Fishing trips should be fun for everyone involved. Here are some tips to help you make every ride a winner for the kids. Children need to learn to fish the right way. Have you ever noticed that almost every adult has a memory of going fishing as a child? Have you ever noticed how many adults have a single, lonely, lonely childhood memory of hunting?
why is that? Why do some children go fishing only once?
There are three main reasons why children fail to get attached to fishing:
Nobody is having fun! If the trip fails to generate excitement, no one involved will want to repeat the experience. Oftentimes, this means that no fish has been caught. Or maybe the weather spoiled the trip and created unpleasant memories.
Children do not have access to a place where hunting can take place. Fishing is not something that is limited to one place, once a year. But if children do not have a fishy habitat near their homes, it is difficult to take care of it much.
Some kids don’t fish very often, even if they are fascinated, simply because there is no one to catch them. Of all the reasons that prevent children from getting caught, this is the saddest.
I have children and so does my co-author, Peter. Like a lot of things that involve children, getting them interested in things is often easier said than done. Some of you have no doubt, “Kids I know are more interested in video games than doing anything outside.” But let’s not despair. Boys and girls have been passionate about hunting since the first poles of sugar cane were cut. This hobby will still work with the kids you know today.
Although there are some risks – no hook is suitable for children – fishing can be one of the best ways to get the little ones out of the fresh air. What better way to get kids interested in biology than by taking them to a place where their feet can get wet? Fishing can be a children’s gateway to the natural world and all it has to offer. (The natural world is closer to you than you think, no matter where you live!) And it’s a great way to create funny and exciting memories. After all, in 20 years no one wants to tell (or hear) the story of a childhood spent playing video games.
Plans (and packages) for success, not failure
Let’s face it: some kids’ fishing trips are a problem because adults set the trip up for failure. Watch the weather forecast first! If Saturday’s forecast includes the possibility of thunderstorms, and Sunday seems clear, why not fish on Sunday? When kids are just starting to fish, a little patience for planning goes a long way. Do your best to go when the weather is right for you, not against you.
Pack appropriate clothing. Clothes change package. (So, you can relax if the first set gets dirty and wet.) Put some snacks and drinks in the cooler. Use more than you think they will need. Nobody enjoys being hungry, cold, or thirsty.
Plan to help the kids with their hunting efforts, and don’t plan to hunt on your own. You can help children better if your hands are free. Help mold them into hunters now, so you can fish with them later.
Take advantage of blue gill mania
The gills are the world’s “first fish”. They are widespread, found in nearly every pond in America, and they happen to be willing to bite just about every day. Chances are, there’s a gill swimming a 30-minute drive from where you are right now. Bluegills are also a school and seem to be drawn to hunting activity. Find a sunny pier or bay and drop bits of earthworms or waxworms onto small hooks. Sharks love to eat baits suspended under the floats, which gives the kids something to watch, and these little fish struggle hard when suspended. And catching a single gill rarely scares others in the area either. Just watch for the sharp dorsal spines after they land. (With practice, you can grab these thorns with the heel of your hand
Make the taste enjoyable
Live fishing is good for kids because it works with fish. If fish are nearby, they will take on a live bait that they are accustomed to eating.
Make the act of collecting natural bait part of the adventure. Collecting worms, setting minnow traps, and catching crawfish or lobsters can be more fun for kids than fishing. Let it be.
The trick is to deal with life and death issues related to live bait. Calculate your child’s reaction and respond accordingly. You may need to release one bait (if legal) for each bait you use. Usually, though, kids handle this part better than we think. If your child is not at all comfortable using live baits, use store-bought baits instead. Many types of fish can be caught from corn, shrimp or hot dogs.
Get the gear working
Cartoon fishing poles work great to get kids excited about fishing, but the rod is too short to make the hook difficult to install. (If you don’t believe me, try fishing with one yourself.) You want kids to actually catch fish, not just see them bite. Try round hooks, which eliminates the need to adjust the hook (just hold the rod until the hook attaches itself). And whether you use a round hook or a J-hook, cast small, sharp hooks that pierce quickly. And consider replacing the short cardboard rod with one about five feet long. It is a little difficult to handle, but makes it easy to catch and catch fish.
Burn the turntable
My kids quickly became good wheels with their little rollers and five-foot rods. We trained in the yard, then went fishing with worms and friezes. But the boys did not like to wait for the plunge – they wanted to continue the casting. They wanted to utter, and they wanted to utter…quickly. The solution? I tied Worden’s rooster’s tails to their stripes. Developed in the 1950s by Howard Worden, these classic inline spinners can quickly retrieve and retrieve, and the faster the reel, the faster the spinning micro-blade will flash. Bass, crappie and bluegill love these baits, and the fish usually attach themselves while attacking the spinner. Grab a 1/16-or 1/8-oz Rooster Tail and let your young fishing friend begin the casting. (Mepps Aglia is another good option.)
Canoe or kayak in the local wilderness
For kids old enough to be comfortable in a small boat, there’s no better way to spend a Saturday than kayaking on a quiet stretch of local stream. Even near major urban areas, small rivers and streams tend to remain wild because construction is often prohibited in floodplains. You will be amazed at the wildlife that you can spot, and you should also catch some really amazing fish. Boredom is rarely an issue because you are always able to paddle in the river. You can often rent canoes or kayaks from a canoe near small rivers, so check online.
collect carp
Check your local laws, but most states allow you to fish for fish. This practice involves placing an attractant in an area to attract fish. For sharks, the sidekick consists of blood and ground fish. For common carp (not invasive Asian carp, which are filter-operated), it includes a handful of canned sweet corn. Heat a can of corn in a saucepan over the stove, and add a little maple syrup and Kool-Aid (any flavor will do – but the red flavors are my favorite). When you reach a lake or stream, throw in as many handfuls of corn as you can. Then feed a hook with several kernels of corn and pour them into the same area. clings! The carp comes to the corn and then eagerly feeds. The carp fights hard, so don’t let it drag the rod into the water! Carp can tolerate warmer water, even if it is slightly polluted. While it is sad that some of the waters are polluted, this means that carp are close to nearly every fisherman in America.
Try fish camping
Hunting and camping go together like soccer and tails. Often, the time of fishing is determined by the trip there and departure. Setting up a camp near a potential hunting ground takes the pressure off. Like Nick Adams on Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River,” you can relax and enjoy fishing. For kids, a camp site means a campfire, marshmallows, flashlights, tents, and comfy sleeping bags. Camping while hunting makes hunting part of the adventure – not the whole adventure.
Crank tournament time
It’s quite possible that kids are very competitive these days. However, fishing naturally leads to some good competition. Who caught the most fish? the biggest? I don’t see anything wrong with a bit of championship activity during an afternoon fishing session. After all, unlike sports such as football, fishing may prefer calm and meditative children who are not interested in active sports. Fishing is a great draw this way. Bass pros compete for multi-million dollar bags – I recommend prizes like a new tackle box or fishing hat.
Go for the night fishing
Night fishing is more difficult, potentially risky, and more frustrating than daytime fishing. It seems to be the exact opposite of what a child needs. True, but night fishing is also very charming. The world, in the literal sense of the word, is changing. Exposing experienced children to night fishing is like opening the door to another world.
You shouldn’t try to take a kid who hunts at night until you are an expert yourself, but being outside at night is something a kid never forgets. This may be ideal for a young person who thinks they are too cold or exhausted to hunt during the day.