Teaching Young Children to Fish

Teaching young boys and girls to fish is a rite of passage just about every parent and grandparent should pass along to each generation. Some of my most fond memories as a youngster involve going into the little row boat with the outboard motor with my Dad and brothers. There were times when we would come back to the shore without any fish but we always had fun and mom had lunch or dinner prepared when we got back to the cabin.

The lasting impression that parents and grandparents want to impress on their fish instruction is that everyone is having fun and bonding together. It is about being on the glassy lake and listening to the birds, watching the fish jump, and telling good stories.

The learning ability of grasping how to fish can begin very early for a child such as the age of four or five. You will want to provide the youngster with very simple and scaled down equipment such as a cartoon character themed fishing pole or even a cane pole. Kids do not need extreme tackle as they will be drop line fishing and not learning to use lures quite yet. Many of these children's fishing sets do come with hooks, weights, and bobbers which is all that is needed for their first outing.

Once the child has his or her equipment, you can teach the cast. Practice casting in the backyard or open area with a nut or small weight tied to the end of the fishing line. You do not want to practice casting in a yard or field with hook and bobber as this may get snagged on something or somebody. Once the child develops a knack for casting and reeling in the line, it is time to hit the pond or lake.

If your child has never been in a boat before, it might make sense to teach them to fish off the pier initially. The pier is stable and will provide the child with a greater sense of stability as most boats tend to rock quite easily and will potentially distract the child from having good time fishing. Whether fishing from a pier or boat, the child will definitely need to wear a life jacket.

Once the gear is laid out, teach the child how to place the worm or night crawler on the hook. They may or may not be grossed out by this. My children seem to not flinch with this step as they are always picking worms out of the garden. Once the bait is secure onto the hook they can simple drop the line down into the water and watch the bobber for any strikes. The children will usually like this situation especially when small pan fish are in the area and repeatedly hitting the bait.

If the child is successful and hooks the fish, try and let them reel in the catch all on their own and let them bring it to you. Unhook the fish yourself and release it back into the water, that is unless if have your camera and can take a quick photo of your child and fish. Teach your child the importance of catch and release and maintaining healthy fish populations. If you do plan on taking fish home, make sure it is eaten to validate your catch from the water.