Last week I wrote about the importance of talking kids fishing and wanted to give a few pointers that might help on introducing kids to fishing. First, keep it simple, cheap and fun. Unless the child is 2 or 3, I wouldn’t buy them a Spiderman or Barbie rod and reel because a decent 5 to 5 1/2-foot rod and spin cast (push button) reel combo will be close to the same price and the kids will not outgrow these in a year or two. Next, to make their first day on the water better and easier on you parents, explain how the reel works and tie a weight on the end of the line and make a game out of learning how to cast in the yard. Maybe set up plastic cups and see how close they can get to those cups. This will not only teach the little ones how to grip the rod, cast and reel the line back in, but it also shows them the rod goes up and down NOT left or right. This will keep the end of the line (hook) away from others. When they are ready for their first fishing adventure, clear the boat of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that will not be used. (Trust me mom and dad you won’t have time to fish yourself).

Head to a good fishing spot that you know will hold fish (LILY PADS), then before the first cast is made, show the kids how sharp the hooks are (without drawing blood, lol) and snap on a bobber, hook on a worm and have him or her cast out, just like you practiced in the yard. Then watch the bobber until it goes under water and don’t jerk the rod, just reel in the slack and lift the rod.  If there are 2 or more children that will be fishing, it’s always a good idea to have them take turns at first until they get the hang of it, and you are sure no one will get hooked.

When that first fish is caught, remove the hook from the fish and show the kids that the dorsal fin on top of the fish can prick your hand and draw blood if the fish is not handled carefully. Here is the most part of all of this (besides safety) give A LOT OF PRAISE. “I can’t believe you caught a fish already” – “look at the size of that fish” – “are you kidding me, you caught another fish”. Trust me, the excitement will be there, but the encouragement and praise from mom and dad will be HUGE. It’s all about teaching kids to fish, getting them to unplug, learn about the outdoors and at the same time you get quality family time. Oh, and let’s not forget the sunscreen, bottles of water or juice and snacks and DO NOT forget to take a lot of pictures of their first fishing trip. Years from now, they may not remember their first fishing experiene I’m pretty sure they will apricate it