Fishing Trips for the Family
A Guide to Making a Child's First Fishing Experience Memorable
Children's first fishing adventures should be rewarding, reinforcing, but most of all successful.
The slogan states “Get kids hooked on fish -- not drugs,” but in order to get children interested in fishing they must first catch fish. Most adults that have biases towards angling probably went as a child and had an unsuccessful trip. So the general consensus on fishing is that it is boring. Let’s face it, putting an “icky” worm on a hook, tossing the bobber and line into some desolate part of the lake, staring at it for hours in the hot sun doesn’t sound like fun. But fishing doesn’t have to be boring. As a matter of fact it can be quite adventurous, stimulating, and educational. Find the right spot and you and your child will likely have a successful and fun day. Here's how.
Picking a spot
Location is the key to any fishing adventure. Fish do not mystically decide to come find bait. The bait must be in a place where fish reside.
Public lakes offer plenty of fishing opportunities...but they also offer plenty of opportunities for a child to have a miserable day. If you are planning on going to a public lake consider pre-fishing without children. Gaining local knowledge first is a plus, especially if the trip-plan involves a boat. The mistake to avoid here is to take children to the local lake and fish among the other anglers on the bank. Having a worm on a hook in the water beside hundreds of other hooks on a bobber is a sure way to make a child say “gee wiz this is boring!”
Creeks and streams offer a little better opportunity – depending on the age of the child you are taking. Again, what is to be avoided here is sitting on the bank staring at a motionless bobber. Wading is a great way to access great fishing spots. Wading upstream will use the current and riffles to baffle the noise of a child splashing around in the water. There is also some awesome scenery to be taken-in depending on the selection of the creek or steam – this should come into consideration during planning. If the selection of the creek or stream is stimulating enough for the child it may negate striking out in the fish department.
Maybe the most preferable for beginners is a stocked pond. This is like, well, “shooting fish in a barrel.” Most pond and private lake owners keep their bodies of water well stocked and can give plenty of information on what and where to fish.
Where to go once you're at the location
The “rule of thumb” here is that the less accessible the fish are the better the fishing will be. Public lake boat ramps, a lot of pressure, not a lot of fish. Got a boat? The margin of people with access to structure out on the lake dwindles. The further away from creek or stream access points the better the fishing. Casual fishermen tend to be lazy, laid back, bank-anglers – so take advantage of it.
A child's first fishing trip should be stimulating and adventurous if the parent/grandparent has a serious interest in encouraging their child to become involved in angling and nature. There is a lot more involved in catching fish then location, but picking a stimulating spot for a child's trip is key to the success thereof.
