Three Little Bass and the Big Bad Gar

This book was written by eight-year-old, James Miller, and illustrated by his mother, Kris Taft Miller. It’s a new take on the timeless “3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf” fable. This is always a good message to reinforce to children (hard work pays off).

It’s a fun read with big type face that’s easy for kids to follow. The illustrations are crisp, clean, and pop off the page. I have a ball using a weird voice when I read what the gar says: “Plishily Sploshty Plishty Ploo, I think I want to feast on YOU!“ My kids get a big kick out of it, while my wife rolls her eyes.

I think it’s absolutely awesome that this eight-year-old liked fishing so much that he sat down and wrote a story all about it. Even better, he actually went out and published it. It just shows great drive, creativity, and gumption out of this young man.

It takes a lot of guts to write for other people and publish something. This young man (and his mom) should both be proud of themselves. I’d recommend buying their book and telling your kids exactly who wrote it. Talk about how he had a dream of publishing a story, pursued it and made it a reality.

In my mind, The Three Little Bass and the Big Bad Gar lets you win as a parent twice. First of all, you get a fun story about why your kids should apply themselves and do a job right. Secondly, you get to show your children that if you have a dream and are willing to work for it, you can make it come true, just as young James Miller did.

The Three Little Bass and the Big Bad Gar is great book to read to any kid who likes to fish. The life lessons alone are worth the purchase price.

Curious George Goes Fishing

Everybody loves Curious George, so when I was searching for children’s books about fishing, I picked up Curious George Goes Fishing. It is illustrated by H.A. Rey and is based on an earlier work, Curious George Files a Kite.

It’s an easy read with fun illustrations. I’d imagine it would be fairly easy fishing book for a beginning reader to tackle themselves. I do question George’s choice at the end. I won’t spoil it for you, but he makes an interesting statement about another hobby being better than fishing, which is obviously preposterous. Regardless, my son enjoys it, and I’m glad I picked it up.

A quick word of warning: one of the characters is smoking a pipe. I know some of you might hesitate to expose your children to that image. I just didn’t want to surprise anyone.

Gone Fishing

This was the first fishing story book that I bought my son. I saw it at Cabelas one day and had to grab it. Written by Earlene Long and illustrated by Richard Brown, Gone Fishing is a great story about a boy and his dad fishing on a dock for the day.

I’ll admit I bought this book exclusively because of its cover. It reminded me of going out with my own son, and I knew it would make for a great bedtime story. After seeing how it has influenced his time on the water, it’s clear that buying it was a great decision.

This book helped reinforce to my son that fishing for little fish is fun. This is very helpful because they are much easier to catch. The father and son each take turns catching a big fish and a little fish and both are equally celebrated. When I’m out fishing with him now, he even quotes the book, “A little fish for me!” with a big grin on his face.

We read this one a lot. It’s only 31 pages with about a sentence on each, so it goes by at a good clip. I would highly recommend it.

Just Me and My Dad

Mercer Mayer’s Just Me and My Dad isn’t purely about fishing, though it is featured prominently on the cover and got me! It’s a fun read about a kid and their dad hanging out on a camping trip.

If your child is into outdoor adventures like camping, hiking, fishing, campfires, and the like, they will enjoy this book. The illustrations are detailed and fun to look at for kids and my one-year-old is especially intrigued by them.

I also like the subtext of the book. Many things go wrong, but they make the best of it, and have a great time. This book is a good one to read to little anglers so you can remind them of this moral when a fish breaks the line or something else goes wrong.

If you’re interested in getting some help reinforcing that message, consider picking up a copy of Just Me and My Dad today.

The Berenstain Bears Gone Fishin’!

My brother-in-law hates these books because he complains that Papa Bear is portrayed as a bumbling goof, and as you can see right from the picture of him catching a boot on the cover, this book is no different.

I suppose if that bothers you, you’ll want to look elsewhere. I, on the other hand, embrace my inner-idiot as seen by my post about all the silly fishing mistakes I’ve made over the years, so it doesn’t bother me and I can just enjoy this book for what it is – another great tale by the Berenstain family.

Gone Fishin’ is an “I can Read 1” level book, which means it has simple sentences which would make it a good one for beginning readers (source). It also has the usual fun illustrations you’ve come to expect from the series, so even my toddler enjoys it.

The bears do take the fish home to eat it, which may or may not be a plus for you depending on what you’re trying to teach your kids, but, you know, they’re bears–they eat fish.

I was glad to purchase a copy of The Berenstain Bears: Gone Fishin’! myself as I have fond memories of pouring over the series as a kid and am very happy to share that joy with my own children.

Edison’s Tackle Box

My preschooler son loves this fishing book book. This is odd as it’s aimed at slightly older children. I think it’s because he’s getting to the point where he wants a tackle box of his own, so it’s exciting for him to read about how Edison packs up his gear and heads off to the pond to fish with his dad.

This is a good-sized read that has some meat to it. Your kids will be satisfied with this one as their “main book” of the night, but if you’re exhausted it can be a bit to get through.

Little kids will also enjoy it as the illustrations are fun and filled with neat little details. It’s the kind of book that I would have stared at as a child and I see my son and daughter doing the same.

I enjoyed how this book teaches kids all the things they need to go fishing. They’ll learn some techniques, and most importantly how to help clean up for the day after they’re done fishing! That alone makes it worth the price!

If you need a little help getting your kids excited about cleaning up their fishing tackle, then pick up your copy of Edison’s Tackle Box by Meghan Colvin today.

Fishing With Daddy

If your kids are a bit older and you’re looking for a story book with a little bulk, Fishing with Daddy would be a good choice. There is an illustration on each page by Scarlett Pruett with a paragraph or so by Karla Carter Moreland right below it. This makes it a longer, but enjoyable read.

What I like about this book as a fishing father is that it talks about the entire process of fishing. They dig up worms, get their tackle in order, sit by a lantern going for catfish at night, go on a boat ride, etc. The book basically encapsulates all the great memories a kid can have about spending time on the water with her dad.

This is also one of the few books that is about fishing with your daughter. Not enough girls are brought along fishing, so it’s great to finally see a fishing book written by a woman talking about her time fishing with her dad.

This fishing book isn’t well suited for a toddler, but as my daughter grows older, it will be one of the main ones I read her.

H is for Hook

H Is for Hook: A Fishing Alphabet is a little bit interesting to me. The writer, Judy Young, packed it full of useful content and I absolutely love the gorgeous illustrations by Gary Palmer. This is a very, very fun book to look at.

I’m still going to call it interesting though because it almost seems like it’s chasing a few different audiences. Every page has little poem about what a certain letter stands for (L is for Lure, for example). That’s the easy “story book” part. That part is probably appropriate for preschoolers, or even toddlers. However, off on the side, there are detailed, multi-paragraph explanations where the author explains what the item is, in depth. These sections of the book would lose younger children, no matter how much they like fishing.

It’s a pretty neat way to structure the book. I’m looking at this as a book about fishing my kids can grow with:

• My toddler loves the vibrant illustrations;
• My preschooler likes the pictures, but also likes the short poems;
• I actually enjoy the sidebar and have learned a bit myself!

I don’t read the sidebar to my son because I think that would bore him quickly, and it would also turn a quick read into a marathon, but I could see this changing when he gets older and wants to learn more.

This is both a story book and also a “how to” book combined into one. If you’re just judging this one by the cover you’re going to miss out. A lot of the alphabet books are for little kids but this one is actually appropriate for, well, anyone frankly. Even an adult who was new to fishing could learn from it.

I really wish I had a book like this when I was a kid. I recommend that you purchase it.

Closing Thoughts

One of the best reasons to take your kids fishing is because it sparks their love of reading as they want to learn more and more, but you need to have age-appropriate books to capitalize on this. Thanks to these authors, you have that opportunity.

As I discover more books about fishing that are suited for toddlers, preschoolers, or older children, I’ll be sure to update this page. If you’re aware of other books out there to recommend, please post a comment and I’ll take a look!

I hope you found this article helpful. If you did, please consider sharing it so it can help others.

Thanks,

John Paxton

I imagine if you’re reading this, you either can’t wait to take your firstborn fishing, or the you’re the parent who thinks your spouse is absolutely nuts. Trust me, they’re not crazy. You can start taking kids fishing at any age, though I would argue the best age is around two. It’s still a good idea to acclimate kids to fishing at an early age so they get used to it. In fact, I took both of my children fishing even when they were infants. Fishing is truly a sport for all ages.

Granted, if you’re taking your infant fishing you can’t exactly expect them to reel anything in, but they can absolutely participate in the fun and be part of the family outing.

I vote for taking your kids out fishing with you as soon as the doctor clears them for outdoor activities. Fishing is a great family activity and your kid doesn’t need to be able to cast to enjoy it. Even so, you should know a bit about what to expect at each age to make sure everything goes as well as it can.

Setting the Stage

Luckily for you, I’ve recently been through this with my son, and am now going through it with my daughter, so I thought I’d share how our experience went in the hope that it will help you. I’ll describe what I did at each age, what he was capable of doing at each age, and also give you some bullet point objectives that you should aim for.

Don’t despair if your child is getting a little later start than my boy, but do ensure that you complete all the objectives for the prior ages. You can condense this depending on their age (just to give you an idea, a 4-year-old might take 2-3 days to learn all the prior steps. A 6 or 7-year-old can probably learn them in an hour).

Before we get into my thoughts about taking kids fishing at various ages, I thought it would be good to set the stage with some basic ground rules and first steps. While it’s beyond the purview of this article to dive into these in detail, I will share links that will help you get there in no time.

Ensure You Have Some Basic Skills

I don’t care what age your child is – if you’re taking them fishing, it’s a good idea to have a few basic skills of your own. Otherwise, how can you hope to teach them to your kids? You will need to know how to spool line on a reel, tie your line to a lure, and cast at the very least. If you lack these skills, please read my article on the basic skills you need to take your kids fishing, and then come back to read this.

If you’re the type of person who prefers a hard copy, I recently published a book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide. It discusses this topic in detail. If you are trying to get your kids into this sport, or know someone who is, it’s worth a read. Please consider purchasing it for yourself or a friend. You can also get a bit of cliff notes from my Illustrated Guide to Fishing with Kids.

Set Your Priorities Straight

You need to keep your priorities straight. You aren’t taking kids fishing so you can get the photo for the ages to share all over social media. Rather, you’re trying to bond with them and have a fun time outside, and away from a screen!!! Consider reading this article I wrote about how to make the trip more enjoyable for your children. You’ll note very little of it has to do with actually having a lure in the water.

Keep Things Safe and Stress Free

Regardless of their age, neither your kid nor you will have a good time fishing if you don’t take some basic steps to keep the situation stress free and safe.

I’ve written two articles that I think you should invest some time in. If you don’t, you’re going to struggle with taking your kids fishing for the first time.The first discusses how to keep the trip relatively stress free. The second discusses safety concerns at length. The second mentions some safety tips, including several you probably haven’t thought of. I’d consider reading them both.

Fishing With Infants to 1-Year-Olds

Now that we’ve got some of the basics out of the way and shared some resources, let’s dive into how to take your kids fishing at different ages. We’ll start with birth.

Infants and 1-year-olds can come along for fishing trips, but probably won’t do much catching on their own. Your major goal is acclimating them. To do so, you’ll need to accomplish three objectives:

• Introduce your infant to fishing and acclimate them so they are comfortable;
• Let them see you fishing often, so they’ll want to copy you;
• Start introducing them to reeling in a lure.

Introducing Infants to Fishing

Obviously, an infant or even a one-year-old really isn’t going to “fish” when they come out with you, but it’s important that you get them used to the sights and sounds of fishing so your kids aren’t afraid of it and will want to keep fishing with you when reach an older age.

We immediately introduced our son and daughter to everything fishing-related that we could. We tried hard to totally and completely acclimate them to the sport so that being around fish would become second nature to them.

I think it’s fair to say we went all out with introducing fishing to my son. My wife did an awesome job painting his room to look like an aquarium, and kept on buying him all sorts of fishing shirts. I took him to Cabelas every chance I could, and kept bringing him down in the basement to see all of my fishing gear and look at crankbaits.

When you’re introducing an infant or a one-year-old to fishing, consistency is the key. It’s really no different than introducing them to a new caretaker, or the dog, or soft food. You want to make sure they have a chance to get used to this and so you need to expose them to it often enough that it becomes old hat.

The last thing you want is to have your spouse tell you that you need to sell your boat because your kid hates it.

Get Your Kids to Want to Copy You

Whenever I would take my son fishing at this age, I would do everything I could to excite him. Every time I would catch a fish, I’d bring it over for my son to see. While I have several photos that make it clear he didn’t start off that impressed, the sport grew on him quickly.

Kids naturally want to do what their parents do, no matter how boring it might seem to adults. Just look at how many toy lawnmowers sell each year.

Fishing is actually fun, so it is very easy to get kids hooked on it. One thing that we did that really got our one-year-old interested in fishing was to buy him a toy rod and a little stuffed largemouth bass. This way, he got to “play” fisherman, and be “just like daddy,” right in the living room.

Teach Your Kids How To Reel

The first year or two of life is far too young of an age for kids to learn much about fishing, but they can at least start to reel. I went and purchased a very small spinning rod to replace his toy rod. I would cast it over in the corner and let him learn how to reel it in. It was a little awkward for him and the rod tip went everywhere as he wildly reeled it, but you could tell from his smile that he was having a blast.

A 1-year-old really isn’t capable of casting on their own, so it doesn’t matter much what kind of reel you use for this. All of them have a handle that needs to be turned, and it won’t make much difference, so you can use whatever you have.

You can buy special “casting plugs” for this purpose, but really any old crankbait will work. Just take the hooks off one that has a busted bill or hasn’t been producing for you and tie it on to the rod.

A little 3/8 oz, de-hooked crankbait is no more likely to break the television than the casting plugs out there, and it’s just as good, if not better, of a fish approximation to boot.

You’re going to want to use a consistent message or cheer while you’re teaching them how to reel in, because you want them to remember it later when they have a real fish on the line. For us, it was “reel, reel, reel!” Repeat your coaching message/cheer each time they’re turning the handle.

As you can see, it’s a wonderful idea to start taking your kids fishing at this young age, but there’s a lot to it. So much so that if you’re still looking for information, I wrote a second post that specifically deals with this age group in more detail.

Fishing With Two-Year-Olds: The Best Age to Take Your Kid Fishing

In my opinion, the best age to start taking your kids fishing is when they are two. While I certainly took my own kids earlier, I have to concede that things really took off when they were old enough to reel in their own fish.

2-year-old children are capable of casting their own rods, hooking their own fish, and reeling them in, but only if they get a lot of practice.

If you’re introducing your 2-year-old child to fishing, you’re going to need to accomplish all the objectives they should have learned when they were 1, and also start working on the following:

• Casting a lure in the general direction of water;
• Waiting for a fish to bite;
• Reeling in a fish;
• Stopping reeling before the fish hits the tip of the rod (this is key).

Teaching a 2-Year-Old How to Cast

One of the main reasons I think that two is such a great age to take kids fishing for the first time is that they can finally cast, albeit inaccurately. While you shouldn’t expect a 2-year-old to do most of their own casting, it is a good idea to start teaching them how.

Most people think that they have to buy a spincast reel for a smaller child, but I started my son with spinning gear and he handled it just fine. I’m glad that I invested the time to teach him on this gear instead of taking the “easy” way out, because now I don’t need to teach him a different tool, or spend money twice.

As I mentioned at the start of the article, you need to know how to cast yourself before you can teach your kids (and again, you can read this to learn).

You simply want to teach them to do the same thing, but bear in mind that they have small hands and won’t be able to extend their trigger finger far enough to grab the line. Instead, they need to use their non-dominant hand to bring the line in close enough for them to grab it with their dominant one.

How A Young Child Casts a Spinning Reel

I’m going to break down how a child might teach themselves to hold the line of a spinning reel, but I want to emphasize that they really need to teach themselves this. If you try to explain the following technical steps to your kid, you’re just going to aggravate everyone.

This all assumes that you’ve been fishing in front of your kids for some time and they’re attempting to copy you. They’ll try doing what you’re doing without you even asking, but you can help them along by doing a few steps.

What YOU want to do is take the rod with a lure on it and show them what happens when you flip the bail without holding the line (the lure drops).

THEN, show them what happens if you flip the bail WHILE holding the line (the lure does NOT drop).

Get your kid to understand this “cause and effect” concept and then tell them to hold the line so the lure won’t drop. They will be able to figure this out with a little time and encouragement.

This is what you might expect it to eventually look like:

It doesn’t matter how pretty this looks. All that matters is your kid holds onto the line with something while they’re flipping the bail open, and then releases the line when they go to cast.

If you think this isn’t worth the trouble and you’d prefer to use a push-button spincast reel, that’s fine, but just remember that spincast reels are to fishing what roller skates are to ice hockey players. You’re going to wind up buying equipment twice.

Teaching them Patience: Waiting for a Fish to Bite

I know I said that I thought the best age to take a kid fishing was when they were about two, but fishing does take some patience. You’re going to need to teach them that. While you’ll eventually get through it, I think every parent out there is thinking of two words: GOOD LUCK.

This one is going to take some time. As soon as the lure hits the water, kids just want to reel it in without giving fish much of a chance to notice the bait. I worked around this by fishing in areas that were stacked with panfish (so they’d bite within about 3-5 seconds) and constant coaching.

“Wait ’til you feel nibbles, buddy! Wait ’til you feel nibbles!”

I said that so much I nearly wore out my throat. It would have been a great time to own a parrot.

Call in the Cavalry

Depending on your kid, you might have an easier or harder time with this, but you would do yourself a great service if you joined some local fishing forums and asked the folks there for recommendations on good lakes and spots for large numbers of bluegill, sunfish, and yellow perch.

Most people that are on those forums are chasing larger species, but they’ve probably observed a few areas that consistently hold the smaller ones. You can expect that most will tell you those spots (perhaps in a private message) if you explain you’re taking a little one.

You really want to find a spot where you can keep the wait as short as possible for your child and then work up from there. Kids can resist reeling in for 3-5 seconds, and maybe even 10. Anything longer than that could be pushing it at this age.

Reeling in a Fish

OK, so your kid left the bait in the water long enough for a fish to bite, and now it’s on the line! It’s time for all that practice casting in your living room to finally pay off!

Whatever phrase you used to teach them to reel before, use it again. For us it was “reel, reel, reel!” Make sure they don’t forget to do this, because you want to keep constant pressure on the fish so it can’t spit out the hook.

If your kid hooks into a larger fish and it starts pulling drag you can try to tell them to stop (as a rule, you should not be reeling while a fish is pulling drag), but this might be a little tough for them to understand at this age.

You’ll also want to remind them to keep the rod tip high. Kids tend to drop the rod and point it straight at the fish. This is a bad habit because it puts all the pressure directly on the line rather than letting the bend of the rod absorb the fish’s pull. It probably won’t matter much for little fish, but the bigger ones will break them off.

Stop Reeling Before the Fish Hits the Rod Tip

This is pretty self-explanatory, but not something a angler would necessarily think of. You need to get your kids to stop reeling before the fish reaches the rod tip.

If your kids reel a fish in all the way to the rod tip, they could break the rod tip or knock the fish off of the hook and back into the water. Both become much more likely as the fish get larger.

Just make sure that you’re standing there next to them and remind them to stop before it is too late. Accidents will happen while they’re learning, but this is one that they’ll get a verbal (your coaching) and visual (the sight of the fish) cue, so they should learn this quickly.

Fishing With 3 to 4-Year-Olds

I would imagine that most sane people start taking their children fishing when they are about 3 years old. A child this age is capable of fishing on their own with significantly less direction and help from adults, but this is, of course, reliant on their having been exposed to fishing much earlier.

If they’re just starting fishing at 3 or 4, take things slow and make sure you go through the check list for fishing with infants and 2-year-olds before you hand them a rod and expect them to know what they’re doing, but you should also aim to achieve the following:

• Increased casting distance and accuracy;
• Understanding the reel’s drag system so they can fight bigger fish.

Depending on your child, they might react in a few different ways. They could be scared of the fish and really need to be acclimated by a trip to the local aquarium a few times, or they could take the “I’m a big boy/girl” attitude and want to start doing everything themselves immediately.

Practice Increasing Casting Distance and Accuracy

Fishing is like any other sport. If you want to improve, you need to practice. You don’t need to be on the water to practice many of the skills, either, which is handy if you don’t live near a lake.

Just as a hockey player might shoot pucks at a net in their basement, your little fisher can practice casting in their own back yard. They can use the same de-hooked plug that you used to throw in your living room and now cast it at targets in the yard.

The target can be just about anything, but I’d recommend just flattening out a few cardboard shipping boxes. Try to flatten a few in different sizes and lay them out at different distances around your yard. Then, take turns with your child to see who can get the lure the closest.

If you want to simulate reeds to teach your child how to cast into pockets between them, you could leave a few boxes unflattened and make little walls with them around the target. This would help your kids learn how to avoid getting snagged in bulrush or trees and would also add some three-dimensional fun to the game.

Teaching Your Child How to Fight Bigger Fish

One good thing about kids that are age three or four is that they can catch larger fish than most two-years-olds. Successfully fighting and landing larger fish takes skill and experience, which they might have by this age.

Three Mistakes Kids Often Make While Fighting Fish

There are three big mistakes that children (and beginners) often make that cost them fish.

1. Reeling In While the Fish is Pulling Drag: You can’t simply keep reeling in the line while a fish is pulling it in the other direction or you will risk breaking it off. You need to teach your kids that if they hear a “zzziiiiip!” (the drag being pulled) that they need to stop reeling;
2. Not Keeping a Bend in the Rod: As mentioned earlier, if your kid is pointing the tip directly at the fish, then all of the force of that fish is placed on the line directly, instead of the rod. This will snap the line in a hurry with a larger fish;
3. Trying to Lift a Large Fish Out of the Water: This is a sure-fire way to lose a fish unless you have very strong line, which you probably don’t on a kid’s reel. Make sure they leave the fish in the water and don’t try to pull it up into the boat without a net, or it could snap off in front of their eyes.

The Bottom Line? It Happens.

Your kid will lose some larger fish while they’re learning this and will continue to lose larger fish throughout their lives. It’s just part of fishing. Even so, it would be understandable if they are upset. It is very important that you are there for them when this happens and talk about how exciting it was to see them fight such a big fish for so long.

Don’t allow yourself to be frustrated if this happens. Your child is trying their best and will feel bad that they lost the fish, if you make them think it is something to feel bad about. If you celebrate the fact that they got to fight a big fish for awhile, that’s what they’ll concentrate on and it won’t be a big deal.

ALWAYS look to the bright side in this situation.

Of course, in order for your children to fight larger fish, they need to hook larger fish. While you’ll catch a few from time to time with worms, I’d suggest trolling for chain pickerel to help get them used to fighting larger game fish.

Fishing With 5 to 7-Year-Olds

By the time a child reaches the age of 5 to 7 years, they should be able to pick up casting very easily and should be able to handle many fishing techniques on their own. They’ll still probably need some help with tangles and maybe even getting the fish off the hook, but they’re on their way.

If you’re just starting to fish with your kid when they’re 7, you’d do well to spend an hour with them in the backyard before you head to the lake and just give them a briefing. Make it a big deal, like it’s this big important, exclusive meeting that they’re invited to. In other words, there’s a mission.

Assuming your kid has now spent several years catching panfish on nightcrawlers and is starting to get that out of their system, your objectives at this age are as follows:

• Transition your child away from bait and towards artificial lures;
• Start to move away from quantity in favor of quality;
• Teach them about different lures and when to use them;
• Show them how to learn more about fishing all on their own.

Transition Your Child to Artificial Lures

While it’s a great idea to start any new angler on live bait such as nightcrawlers, at some point you’ll want to transition them to artificial lures so that they can start expanding their skill set and targeting larger species. I’ll give you some quick tips below, but when you have a moment, consider reading my in-depth post on artificial lures as well as another one where I break down which ones you should use with kids.

Artificial lures will often catch larger fish than bait, but they rarely have as fast of action. Thus, before transitioning your kid to artificial lures, make sure your fishing buddy is of an appropriate age to finally have that patience thing tackled.

Most artificial lures lack the scent and wriggling action of live bait, so precise placement is necessary. Your child is going to need to know how to cast fairly well so they can place the lure exactly where they want to. Hopefully, you’ve been practicing with the cardboard boxes discussed above, but if not, now would be a great time to start.

Enter the Spinnerbait

Once your kid can cast reasonably far on their own, you can start handing them rods rigged with spinnerbaits instead of simple worms and start targeting larger, aggressive fish like chain pickerel. You’ll want to cover a lot of water in this technique, and to start in areas that are very likely to hold them. The same locations I discussed in my post about trolling for pickerel will also produce while casting.

Plastic Worms

If they can cast reasonably accurately, they can also start using plastic worms and trying to cast to pockets in the weeds that likely hold bass and other game fish. It’s important that they can cast accurately or else they’re going to spend all day picking weeds off their hook.

Advanced Tackle: Crankbaits and Other Treble-Hooked Lures

Depending on your comfort with their skill level and control, you might even consider letting them use crankbaits or other lures with treble hooks at this age, though you’d probably want to snip off the barbs in case anything goes wrong. Remember to make sure everyone is wearing sun glasses so no errant hooks catch an eye!

Start Fishing for Quality vs. Quantity

Around the same time that you start preaching artificial lures, you’ll need to set new expectations for your kids. Though they’ll occasionally have an awesome day for the ages, most of the time, they’ll catch fish less frequently with artificial lures than if they were using live bait, but the fish will frequently be larger.

It’s not that large fish don’t bite a nightcrawler if they get the chance. The issue is they rarely get the chance. Most of the time, smaller fish are going to pick live bait to pieces long before a large fish sinks its teeth into it.

That’s not an issue with artificial lures. Their sheer size tends to discourage small fish from biting, so any bite is going to be a fish of at least some proportion. Indeed, larger artificial lures tend to catch larger fish.

You have to remember, all animals instinctively run a cost-benefit analysis when targeting prey. Fish would much rather expend energy for a large meal that will net them an energy surplus than a snack that will barely keep them going.

Size isn’t the only quality you’re after. There’s also just the thrill of the strike. A few little taps on a nightcrawler isn’t anywhere near as interesting as a norther pike rocketing from the depths to SLAM a spinnerbait at full speed.

The jolt of excitement that such a strike produces is a feeling anglers will chase for the rest of their lives.

Teach Your Kids About Different Lures and When to Use Them

Believe it or not, there is a ton of strategy in fishing, and once your children are 5 to 7 years old, they can start to appreciate it. This makes this a really fun age to start fishing with your kids (it’s when Dad and my relationship really took off).

Take this opportunity to turn them into strategic and tactical thinkers. Discuss your approach the night before and consider what lures you should start the day with.

Will you throw topwaters before first light and then transition to spinnerbaits that gleam in the sun?

What will you do if the skies darken? Will you swap out to darker colors?

What time of year is it? Do you think you’ll find the fish on rocky points, spawning flats, or sunken humps?

All of these are great questions to ask your kid and test their understanding. It can be a real thrill hearing what they come up with.

Show Your Kids How to Teach Themselves About Fishing

Once your children know how to read, the entire world opens up before them, and this includes all the fishing knowledge of the universe. This blog is hardly the only place out there where you can read about fishing tips.

Take your kids to Google or even (gasp!) the library and show them how to research topics. Get them a magazine subscription to one of the major outdoor publications and watch their worlds expand. Challenge them to learn more and more each day. One great website is the fishing section at Boys’ Life. While my website is geared more towards parents, theirs is focused on helping kids learn to fish directly.

Before you tuck them in each night, go ahead and snuggle while you read a favorite fishing book. Even if they’re just storybooks about fishing, they’ll help engender a love for the sport within your kids at any age!

Before you know it, your kids will start teaching you a thing or two!

In Sum – Any Age is a Good Age to Take Your Kids Fishing!

Hopefully this article gave you some confidence about taking your kids out fishing. As you can see from my family’s own experience, a child is never too young to start learning to fish.

I certainly would recommend bringing them out with you as soon as you get the OK from your doctor. I hope this article helps you do that, but if you have any further questions feel free to comment below or send me an email at johnpaxton@fishingfather.com and I’ll do my best to help you.

As always, if you found this article helpful, please consider sharing it so it can help others.

Thanks,

John Paxton

Parents are rightfully worried about making fishing fun for their kids. They don’t want to bore their children. Instead, they want their kids to have fun, to catch some fish, and to pose for some smiling photos. Really, though, I think what parents miss sometimes is that the most important thing isn’t that their kids are having fun fishing, but that they’re having fun enjoying each others company.

Sometimes, I see people trying too hard fishing with their kids. They keep trying to hand their child a rod when the rugrat clearly isn’t having it and everyone starts to get frustrated.

If this is you, then take a deep breath and realize that it’s the experience you’re after. It’s a not a big deal if your kid doesn’t want to fish at any given moment. They’re kids. They have the attention span of a newt. Give them ten minutes and they’ll be back at it!

In the meanwhile, here’s a few things I do to avoid meltdowns and to try and make fishing as much fun as possible for my children.

Let Your Kids Play in the Water Every Now and Then

I hope if you are fishing with children, you’re targeting smaller species like sunfish and bluegill. If you are, let me fill you in on a little secret: these fish are so stupid that your kid splashing in the water barely affects them. It’s perfectly fine for your kids to go swimming – they won’t scare bluegill away for long.

Bluegill are just smart enough to pick away at the edges of a worm to avoid being hooked, and just dumb enough to throw caution to the wind and bite the pointy end anyway a few moments later.

If your kid wants to splash around a little bit, let them. At worst, the fish are scurrying 10 feet down the bank before their memory resets and they’re biting again.

I’ve had days fishing on Lake George near a popular rock cliff where there must have been 20 other boats within 100 yards, all filled with screaming, splashing kids, and I was still able to catch (juvenile) smallmouth bass repeatedly. Fish kids have about the same common sense as human ones. You’re good. Take a swim.

Granted, this advice won’t hold true for the bluegill and other species who were smart enough to grow large, but as for the little ones? You will do no irreparable harm by letting your child take a dip. It’s hard for kids to stay focused on one thing for long, so let them take a break from fishing and have some fun in the water.

Put Some Fish in the Livewell

I don’t usually eat the fish I catch, but when I’m with my son, I do hold onto them for a short while.

One of the main maxims that I preach repeatedly in my articles and books is that your initial goal while fishing with kids is to catch something legal and stick it in the livewell. Kids LOVE looking at fish in the livewell. It’s literally their favorite rectangle to stare at.

Having a couple fish in the livewell is pure gold when fishing with toddlers especially. If you sense a meltdown approaching, it is the perfect way to change the subject and divert them from cataclysmic bellowing.

Any time my son gets that look in his eyes or tone in his voice I just say, “Hey, Buddy! Go check on the fish and make sure they’re OK!” He instantly remembers that he has something awesome to look at and runs over there to check.

Honestly, when I bought the boat, I never thought I’d use the livewell, but now I recognize it as one of the must-have features for a family boat.

One word of warning: Kids have a propensity to leave the hatch open. This isn’t good for the fish, because it keeps them in the sun, and isn’t good for you, because if you don’t realize this you could trip and get seriously hurt.

Obviously, the livewell trick only works if you’re fishing from a boat, but if you’re walking a shoreline somewhere, a common 5-gallon bucket is all you need. Just make sure that you change the water regularly and keep it in the shade so the fish keep.

Some Kids Have Fun Fishing with a Net – Let Them

My son really likes netting other people’s fish. It’s a toss up if he prefers this or actually reeling them in on his own. I took him out yesterday and this was all he wanted to do. He kept saying, “Daddy, let me know when you catch one so I can net it!” and every time I had a bluegill on he came running up, just as excited as if I was about to hand him the rod.

I’m not arguing with this. Remember, I don’t care if he’s having fun fishing. I care if he’s having fun with me. If being the net man makes the fishing trip more fun for my kid, I’m all for it.

I did find that he had a little trouble with the big net, so I picked up a little orange one at the store. The net I bought is similar to this one here. It has a long handle and is the perfect size for netting bluegill. It makes things a little challenging for him too, which I think he enjoys. This net also does a great job of helping him take fish out of the livewell to throw back in the lake before we leave for the day.

If your son or daughter really enjoys netting fish, consider reading up on how to do this properly, so you can coach them. I wrote an article about netting fish that you can find here.

Bring Along a Toy While Fishing

Now, you have to be a little careful with this one because you don’t want to drop or otherwise ruin their favorite teddy bear, but bringing along a toy or two on a fishing trip isn’t a bad idea. Bringing along one that the two of you can sit down and use together is even better.

If you do this, then you’re just hanging out together and happen to be playing on a boat in the middle of the lake. It’s a cool little experience for humans that get a kick out of simple joys like cardboard boxes–they’ll think it’s neat and have a good time with it.

This is one more thing that you can do to avoid a fit, and keep the day positive. It’s also a great way to relax together while you enjoy a little lunch.

Go Exploring

Tell them you want to go find some turtles, or ducks. See if they want to run the big motor a bit towards a famous landmark. Ask them if they want to go see if they can find some sunken treasure on your depth finder.

Basically, just go for a boat ride. I don’t know if you realized this (it took me having kids to) but that motor on the back is good for much more than just taking you to your next fishing spot.

Let them drive and race the boat next to you, or even the train. Let them push the throttle wide open to get it on plane and see their smile beam.

Take them some place that they’ve never been before, or even some place that you’ve never been before. Have a legitimate journey together.

Who knows? When they get there, they might even want to start fishing again, and it might actually be a pretty good spot!

Keep Things in Perspective

I just wrote an entire article about “how to make fishing fun for kids” and didn’t even talk about what you can do when the lure is in the water. Part of me says, “You know what? Why don’t you go back and add something about not using bobbers,” or “Maybe you should remind people how to troll for pickerel to put their kids on big, fun fish.”

I was about to do it. I really was. But then I realized that if I did that and changed up this article to include technical fishing advice, then I’d be missing the point that I’ve been trying to drive home since the lead sentence:

Don’t worry about your kids having fun fishing! Worry about them having fun with YOU!

If you follow this advice, I promise you that your kids will have a much better time out there, and so will you. You will have a good day with your children, and a memory that will serve you well in your later years.

So go jump in the lake, throw some water in that livewell, play with a net, or even a toy, and go exploring in that boat of yours. The fishing will happen when they’re ready.

Other Thoughts

You’ll have an easier time keeping fishing fun for your kids if you are halfway decent at the sport yourself. My website discusses numerous fishing tips from the perspective of a parent trying to help other parents learn the sport. While you can certainly find great information elsewhere, I do have a few that would help you here. I’d start with my cornerstone pieces, The Basic Skills You Need to Take A Kid Fishing, or my Illustrated Guide to Fishing with Kids.

If you’re serious about helping your children learn to fish, consider purchasing my book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide. In it, you will find numerous tips and tricks for teaching children to fish. If you are trying to get your kids (or yourself) into this sport, or know someone who is, it’s worth a read.

Thanks,

John Paxton

If you’ve never wet a line before, and therefore had no fishing skills to speak of, I imagine it would be terrifying if your kid suddenly asked you take them out on the water. Your mind might start racing with questions like, “what fishing gear do I need?” or “how do I tie on a lure?” You might start thinking back to that one time you tried soaking a worm and were bored out of your mind, and start to worry about letting down your kid.

There’s no need to fret. Everything will be OK. This article will help you buy the gear you need to get started fishing, and will also teach you the skills you need to be successful.

Don’t worry. I won’t over-complicate things. There are very few skills that you need to take your kids fishing, and I’m going to lay out step-by-step instructions for each of them. In fact, I’ve broken it down to just five simple steps to catching a fish. Anyone can do it!

Remember that your objective is simple: catch a fish; any fish. Your kid doesn’t care if it is big, small, or something in-between. Follow this advice, and I promise you that you’ll look like a hero.

The Gear You Need to Start Fishing

Before we can talk about the five steps towards catching your first fish, we need to get you properly geared up. I’m sure if you’ve walked through a tackle shop you’ve felt overwhelmed, but all you need are the seven items that I’ll discuss below.

I will make some recommendations throughout this article to try and help you choose what to purchase. I recommend products that work, are economical and practical, but they aren’t the only game in town. It’s perfectly fine to start with what you have laying around or can borrow from someone. The important thing is getting started!

The Only 7 Pieces of Fishing Gear That You Need

You can’t take your kids fishing without any gear, but if you go into the fishing section of your local sporting store, you’re likely to become overwhelmed.  There’s a ton of fishing gear out there, all of which has its advantages and disadvantages, but you only need to buy the following six items to teach your kids to fish, none of which will break the bank:

1. Your fishing license and one for your kid (if necessary);
2. A 4’6″ to 7′ long spinning rod, depending on the age of your child;
3. A 2000 – 3000 size spinning reel;
4. A spool of 6lb test monofilament line; 
5. A pack of size 4 Aberdeen light wire panfish hooks;
6. A pack of 1/4 oz drop shot weights; and
7. A container of nightcrawlers, or artificial substitute.

That is literally all the gear you need to buy to start fishing with your kids. Not so bad, was it?

Item 1: Your Fishing License

Many states require that adults and older children have a fishing license, so make sure that you check your state regulations and purchase one if necessary. You can usually purchase your license at the same sporting good’s store where you’ll buy your six pieces of fishing gear.

Some states allow parents to “help” their children fish without a license, but it is always going to be at the Game Warden’s discretion if the parent is actually doing more “fishing” than “helping,” so I would encourage you to get a license.

If you really aren’t sure if fishing is for you, some states have a license-free day that is designed to bring new people into the sport. It can be a great way to take your kids fishing for the first time.

Do bear in mind that fishing licenses tend to fund local conservation efforts to preserve our natural environment, so your money is going to a good cause even if you find that you or your kids don’t like fishing after all.

Item 2: A Spinning Rod

Unless your kids are naturally skilled at fishing, I recommend that your child’s first fishing rod be a spinning rod. You should ignore baitcasters for now unless you are a glutton for punishment. You should ignore spincasters forever because you want to get continued use out of this purchase, and most spincasters are made for very young children.

Look for a rod that seems about the right size for your kid. I would recommend the Shakespeare Ugly Stik Elite lineup. They are kid-proof rods that will last a lifetime regardless of how poorly your children treat them. They would have to really try to break one. I’ve purchased several for my son and am a big believer in the product. The best part is they don’t cost very much at all. Amazon usually has a competitive price, but check keep checking back in as you never know when there will be a sale.

You can purchase a less expensive rod if you’re struggling to make ends meet, but the UglyStik isn’t that expensive in the first place, and is a great rod for children. You can read about my review of the UglyStik Elite here. If you go for something cheaper, be prepared to buy it twice after someone steps on it. It’s a balancing act as you don’t want your first fishing adventure to cost an arm and a leg, but you always want to purchase something that works. An UglyStik fits that bill nicely.

Item 3: A Spinning Reel

Spinning rods require spinning reels, so that’s what you’re going to buy. There are some who would say it takes more skill for kids to learn on these types of fishing reels than on spincast reels, but they aren’t exactly hard. Don’t worry — I’ll teach you how to cast one later in this post.

Spinning reels come in different sizes. Generally, the smaller the number the smaller the reel. I like a 2000-size reel for shorter rods and toddlers and a 3000-size reel for seven foot rods cast by kids in middle school.

I personally favor Pflueger spinning reels, and specifically their President series. While it isn’t the least expensive reel out there, it is priced competitively and has been a workhorse for me and most of my spinning rods are rigged with one. If price is very important to you, Plfueger’s entry model spinning reel, the Trion, is also a great choice.

You could buy a much less expensive reel, but again, you get what you pay for. A cheaper reel is not going to hold up as well, and if you ever want to sell it, you won’t find many buyers. If you purchase a well-known brand like Pflueger, you can at least count on getting some of your money back if things don’t work out.

Item 4: Fishing Line

Your kids could have all the skills in the world, but if their line fails, they aren’t catching a fish. Make sure you invest in something decent!

While there are plenty of types of fishing line out there, all you need to get started fishing is traditional monofilament. This is an inexpensive type of line that is easy to work with and unlikely to injure your child. All you need to get started is 6lb test as that is perfect for panfish and the occasional larger “bonus fish” that you may encounter.

There are plenty of brands out there, but I’ve been trusting Berkley Trilene XL since I was a kid. It’s dependable and pretty much the “standard” monofilament line out there. It’s also very inexpensive which is great considering that you’re likely going to have to strip off plenty of line after your kids manage some epic tangles. Because of this, I’d recommend buying a larger spool!

Item 5: Fishing Hooks

There is no need to stress yourself out trying to figure out what type of fishing lure to use. All that you need is a simple hook. It should be small enough for a panfish to bite, and have a long enough shank where you’ll usually be able to remove it easily. The Aberdeen style panfish hook in size 4 fits that bill nicely.

Granted, this post is operating on the premises that you have no idea what you’re doing, so I’m keeping things as simple as possible. Even so, I want you to know that this is the number one presentation I use when taking my son fishing. I trust it to quickly put him on fish and keep him engaged. While fish don’t always jump in the boat, it’s really hard to go home empty handed with these.

Rest assured, I will teach you how to rig them for maximum success a little further down the article.

Item 6: Drop Shot Sinkers

My favorite technique for fishing with kids is the drop shot and I tend to have several rods rigged with one before I head out with my son. While you could use just about any sinker or heavy object as part of this rig, I do recommend buying sinkers that are specifically designed to be drop shot.

As you can see below, a drop shot sinker has a little metal clasp attached that is wide at the bottom and narrows towards its top. You’re meant to tie a little overhead knot in the tag end of your line and then pass it through the wider bottom before cinching it up snugly towards the top. This has a few advantages:

1. You can quickly change the size of sinker as necessary for conditions.
2. You can completely remove the sinker if you want your bait to fall slower.
3. When the sinker snags, tugging will often pull the tag line loose from the sinker. While you’ll lose the sinker, the rest of your rig is often spared.

Buy the lightest sinkers that you can find (1/4 oz works very well) unless you anticipate fishing in very windy conditions or very deep water.

I’d provide a link, but you will literally lose these constantly. I can’t in good conscience say to do anything but buy whatever happens to be on sale.

Item 7: Bait

You’re going to need to put a bait of some sort on the hook to catch a fish. Nightcrawlers work very well, as do regular garden worms. Since you’re targeting smaller fish, don’t bother putting an entire crawler on the hook, as they’ll just peck away at it harmlessly. Instead, cut a crawler up into several segments and bait just the tip of the hook with one. This will dramatically increase your hook ups.

If you have qualms about using live bait, there are other options. Corn works well for panfish, as does a cut up piece of hot dog.

You can also purchase an artificial fishing lure of some kind, but bear in mind these require more skill for kids to use than live bait. Berkley Gulp Minnows work well, but remember that you want them as small as possible so that even smaller panfish can fit them in their mouth. I wouldn’t go larger than 2″.

If you do buy nightcrawlers, do your best to keep them alive! While fish do like dead worms, you’re much better off with live ones.

Five Simple Steps to Catching Your First Fish

OK, now that you’re licensed, you’ve bought your stuff, let’s talk about the skills you need to take your kids fishing. I’ve broken them down into five basic steps. This is all you need to know to get your gear up and running, your lure cast towards the water, and your child catching fish.

Step 1: Spool Your Line Onto the Reel

You’re going to need to start by spooling line onto your reel. There’s a few different “official” fishing knots that you could use to accomplish this, but they aren’t really necessary for beginners. All you’re trying to accomplish is preventing the reel from completely coming off the spool. You can do this with a simple overhand knot, a piece of tape, some modeling clay or even your kid’s boogers (though I don’t recommend it). You’re going to have so much line spooled over whatever you choose that it doesn’t really matter.

If you’re interested in doing this “the right way,” you’ll want to tie an arbor knot. With that said, with the size of line you’re going to use on this kids reel, if a fish ever got to the end of it, it’s snapping it anyway and an arbor knot isn’t going to save you. Feel free to tie an overhand not that holds well enough and call it a day.

Spooling Line, Step By Step

Before you tie your knot, you need to take the fishing line you bought and run it through the line guides of your rod. Start at the tip and work down to guide closest to the reel.

Once there, flip open the bail and tie your overhead knot around the reel’s spool. Cinch it tight and close the bail. Pull the line tight against the line guide and start to reel more line on.

As you’re reeling, notice that the spinning reel turns clockwise. To eliminate line twist (a key source of tangles and frustration), you want the line to come off of the filler spool counterclockwise.

Make sure that the line goes on taut while you reel it in. You don’t want it to be loose or you’ll encounter some major problems later on. Don’t overfill the spool – stop when you are about 1/8th of an inch from the lip or edge.

When finished, snip the line and prepare to tie on your lure.

Step 2: Rig a Drop Shot – One of the Best Techniques for Fishing with Kids

I have found that a drop shot is one of the best lures to use with kids. You don’t need much skill to use it, it will catch tons of fish, and it catches them quick. It’s not uncommon to have a sunfish hooked seconds after your lure hits the water, over and over again.

To rig a drop shot, tie a Palomar Knot as described below, but leave a long tag end. I like to start with a tag end of about 8 – 12 inches. Tie a simple overhand knot at the end of the tag end and then slide this knot through the drop shot sinker’s clasp and pull it up, to secure it in place.

To ensure quality hook sets, you will need to make sure that your hook point faces up. Although there’s a “perfect” way to tie the knot that will allow this, I have a shortcut. The easy, less confusing way is simply to check and see if the hook point is facing up when you hold the main line and tag end taut.  If the hook point is pointing down, turn it so it is facing up. Then, run the tag end of the line through the eye of the hook again from the top to the bottom. This will turn the hook the correct way.

The Palomar Knot

Aside, potentially, from the Arbor Knot described above, the Palomar Knot is the only fishing knot you need to know. While there are other knots out there, the Palomar is how you tie a drop shot. Since this is what you’re going to be fishing with after this article, you need to know it.

To tie the Palomar Knot, pass the tag end of the line through the eye of the hook and then double it back through the eye again to form a loop (figure 1).  The size of loop you need depends on the size of the lure you’re using, as you’ll soon see.  Make an overhead knot on the doubled line while letting the lure dangle below from the middle (figure 2).  Finally, pass your lure through the doubled tag line (figure 3) and tighten the line down until is snug against the eye of the lure (figure 4). You’ll want to wet the knot with saliva or water before tightening it to reduce friction.  When finished, snip off any remaining tag end, unless you’re tying a drop shot, in which case the sinker will attach to the tag end.

Step 3: Drive to the Pond or Lake and Find a Decent Spot Where You Can Cast

One of the most important skills you need to take kids fishing is catching fish quickly. That is impossible if you can’t figure out where they are. I

Hopefully you have some idea of what local lakes or ponds hold fish. If not, grab a hard copy or PDF of your state’s fishing regulations booklet as most have a listing of the popular local water bodies and what type of fish they hold. Find one that says it has sunfish or yellow perch and drive there.

Once you arrive, take the advice I laid out in Step 2 of my post on preparing for a fishing trip with kids and find a place to fish. Basically, you want a place where the shoreline is clear enough to cast without snagging trees, and the water is clear enough from cover that you won’t immediately foul your rig in weeds.

If your pond or lake has clear water, it may be possible to see fish. Panfish (or at least the smaller ones) aren’t particularly shy, so don’t worry if they can see you. Larger fish like bass, on the other hand, will usually ignore your offerings if they feel something is amiss.

Step 4: Cast Your Kid’s Line For Them

Once you’ve found a good fishing spot and threaded on your worm, the next step is to cast your bait out into the water. Since you are both new to the sport, I recommend that you handle this at first. Once they develop their skill set a bit, you can let them have a shot at catching a fish “all on their own,” but for now you need to be prepared to do the casting.

Even if you’ve never cast a fishing rod before, it’s not that hard:

1. Hold your rod with your dominant hand at or slightly above where the reel attaches.
2. Take your pointer finger and curl it around the line.
3. Flip the bail open with your other hand.
4. Pull the rod back to your side, taking care that no people, creatures, or things are in its path.
5. Rapidly swing the rod towards the water.
6. When the tip of the rod is facing the direction you want your lure to cast towards, uncurl your pointer finger from the line, freeing it and sending the lure flying.
7. When the lure splashes into the water, close the bail manually with your non-dominant hand (you can also start reeling, but this is bad for the reel).
8. Hold on tight and wait for a fish to bite.

Note:If your lure fails to go anywhere, you’ll need to troubleshoot. The most likely reasons are one of the following:

1. You forgot to flip the bail open in step 3;
2. Your line became tangled somewhere on the rod (usually the tip, though you may also find it has tangled around the reel itself).

Step 5: Help Your Child Catch Their First Fish

So far, so good. You’ve made it out of the tackle store without having to mortgage your house, you’ve set up your rod, reel and drop shot, selected a prime fishing location, and even successfully cast your bait into the water.

Now you just need to get a fish to bite so you can hand your kid the rod and have them reel it in.

Enticing a Fish to Bite

You might be wondering if getting a fish to bite is really a skill-based activity, or one that relies on luck. I’d emphatically argue that fishing takes more skill than luck. Even so, if you show up and toss a drop shot, you might not know what the big deal is.

The great thing about the drop shot is all you have to do is tie a worm on, cast it out and wait for a nibble. If panfish are present, they will announce themselves quickly. In fact, smaller ones will collide with each other in a desperate race to be the first at the scrap or morsel. This can be pretty cool for your kids to watch if you’re fishing in clear water.

One of the few skills you do need for this method of fishing is patience. It’s important to prevent your kids from immediately reeling in the bait. While it is pretty common for fish to bite immediately, occasionally they aren’t that brave and need a moment. It’s important that your children have about 30 seconds of patience, which might as well be an eternity for a toddler. A tip that works pretty well is to tell them that they can’t reel in the rod until they finish singing a quick song. I suggest a verse from this one:

Move Around to Find Fish

This technique catches fish and catches them quick, so it’s great for identifying good water. If you don’t catch a fish quickly, chances are there aren’t many there. Panfish will notice the commotion from the bait splashing into the water. I find they’re drawn in from as far as 5 to 8 feet away. If you don’t feel any nibbles by the time your kid finishes their song, reel in and make another cast. This time, about 5 to 8 feet to the left or right of your first.

If your bait feels very heavy as you reel it in, the reason you haven’t caught anything is because it is fouled with weeds or some other object. Reel it in, clean it off, and cast to a slightly different area.

It doesn’t take long for panfish to let you know they’re there when you’re fishing with live bait or even scented artificial lures, so you if don’t feel anything after several casts, walk further down the bank and try another spot.

Hooking a Fish

When you feel a fish bite, you need to set the hook. You do this by sweeping the rod back and away from the water. The aim is to drive the hook into the fish’s mouth so it can be reeled in and caught. When the fish bites, you need to set the hook quickly, which can take a bit of skill. Thus, this too is probably something you’ll want to do for your kids at first.

This might take a bit of trial and error as panfish are notorious for picking away at the edges of your bait. Most nibbles are just that – nibbles. It can take a few tries to hook a fish. Hang in there. Eventually, a fish will grab the whole hook and you’ll be able to snag them.

If you find that you keep failing to hook the fish, consider remove the drop shot weight and casting the worm and hook in by itself. This will slow the descent of the bait and give the fish a better chance to line it up for a full attack. I find I can have better hookups this way.

If you do this, bear in mind that there’ss no need to cut the excess tag line that used to hold your sinker. Small fish won’t care, and you can replace the sinker easily enough if you find this didn’t help or lead to less strikes.

Watch Your Child Catch a Fish

This part is not for you. You’ve followed all the instructions with one goal: helping your kid catch a fish. Once you’ve hooked one, you’ve brought them as far as you can. Now it’s time to hand the rod over to your little buddy and watch them have fun reeling it in.

Make sure that you don’t allow any slack on the fish during the transfer. It doesn’t take these critters very long to spit a hook if you let off on the pressure.

Don’t feel as though you need to hand a rod off immediately, either. You can give it a good second or two and a few reels to make sure the fish is firmly on there. It’s far better for your kid to reel in 10 feet of line with a fish at the end, than to reel in 20 feet of line with an empty hook.

While your kid is fighting the fish it’s worth reminding him or her to “reel, reel, reel!” and also to “hold your rod tip high!” You’ll note that most pros advise against holding the rod high as it will cause fish to jump, but it’s almost impossible to explain the nuance of keeping a bend in the rod to a small, excited child without just using this short cut. If a fish jumps up and escapes, at least they got a good show.

Landing a Fish

Note: the advice below assumes that your child landed a sunfish, bluegill, or other small species that can simply be lifted out of the water by the line. You need considerably more skill for larger fish. If you tie into something larger, please read my articles on how to net fish successfully and how to land a fish without a net.

Ideally speaking, you don’t want your kid to drag the fish out from the water and across the shore. Fish have a protective coat of slime on their bodies that can be rubbed off. Doing so leaves them susceptible to infection and disease.

It’s safer for the fish to lift them from the water. Since neither of you know what you’re doing, it’s safer for you to do this by the line, well above the hook.

Some Advice on Holding Fish

If you try to grab the fish on your first adventure, they might shake and startle you. This might also mean you got a new piercing. If that happens, read my article on safety tips for fishing with kids for some ideas of how to remove it.

There are different types of ways to handle different types of fish, but assuming you’ve caught a panfish of some sort, grab the line, pull the fish out of the water, and stop it spinning with your other hand.

Once the fish stops spinning, grab it with your hand below its mouth so you don’t run the risk of being hooked. Slide your other hand down the line and grab the eye of the hook and twist it a bit to pop it out of the fish’s mouth.

Note: If you’re uncomfortable touching the fish with your hands, you can grab it with a rag, but please wet it first to minimize the damage to the fish’s protective slime coat.

If the fish has taken the hook deeply, use a pair of needle nose pliers to go in after it. Make every effort to remove the hook if you can do so without killing the fish, as it will be infinitely better off without a hook in its throat.

Bonus Step: Bask In Your Glory!

Once the fish is safely off the hook it is time for pictures! Grab your kid tight, tell them that you love them, and snap a few photos of their very first fish! Then let the fish go and cast back out there to catch a few more!

On your way home, bask in your glory and thank yourself for taking the time to learn enough about fishing to make this spur-of-the-moment trip a success for your child. Congratulations on raising a kid who will never have to lament how their mom or dad never took them fishing!

Other Resources

Hopefully, this article helped you understand what skills you need for fishing with your kids, and perhaps even helped you develop one or two. If it did, then I trust you will have a blast teaching your kids to fish. If you found this helpful, please don’t hesitate to check out some of my other articles that will help you further develop your fishing skills:

• Safety Tips for Fishing With Kids (I’d recommend all newcomers read this post. It’s filled with tips to keep your next trip safe).
• How I Got My Kid Interested In Fishing (there’s not much point in honing your fishing skills if your kid doesn’t want to go in the first place)!
• Preparing for a Fishing Trip With Kids (this article hones in on the types of things you need to do before each fishing trip with your kids
• Trolling for Pickerel (this is a good article that talks about a handy way to fish during lunch/meltdowns. You can concentrate on attending to your child while the boat does all the work).
• An Illustrated Guide to Fishing with Kids attempts to tie it all in together for you!

Still need some help getting started? If you’re serious about helping your children learn to fish, consider purchasing my book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide. In it, you will find numerous tips and tricks for teaching children to fish. If you are trying to get your kids (or yourself) into this sport, or know someone who is, it’s worth a read.

Thanks,

John Paxton

OK, so you want to take your kids fishing, and you’ve followed my advice from an earlier post I wrote about how to get your kids interested in fishing to start acclimating your child to reeling in a lure and maybe even casting.  You’ve probably also gone out a few times (or perhaps are preparing for your first fishing trip with your children) and are looking to increase your success rates and, therefore, fun.  It’s great that you’re so concerned as it is important that your kid’s first fishing trip goes well, and this article will share a few tips to help make that happen.

Of note, if you find this article helpful please bear in mind that I have a book for sale, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide, that expands on this topic considerably and can help ensure your fishing trips with your children are positive experiences. Consider giving it a read.

Step 1: Prepare Your Attitude

The first step in preparing for a fishing trip is preparing your own attitude. Remember that this trip is not about you.  You are not going to reel in a single fish – you’re going to hand the rod off to your kid and let them take control.  You also aren’t going to relax much – your goal is to have your hands full the entire time.  You’re going to spend much of the day untangling lines, unhooking fish, and retying lost rigs.  You’re going to do all of this with a smile on your face!

If you are prone to frustration, you need to zero in on what frustrates you and eliminate as much as you can.  Get a good night’s sleep.  Eat a hearty breakfast.  Have a few rigs pre-tied so that you can feel like you get to spend a minute or two actually watching your kid enjoy him or herself.

Remember, there’s nothing worse that could happen that day than snapping at a kid who has been looking forward to spending this time with you for a few days or weeks.  You don’t want to ruin all of that for them in an instant and make their head hang low, so make sure that your mind is in the right place before you begin. 

This is going to be a challenging, hectic, chaotic morning for you if the fish are biting, so prepare your mind for that!

Step 2: Scout Good Fishing Spots

For adults, half the fun of a fishing trip is the preparation that goes into finding fish. It’s that old adage that “Anticipation is half the fun,” after all. Most children would prefer to skip that step and expect instant action.  This means that you need to prepare for the fishing trip behind the scenes, well before they arrive at the lake.  The good news for you is that this might very well mean pre-fishing, or, to put it another way, a great excuse to tell your significant other that you “have to go fishing ahead of time so the kids can be successful.” 

Your goal here is not to catch every fish in the lake, but you are trying to locate the panfish or other easy to catch fish ahead of time, so that when you arrive a day or two later, you can reasonably expect to find them quickly.  Bring a good pair of polarized glasses and look for activity.  If the lake is clear enough and the lighting is right, you might be able to see the fish.  If not, look for signs that they are there.  Small fish jumping or making swirls on the water is a good sign.  The presence of fishing-eating birds like herons is also important – they aren’t sight-seeing, after all.

You also might try bringing a light rod rigged with a drop shot of some kind.  Gulp! Alive! Minnows and PowerBait Minnows in smaller (1″ to 3″) sizes and natural colors work well for scouting as you’ll get many taps indicating the presence of smaller fish (you’ll also likely catch a few, but you’re mainly interested in the taps for now). These lures also are a great alternative to live bait if you’d prefer not to use it.

You’ll want to find locations where fish are active but are also accessible to small children.  Note that the most accessible locations aren’t always the best fishing spots, but you still want something with some sort of clearing where you can move around and where young feet can walk without tripping and getting hurt.

Look for something deep enough to hold some fish and preferably an area that has a clearing of open water where you can soak a worm without it being fouled in weeds or other cover. An added bonus is if you can see signs of life — in clear enough water, you may even see fish.

Pay attention to things like weed cover. The perfect shoreline is no use if the water is full of weeds and every cast will be fouled. There are certainly lures that can used in such situations (frogs, topwater spoons, punchin’ baits) but few of these are well-suited for children, so save these spots for your own adventures.

It is worth mentioning that many of the better spots for this will be well-known if fishing from shore, and will likely be taken quickly by others (especially on a weekend) so it doesn’t hurt to have a few backup spots.

Step 3: Pack the Best Tackle for Kids

Make sure you have prepared at least two rods for any fishing trip with kids. You are all but guaranteed that one will always be tangled or have some other sort of problem with it. Two rods will also allow your kid the chance to hold one while you hold the other.  When you hook a fish, tell them “fish on!” and hand your child the rod. 

Fishing Rods

You’ll want the rods to be something of appropriate size and dimension that they can handle, but not so “toy like” that you’re wasting your money.  I don’t recommend purchasing the novelty rods with the latest cartoon character or princess on them.  They aren’t much cheaper than a decent set up, and you won’t get nearly as much use out of them.  If you have time, I wrote a whole article discussing why youth fishing rod combos aren’t worth it.

Rather than going for the cheapest combo, invest in something that will last.  You don’t need to break the bank, either.  An Ugly Stik Elite is reasonably priced and would work great. They are very difficult to break, perfect for panfish, are kid-sized (my son has been using a 4’6″ model since he was two with no issues), and last a lifetime. 

Some rods come with reel combos although these are usually fairly basic.  That’s not a bad thing if you’re fishing from shore with kids because that reel is guaranteed to be dropped in the dirt and sand repeatedly.  The rod should last a lifetime.  Reels don’t hold up very well to children.

Fishing Reels

Speaking of reels, there are three basic types: spincast, baitcast, and spinning. 

Spincast Reels

Spincast reels are considered the “easiest” for kids to use as they just push a button to release line.  I’m not a fan of them because they’re not widely used beyond children, for one, and those kids are going to grow up some day.  I like to purchase stuff that my kid could potentially use for a life time. They’re also difficult to find in a left-hand retrieve, which I prefer. 

Baitcast Reels

Baitcast reels are not for children, period.  Sure, you can search for some tricks on how to make them easier for your child to use, but they’re basically akin to a manual transmission on a car.  You probably don’t want one on a power wheel unless you really want to frustrate your toddler.  Save these for later.

Spinning Reels

That leaves spinning reels.  These are admittedly a little difficult for small hands, because you need to hold the line after releasing the bail until you’re ready to cast.  Adults do this with their pointer finger, but my son has to use his other hand as he is still small (he just turned 4, after all)! He’s able to get good distance with these and more importantly this is a tool he’ll continue to use throughout his life.  I just started him with these and he does just fine with them.  It took a little bit of practice, but that was discussed in my prior post.

Preparing Your Fishing Line For Your Trip

Once you decide on a reel, you’re going to need to consider line.  As this is the point that actually connects you and the fish, it is quite important. Again, there are three main types: braid, fluorocarbon, and monofilament.

Braided Fishing Line

Braid is very strong for its diameter and difficult to break.  You can easily have 20lb test for the same diameter as 6lb test monofilament, meaning that fish breakoffs are mostly a thing of the past.  All the same, I don’t recommend braid when taking kids fishing for two reasons:

1. Since braid is the most pliable of the line, when it tangles, the tangles are epic. 
2. Braid can easily cut little hands and fingers.  Because braid is basically very strong string, if your kid is holding it when a fish takes a run, they can get a nasty cut.  It’s not worth it.

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line

Fluorocarbon lines are nearly invisible underwater, which makes them a good choice for clear water. Their downside is that they have such bad memory (they kind of “set” in place – the exact opposite of the limp braid) that they can be difficult to use, and line spools are pretty common. For this reason, flourocarbon adds an unnecessary high-maintenance situation for a parent to deal with. I don’t recommend it.

Monofilament Fishing Line

When fishing with kids, I prefer monofilament line.  While there’s nothing fancy about monofilament, it is my line of choice for taking my son fishing for several reasons:

1. Tangles (if caught early) aren’t too bad.
2. It’s less likely to cut little hands, making it safer to use with kids.
3. It’s easier to break the line on purpose after your lure winds up high in a tree.

Monofilament does have a few disadvantages. For example, you will want to be a little careful about how you land larger fish so that you don’t overstress and snap the line, but that just means supporting its body somehow as you lift it from the water.  For most child-sized applications, 6lb test is just fine. 

Fishing Lures

Once your rod, reel, and line are set, you need to prepare your fishing lures to have a good trip.  When fishing with kids, your best bet is to use worms or smaller artificial drop shots.  I’ve discussed the Berkeley Gulp minnows above, and they work well.  Nightcrawlers also work great, especially for panfish.  I find that a full nightcrawler will often catch a bass too, but most of it tends to be robbed by the smaller fish, and you don’t tend to actually hook the smaller fish until the last bit of crawler is left on the hook.  If you’re going for numbers (and you are, if you’re going with kids) you might as well just cut the nightcrawler into thirds and put just a bit of it around the tip of the hook.

A Note On Hooks

The hook you use should be small as you’re trying to get it to fit into a small fish’s mouth, but you also want it to have a long shank so that you have some chance of unhooking the fish quickly and with minimal effort.  Eagle claw makes a variety of hooks that are appropriate for this, as do other manufacturers.  Just walk into your local sporting goods shop and look for a hook that you think might fit into a mouth about the size of the tip of your pinky finger and you’ll do alright.

There are many ways to rig the worm, but the two I use most are to simply thread the worm on a bare hook and also to attach a sinker on a tag line as a drop shot. 

Having nothing but a worm on a bare hook has the advantage of sinking slowly and giving fish a long look at it and strike on the way down.  The drop shot allows it to sink fast, but stay off of the bottom. 

Bobbers

Some people use bobbers, but I don’t recommend fishing with bobbers with kids.  Many models immediately put pressure on the fish letting them know something is wrong, and I find that I don’t catch as many fish with them. Sometimes, a bobber comes in handy, especially when fishing over heavy cover as you’ll want to keep the hook up so it won’t foul.  Even so, I prefer other techniques.

Since you’re bringing at least two rods, it wouldn’t hurt to rig them both ways to see what the fish prefer that day.  When you notice that one rod is getting all the action, make an adjustment to the other. The key is to prepare for your fishing trip ahead of time so you can spend more time with a lure in the water when you get to the lake.

Step 4: Pack for Your Kids First Fishing Trip

You’ll obviously need to pack your fishing tackle but aside from that, pack a small cooler with lots of snacks (even those dreaded bananas – they have no effect on panfish, trust me).  Don’t forget sunscreen and a hat!  You also might want to bring a couple of toys or something else that is interesting and can pass the time while waiting for the first fish to bite.  They won’t pay any attention to the toys once that happens – don’t worry!

You’ll also want a good pair of needle nose pliers, scissors if ignoring my sage advice above and using braid, sunglasses for you and the kids, and a camera/cell phone of some kind.  If you have a small tripod, that would be best, as it can be tough to take a good selfie with a fish and child at the same time.  You’re going to want to set up your cell phone camera for voice commands and rest it up against something if you don’t have a tripod.

Step 5: Set Achievable Expectations  

Remember how I mentioned that the first step in preparing for your fishing trip is to adjust your own attitude? Well, you also need to adjust your kid’s. Don’t promise the world.  Under promise and over deliver works very well here.  Tell your kid that you’re going to try to catch a fish and see what happens.  Hopefully, if your scouting above worked out well, you’ll look like a hero in a few hours.  Talking about looking for turtles and frogs and bugs can also be a big help because then your kid always has something to do. 

Talk a bit about the process of fishing with your kids.  Let them know what to expect, that you’ll be doing most of the casting and they’ll be doing all of the reeling in, how long of a walk it’ll be to the first spot, etc.  Remind them that you’ve packed a lunch and you’ll be having fun spending time together outside.

Make sure your children are aware that the fish are going to try to get away, and sometimes that happens.  If it happens, they’ll get the next one! When a fish breaks off, just happily say “Oh well! He got away this time!” and then cast right back out! Don’t dwell on anything bad that happens – not a single negative word! Your job here is just to have a smile on your face the entire time like everything and anything that occurs is all part of the process and enjoyment – because it absolutely is! It doesn’t matter if you catch zero fish or 100.  You’re spending time with someone you love who looks up to you and adores you.  Let them marvel at how well you deal with a little adversity with a smile on your face – it’s a lesson that will serve them well for life!

Step 6: Have Some Distractions

One of the biggest challenges when taking kids fishing is going to be their own attention span. Young children barely have one, so a critical part of preparing for your fishing trip should be to pack some items to keep them occupied if the bite dies down a bit. One of the best things for this is a couple of fish in the live well or a bucket. These are a prime source of wonder for kids and they’ll gladly peer into it if you remind them about it. Sometimes when I can tell my son is getting impatient I tell him, “Go check on the fish in the live well!” He remembers that they’re there and scurries off. This buys me a few minutes to figure out how to hook another one for him to reel in.

Other distractions could include a favorite toy, lunch, or just playing a game. Sometimes putting down the rods for a couple of minutes and taking the boat for a spin does the trick, as does running around and playing tag if fishing on foot. They’ll often want to get back to fishing later, but a little break in the action helps their attitude (and after dealing with enough tangles, you’ll find it helps your attitude as well)!

Taking just a bit of time to plan your kids’ first fishing trip can pay off and help you bring a big smile to your little ones. Fishing is definitely a strategic sport and “thinking person’s game,” so invest a bit of time to make their first fishing trip, and every one after, run smoother. If you found this post helpful, you might enjoy my Illustrated Guide to Fishing with Kids as well.

As always, if you found this article helpful, please consider sharing it so it can help others. You also might consider purchasing my book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide, as it is filled with more great tips to help you prepare for a fishing trip with your kids.

Thanks,

John Paxton

I knew from the moment my son was born that I wanted to get him interested in fishing. Yes, I love the sport, but there’s also a ton of great reasons that fishing would make his life more meaningful, and I truly believed that it would be in his best interests to take it up.

Even so, one of my worst memories of childhood was being forced into activities that I hated. I knew that going fishing had to be my son’s choice, but I was hoping to influence it. Thus, I had to introduce him to fishing in a way that would interest him.

Below, I’ll discuss the reasons I hoped my son would enjoy fishing. I’ll then discuss what I did to help his initial experiences go as well as possible.

I’d also like to mention that I have a book for sale, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide, that expands on this topic considerably. If you enjoy this post, consider purchasing it as it contains many more great tips for fishing with your kids.

Why I Wanted To Interest My Kid In Fishing

Fishing is a wonderful pastime to share with your children and one that will benefit their lives in many ways:

• It will help get kids away from the electronics;
• They’ll learn independence;
• Fishing will help make reading fun;
• Spending time in nature will make them more thoughtful and caring stewards of this planet.

Fishing: The Anti-Screen

Screen time is a serious problem with kids these days. It seems that ever-younger children are more interested in an I-Pad or smart phone than a box of toys. After all, it’s tough for static toys to compete with the crazy colors and sounds of the latest YouTube phenom.

Well, I’m here to tell you what all the other fishing parents know: Baby Shark has nothing on a bluegill.

If you get your kids involved in fishing they’ll want very little to do with the screens. Instead of fights over the smartphone, you’ll start seeing them pout about leaving the lake early. It’s a great problem to have!

Fishing Teaches Kids Independence in a Healthy Way

Kids can’t wait to grow up. They need a good measure of control in their lives and if they don’t get it, they start acting up. Fishing is a great outlet for this because it allows children a healthy and safe way to gain independence.

Every kid wants to push boundaries and see what they can get away with, so you have two options:

1. Be the “End Boss” or “Level” they try to beat; or
2. Let the fish fill that role for you.

It’s great seeing how determined my son is to cast his own rod, and hold his own bass. All of these things have a small amount of “danger” to them, which makes it exciting for him, but none of them are so bad that he’s likely to get seriously hurt, especially since I practice what I preach in my article on Safety Tips for Fishing With Kids. Anyway, letting him take some control on a fishing trip is far better than having him try to pull away from my hand in a parking lot.

Fishing Helps Kids With School

You might find that your child’s new fishing hobby sparks another vital one: reading. 

Some of my earliest memories were of thumbing through the old In-Fishermen books on northern pike or smallmouth bass. I’d look at the pictures of the trophy fish and study the diagrams of prime fishing locations for hours.  I’m pretty sure I knew how to read a topographic fishing map well before Goodnight Moon. 

When I did finally learn how to read proper words, I spent a lot of time reading fishing books.  These taught me about seasonal patterns of fish and the world in general.  I learned about erosion and the classification of lakes and reservoirs.  Concepts such as the circle of life and the need for a selective harvest were ingrained in my soul.  I was reading technical books as an elementary school kid, and loving it. This would help me read and craft technical letters later on in life.

I see my son following down this path.  When we go to the lake, he wants to know what type of fish live there, where we’ll find them, and what they’ll eat.  He asks questions like, “Daddy, are rock bass called rock bass because you catch them near rocks?” or “Daddy, have you ever caught a pickerel with a lure that looks like a perch?” 

When I point out that there are many birds in an area and tell him that bodes well, he wants to know why.  When I explain it’s because the birds also eat fish and they aren’t going to hang out in unproductive areas, you can see the gears turning in his head – he gets it. 

It’s all pretty simple: if you get your kids interested in going fishing, they’ll also be interested in reading about fishing.

Fishing Makes Kids Thoughtful Stewards of Planet Earth

Fishermen are the great stewards of our natural lakes and rivers.  We have a vested interest in our national waterways and tend to do what we can to preserve them.  If we don’t, our hobby will eventually end. 

The people most likely to preserve this world are those out living in it. Thus, the best chance Mother Earth has is if more kids to go out in the world and respect it.  Fishing is great for that.

How I Sparked My Kid’s Interest in Fishing

To reap all these benefits, you need to somehow spark your child’s interest in fishing.  I’m very fortunate in that I was able to do this with my son, and I hope to give you a few tips for how you can get your own children interested in fishing.

My son is about to turn four, yet has been catching fish “all on his own” since before he was two.  Sure, I’m there to help, teach, coach and guide him (and deal with the hooks, or “sharp things” as we call them), but he has long been capable of casting, hooking, fighting, and landing his own fish for years now.

To say my kid loves fishing would be an absolute understatement.  He was potty trained on a boat, and one of his first words was “crankbait.” He longs for adventures to the lake, would tire of an I-pad quicker than a fishing pole, and would rather spend time climbing around on the boat than the playscape I built him! The hardest part of any fishing trip with my son is getting him to come home!

This wasn’t forced on him by me by any means, and he can stop whenever he wants. All the same, I hope that this passion lasts a lifetime.  I have this theory that the more money my son spends on fishing when he is a teenager and young adult, the less money he’ll have to spend on getting in trouble! I also think it’s important for him to connect with nature in a time and age where you see less and less kids playing outside.  Learning self-reliance and being able to catch his own food  when “the zombies come” are nice perks, too.

The Five Steps I Took to Make Fishing Interesting for My Kid

With all that in mind, I started teaching my kid to fish when he was only a toddler. My goal was to try and spark this passion and acclimate him to the sport. 

While there are a lot of great articles out there with some detailed tips, I couldn’t really find much about how to get a kid interested in fishing in the first place. Here is a high-level overview of the steps I took to accomplish this:

Step 1: Basic Acclimation

When my son was very young (about 10-11 months) I started taking him out on boat rides and showing him the fish that I would catch. At this point, of course, he was just spectating, but as anyone who has ever taken a toddler to an aquarium will know, children are fascinated by fish.  In fact, one of our first “field trips” together was to the fish hatchery!

When I would show him a fish, I’d point out how pretty they were, let him touch them (not too roughly – you don’t want to hurt the fish!) and just explain what they were. 

Every time I’d catch a fish, I’d make a big deal out of showing it to him, and his mother would help him towards the bow to see the latest prize.  I wanted to get him acclimated to the water, so my kid would be as interested about fishing as possible.

Step 2: The First Casts

As summer ended, I decided to teach my kid how to reel in a fishing lure. 

I went and bought a small spinning rod (specifically, the Zebco Dock Demon, though any small rod would work fine). After spooling on some monofilament, I took the hooks off of a crankbait and tied it on.  I cast it out across the living room for him, handed him the rod and said “Reel, reel, reel!” and “Keep your rod up high!”

We made a game out of reeling in the line and watching the crankbait move across the floor.  I wanted him to be used to this so that when I eventually handed him a rod with a fish on it, he would know what to do.  Eventually, I started tugging on the crankbait while he was reeling it in, to show him what a fish would feel like. 

Before long, my son learned how to reel in the line, which is a critical step to catching fish!

Step 3: Fishing Next to My Son

Once there was open water, I started taking my son fishing with me more often. I would cast the line and try to hook a fish. Once once the fish was on, I would hand him the rod and have him reel it in.  Again, I’d say “Reel, reel, reel!”

My goal was to set up for situations where we were likely to catch numerous fish. You really want to make sure that they’re successful while they fish, so your kid stays interested. I targeted panfish, and went to locations where they would normally be present. I further stacked the deck by chumming a bit (check to make sure this is legal in your area, but if it is, rabbit food works great!).  We’d also bring his little ice fishing rod so he could practice reeling it in next to me.  It was pretty cute to see him try to work it like a jerkbait just like daddy!

Remember, if you want to keep your child interested in fishing, you need to make it fun for them. Consider reading this article I wrote on how to make fishing fun for kids for tips on exactly how to do that.

Step 4: My Son’s First Casts

As he got a bit older, he started to want to do everything on his own, including casting. 

I decided to use a spinning rod to teach my kid how to cast.  I get that this is a bit against the grain as most people start with a spincast combo, but I wanted something that he would use his entire life, and there are for more applications for a spinning reel than a spincast reel. 

Admittedly, the spinning reel was challenging for tiny hands, but he was able to get the hang of casting by using one hand to hold the line and the other to cast. 

When I go fishing with a kid who is learning to cast, I try to find areas that hold fish, but also give the child enough space to catch them without getting hung up.  You wouldn’t want to take a kid fishing along a forested bank, for example, as you’d spend most of your day climbing trees to get the lures loose.

Step 5: My Own Little Fishing Buddy

Once my son could cast on his own, we would go out on the boat together and each of us would have our own rod.  I would still hand him anything that I hooked on mine, but he would also catch plenty of his own.  This constant action helped to keep my kid interested and engaged while we fished, so he didn’t get bored.

Many times, I’d leave the boat docked while fishing with my son.  Panfish tend to use the boat for shade and aren’t scared of being under it, especially if it hasn’t moved in awhile.  This, coupled with the rabbit food, did a marvelous job of setting up a fun fishing trip for my kid, and allowing him to have success “all on his own.” 

It was important to him to be independent and about the only things he didn’t do on his own were putting worms on a hook or taking fish off of one.  Frankly, I think he could have handled both, but I didn’t want to risk him getting hurt.

One Last Piece of Advice: Stay Relax

You will never create or maintain your child’s interest in fishing if the experience goes poorly. Make sure you keep a level head and maintain your cool. I wrote an article about how to make fishing with kids stress-free and recommend that you check it out. While you can overcome a fishing trip or two where you don’t catch anything, one temper tantrum can ruin the sport for your kid for life.

You Can Do This Too!

By following these five steps, I had a blast teaching my child to fish.  I hope they are helpful to your family as well. 

Just remember that during all steps, the goal is to have constant action for the child.  If you’re doing all the catching, go somewhere that you’ll catch a bunch of small fish so your children constantly have something to look at.

The need for constant action is a great reason to take a grandparent, wife, or aunt along who can also hook some fish of their own to help keep things going. 

Really, the most important thing you can do in steps 3, 4, and 5 is locate or draw in a large amount of fish so that there aren’t many lulls in the action.  If you can do that when you take your kids fishing for the first few times, you’ll hook them for life.

I hope this helped provide a high-level “vision” for how to get your kids interested in going fishing.  In my next post I will focus on some tips for how to prepare for a fishing trip with kids to make the first few trips successful, which is critical to sustain their interest.

As always, if you found this article helpful, please consider sharing it so it can help others.

Thanks,

John Paxton