Good method for a 5 and 6 year old?

[WRangler506]

What do you guys find is a productive and fun tactic for a 5-6 yr old kids?

 

They bobber fish or dock jig for blue gills usually. What is a good thing to get them started on casting for bass or other species? Im guessing pulling plastic worms or grubs with a little weight so they can cast it?

Live minnows might be fun for them to try maybe, not sure how best to rig them up for a kid though.

[jr231]

Only you know the kids capabilities. My daughter is two and a half and I just took her fishing for the first time. To an very small, old over populated pond full of dinks.  We tore them up and she had a blast. 

 

We used minnows 2-3" long and I rigged them all. I like under the jaw and out the nostril. Tail hooking them makes them die faster. I obviously rigged them up but she helped cast (spincast) and watched the bobber. I'd set the hook, and let her reel them in and I was surprised how well she did. 

 

She was done in about a half hour though lol. Even though we caught 15+. 

 

I'd say small senkos or small jigheads tipped with little split tail grubs are where I'd start if you want them to try artificial. 

 

If they can cast and reel somewhat efficiently then have them try a spinner, such as mepps 

[All about da bass]

I would say just give them live bait to get their confidence boosted and go from there.

 

[FishDewd]

Well, I hear bass will actually eat nose-hooked earthworms. They also eat minnows as well. I haven't used live bait for bass though. You could well still use a bobber for either technique, but if you're looking to get away from bobbers and use a more bottom approach that can do both artificial and live presentations... I don't think there is a better way for a learning fisherman than the trusty old dropshot rig. So versatile and easy to use too:

 

From this page: http://www.carolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=13715

[greentrout]

 

I still use 'em...

[WRB]

I started my kids with s split shot or slip shot rigs with finesse soft plastic worms. Either rig is very effective for bass and easy to cast using spinning or spin cast outfits.

Tom

[J Francho]

Weedless moving baits, like a spinnerbait, are what I like to start beginners of any age on.  Even crankbaits will work if there are no trees or weeds nearby.  It's easier to use baits that hook themselves.  Once they learn what a bite and fish feels like, then I move to baits where you need to feel the and detect the strike before setting the hook.

[the reel ess]

I accidentally caught some bass on a curly tail grub in crappie size when I was young. A nightcrawler might move them from panfish to bass/catfish. But catfish are a hassle for little kids to get off the hook. I think my first casting bait was a Mepp's Comet or a Roostertail. These catch everything and are some of the most likely baits to keep a kid's interest. If they're cathing nothing, they're still gaining skills by chunking and winding. Put a quality swivel on them because they twist line like nobody's business. The aforementioned Beetle Spin is another. Most kids at that age just don't usually have the manual dexterity to detect a bite on a soft plastic and react in a way that ensures a good hookset. One of my earliest bass-specific lures was a Rebel Deep Wee R crankbait. It enabled me to catch bass without a good hookset, but it will also get hung up a good bit. Maybe start with a medium or shallow runner.

 

Understand I probably never even cast a reel until I was about 7. I really didn't get fanatical until I was about 10. God made bluegill and crickets for little kids to cut their fishing teeth on.

[WRangler506]

My 6 year old caught a 5lb smallie last year with a ball jig and live bait, he also jigged up a few others in canada including small pike. Im just getting bored with bobbers, but it really doesnt matter what I want as long as they are having fun fishing. They both slam the bluegills anywhere we go as well.

The spinnerbaits and cranks wont work I dont think since their reels have such a low gear you would have to scream the thing just to get any speed. Maybe Im wrong, so well try it. It seems like a finesse or swimming technique would be fun for them.

 

A dropshot might be cool for them to try. I do that a lot. I didnt think about that.

 

The erratic, moving, jumping action comes natural for them at this age lol.

[Tennessee Boy]

My earliest memory of fishing was with my grandfather at his farm pond.  He would set the hook on catfish and let me reel them in.  I was probably around two or three year old.  My first venture into what would eventually lead to bass fishing was catching bream on a popping bug.  It was easy to make the connection that this bait looked like a bug on top of the water to the fish.  If I made it act like a bug,  the fish would hit it.  I had a blast doing that.  I think every kid is different.  I would introduce them to different things as they show curiosity.  Let them have fun and develop a love of the outdoors.

[Glenn]

Why yes, yes we do have several articles on the subject!

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/children_fishing.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/future_fishing.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/time_with_kids.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/kids-fishing.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/take_a_kid.html

 

[Catt]

Totally depends on the kid!

 

My grandson Aiden wanted to start with a Fluke.

 

He quickly graduated to Texas Rigs & Jig-n-Craws.

 

 

[Mobasser]

Catt, my grandson is named Aiden too! I started him with beetlespins and inline spinners.I agree, it depends on the kid.Now, he is 10 and fishing soft plastics some, which we all know is a learning process. Hell get there. Hes fired up about it now. 

[NHBull]

My grandson is still to young, but this weekend, I will be filling my well with minnows and giving him a small net......should fascinate him for hours

[WRangler506]

1 hour ago, NHBull said:

My grandson is still to young, but this weekend, I will be filling my well with minnows and giving him a small net......should fascinate him for hours

Yep. Thats part of the reason for live bait. Sometimes my boys will play with the minnows, and then I get time to make a few casts too lol.

[FishDewd]

23 hours ago, WRangler506 said:

My 6 year old caught a 5lb smallie last year with a ball jig and live bait, he also jigged up a few others in canada including small pike. Im just getting bored with bobbers, but it really doesnt matter what I want as long as they are having fun fishing. They both slam the bluegills anywhere we go as well.

The spinnerbaits and cranks wont work I dont think since their reels have such a low gear you would have to scream the thing just to get any speed. Maybe Im wrong, so well try it. It seems like a finesse or swimming technique would be fun for them.

 

A dropshot might be cool for them to try. I do that a lot. I didnt think about that.

 

The erratic, moving, jumping action comes natural for them at this age lol.

You can always go with another approach with lower speed reels that I've had bites on and have seen plenty of people use. Move the crank with the rod instead of the reel. Get an angle towards the crank and sweep rod away to pull the crank along. You can actually feel the crank thump really hard if you do this hard, but there will be a certain rhythm that always works best. Can always do a little jerk-jerk action too to change it up. Then you just reel back towards it to take up slack. I think this would basically be a stop and go technique but sideways instead of right towards you. Setting it can be a bit of a trick though doing this, but sometimes they'll bite right when it stops, and the next time you sweep it away it'll set for you.

[WRB]

When my son was 6 to 8 years old he was in Indian Guides and I would set up about 10 kids at a time with spinning rods with split shot rigs and 3” reapers nose hooked with small circle hooks. 

They kids caught bass, with the rig the fish hook themselves. Takes awhile to get their fathers involved, the kids were eager to learn. It helps to fish where a good population of bass are at.

Tom

[Dtrombly]

When me and my 6yo daughter bank fish I usually set her up with nightcrawler under a bobber, going for anything that bites. Tomorrow we are taking the kayak on a creek for smallmouth and I have her hooked up with a wacky rig senko, as that's a huge producer in this creek.