Before I get into my fishing adventure with my grand-daughter Madison, I need to preface this by stating that
there are a few rules you need to keep in mind and something magical will happen.
First, if you are taking a kid fishing understand you will probably be doing very little fishing. Oh, you will be baiting, casting, untangling lines and hopefully landing fish. But, it won’t be on your pole. So don’t expect to get your line in the water.
Second, keep it fun. If the kids aren’t having any fun, neither will you! When the kids stop having fun, it’s time to do something else. We’ve all seen the kid in a restaurant that has been there too long, is bored and cranky. That’s not what you want the kids to remember about fishing.
Third expect to answer questions, LOTS of questions. It’s ok not to know the answers, the kids don’t either. Just don’t come up with something totally stupid that they’ll repeat to someone else.
Fourth fish don’t always bite, see the second rule. Have a backup plan. With little kids the attention span goes to nothing if they aren’t catching fish. Feeding ducks can be fun, a hike around the lake, lots of county and state parks have playgrounds near the lakes. Have a backup plan.
Fifth, know your prey. For first trips you can’t beat bluegill, these little boogers will bite on anything. I’ve used night crawlers, dough balls, bubble gum and bologna sandwiches. The point is they’re easy to catch and lots of fun for little kids. The same ponds and lakes generally also hold small mouth bass, crappie and a variety of sunfish. If a kid lands one of these on a first trip they’ll be hooked for life.
With these suggestions in mind get out there and FISH!
No comments:
Post a Comment