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
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
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
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:
- Since braid is the most pliable of the line, when it tangles, the tangles are epic.
- 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:
- Tangles (if caught early) aren’t too bad.
- It’s less likely to cut little hands, making it safer to use with kids.
- 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
Thanks,
John Paxton
