at what age can you start teaching a boy to fish?

[MDbassinmike]

One more of Rhenn, age 3.

[JerseyBassin]

didn't start freshwater fishing until  a couple years ago

but i started saltwater when i was very young...by the age of 3 i was out on my boat in the ocean..of course some of the fish were a little too big for me to reel in, but i got my fair share...i find that the exposure to it was more important than the actual fishing...so dont hesitate to bring your kid(s) out on the boat even if the fishing they'll do is limited

[smallieking]

i dont have kids yet, but i dont even remember my father first taking me out on the boat. i have pics from when i was like 2 holding nice ones    so i would say any age    

[pokey]

i started my daughter at 3.5 casting worms (no hooks) in the yard then moved to water. She caught on quickly

[simplejoe]

I started my son at 3  years old with live minnows and he wanted to fish like me so I got him a topwater heddon torpedo and he just turned 5 so for his birthday last week I took him down to Cabelas and let him pick out his own tacklebox and baits and let me say the bait monkey got a hold of him too he wanted everything I have in my tacklebox but I got him a frog, buzzbait, spinnerbait and bunch of plastic worms, I showed and explained to him about the hooks and how to grab them, not to stab his little sister with them and he understood everything I said. I took him fishing yesterday and he caught a couple of small bass but I didn't fish at all  :'( :'(

[EastTexasBassin]

I'm getting anxious to take my boy fishing, but he's only 2 months old so I guess I'll have to wait a bit.

I got him his first rod&reel before he was born, I can't wait until he's old enough to hold it and cast with it.  For now it waits for him on the wall of his room.

[simplejoe]

you are anxious, buying him a rod before he was born lol

[Rob Faddis]

I started my son fishing at 2 years old with unbreakable equipment (Ugly stick and Zebco 202).  Mind you, their attention span is about 30 seconds so be patient as you won't get much fishing done in fear of a hook imbedded in one of you or that he'll fall in, but memories you'll both cherish.

 

One his first outing, I took my boy to a local pond.  After rigging him up and trying to teach him the finer points of the proper cast, I realized defeat and left the child to invent his own tecnique with this new toy that I had entrusted him with.  After better then an hour into this ordeal/adventure and having retrieved him soaking wet from the pond twice.  I sat back and watched him guardedly while he dangling a night crawler in about 2 feet of water at the edge of a pond.  With the fishing gods watching, bang the rod bends and the fight is on.  I don't know to this day who was more startled him or me.  Luckily there was only about 4 feet of line out ( NOTE: kids don't reel in line well).  Anyway, he was able to drag his first fish to the bank without assistance.  A nice 2 1/2 lb. large mouth lay there on the grass.  The ensuing reality of his victory just about scared the kid to death.  Fear faded with all the praise that I was giving him for his fishing prowess (luck) and the spot-light that ensued as we shared the story and the fish with neighbors, relatives and anyone else that would listen.  (As you have gathered there was no catch and release story here.)

 

That bass lived in our freezer for 5 years waiting to be paraded out on special occasions like school show and tell, family gatherings and the like.  Time and decay wore on the poor old guy and one day he escaped the freezer.  We never did figure out what happened to that fish after those 5 odd years and I guarantee that my wife isn't talking!  

The point is, the boy is now 25 years old and a fine man that I am very proud of.  This experience is the earliest memory he has and he occasionally tells of it.  When the story of that first fish passes his lips, I see that little boy with such pride telling the story just as he did so many years ago to his kindergarten class.  I believe that this experience and the other outdoor adventures we shared helped make my son the honest and loving person he is.  What those times did for me is priceless.  

[Quinn]

Rob,

Man, thats what it is all about.  Watching the KC news about a 13 year old kid that murdered someone, that kid needed to go FISHING with someone, an uncle, a dad, or anyone who could take him to learn about what life is about.

[Rob Faddis]

Amen Quinn!  We all need to support Casting Kids, or any "take a kid fishing program".  There are many great kids out there that just need a helping hand and our prisons are overcrowded already.  

[MichBassMan]

Great question. I guess I started taking my son fishing when he was about a year and a half old. He's 28 now and still my fishing partner. His daughter is 17 months old and he had her out ice fishing a month ago. If they are old enough to play with a minnow or a rubber worm(without eating it) they are ready to start fishing and learning to love the outdoors. But it's never too late regardless of age.

[Bass Thumb]

Well said, great story!

[nickb]

Nice post Rob! I hope to raise a great kid someday.

I think that 3 years old would be ideal.

[CatBassin]

I was taught when i was 3 by my dad and broke my first rod reeling one in at age 5 or 6. But my little boy is 2 and i bought him his first combo, an Ugly Stik Junior with Shakespeare reel, and I'm thinking bout trying him out this year. I gave him the bottom half of a broken rod, an old busted reel, and a fluke and taught him how to reel one in, give it a kiss, and trow it back.

[CatBassin]

Almost forgot but my son did reel his first one in last summer at the beach off the pier, just a little pin fish or as me and my pop call them king bait.

[SirSnookalot]

I started at about age 5, back in 1950 there were no kids outfits so my dad bought me the same b/c as he was using, spinning the next year.  He taught me 1 hand overhead cast right from the gitgo.

[done]

I get my girls out when they hit 3 or 4 depending on their attention span. I add a little bit of competition in it for them. They start with the floating Dora/Barbie pole.

The first time get get a fish 100% on their own (they cast, hook it, and land it, they win a trip to BPS to pick out the big girl rod/reel combo. My first chose the pink Shakespear rod/reel combo. My second is going for her combo this year and says she wants the same thing (she is 5). You want pressure try having a 5 yr old with e pink rod/reel combo start catching more than you. LOL.

After that they have to get a 3+lb fish and they can pick out a tackle box. My oldest (7 yrs) has told me, she WILL have her tackle box this year. At 10 they graduate to hit the trout streams with me in the spring and fall.

The competition has really helped them focus more, as they have a goal, and of course the one on one experience with them is awesome. I would not trade it for anything.

[Dave D]

I started my little guy right away. 1.5.  This year he was able to reel in a couple on the ice at 2 years old. I think this summer is going to be fun.

It's never to early to start, just remember short increments.

[DINK WHISPERER]

My 3 1/2 yr old daughter will fish for about 3 hours before she loses interest. Her favorite is the zoom horny toad or any top water. She likes seeing the lure i guess. My wife is expecting our second child and we just found out yesterday that it is a BOY!!!!! We will see how he does.

[Pond Hopper]

My dad supposedly started me at 2.  He would go fishing Sylvan's Slough on the Mississippi river with his co-worker's(fireman) and he would strap me to his chest.  When he caught a fish I would apparently reel them in.  He said it was a huge pain in the rear but I thank him for sparking my interest in fishing and keeping me out of trouble.  I have many pictures of when I was young with stringers full of white bass, crappies, and walleyes.

[clipper]

It is great to see so many of you guys taking your kids fishing at an early age.  My son had to beg me when he was 6 or 7 and that's only because he watched fishing shows on TV every Saturday morning.  I quit working so much, bought a boat and took him fishing.  He won his first tournament fishing the back of the boat today.  He has turned out to be a good, hard working, honest man and I attribute the time we spent fishing for a good part of that.  

Thank you Bill Dance and Roland Martin .

[Fish Chris]

I've been checking in on this thread every now and again, and didn't think I'd reply, as I don't / won't have any kids. {I think kids are great, as long as I don't have to raise them}

But anyway, first off, to whoever suggested barbless hooks, thats a GREAT idea. Heck, if they lose a fish or two, that will be a good lesson right from the start ! You will lose a few. And if they get stuck with the barbless hook, that will be "enough" for the second lesson... Be careful, getting stuck with hooks is all bad.

Oh, but hey.... I don't think a single person here mentioned the use of cane pole ? IMPO for a really young angler, why make things so complicated ? {you have to turn this... and that pulls in your line... and you have to do this when the fish pulls.... and careful the line doesn't get tangled, yada... yada}

Why not just the basics ? > When the fish pulls down (the bobber) you pull up !

Spiderman is all fine when they are at home watching TV..... But when they are fishing {IMPO} it should be all about catching fish !

And finally, I'm not sure if anybody mentioned this, but I think the age at which a kid starts fishing..... or whether or not he "EVER" starts fishing, should be completely up to him.

I think if I had a kid, I'd take him and the wife on a fishing trip. I'd fish. If the kid wanted to do the same, so he/she could be like dad, "cool" ! {I'd be like, "I think we got a keeper here honey" ;-)

But the best you can do is to make sure they catch fish quickly, and easily. Let them fish "if" they want to. Don't try to make them fish because you want them to. Always remembering that some kids are just not born with it.

Oh, I started at 2 1/2..... with a cane pole, for Bluegills :-) Been hooked ever since :-)

Peace,

Fish

PS, I think the kids who believe they have to have that fancy Spiderman rod to catch fish, are the same kids who grow up to believe they have to have a 21ft bass boat, to catch bass ;-)  LOL

[done]

"I think the kids who believe they have to have that fancy Spiderman rod to catch fish, are the same kids who grow up to believe they have to have a 21ft bass boat, to catch bass Wink  LOL "

THATS the idea. Someday when i am old and gray, they can take me out on their 21 ft boat. LOL. I actually, push my girls a little bit but not to far. At the age of my oldest 2 (5 and 7), I am working on slowly extending the concentration level. When we go out on the boat, my 7 yr old will fish about 60% of the time. She will spend some time just soaking in the time on the boat too. My 7 yr old is totally stoked that there are professional female fishermen who can catch more than boys.

My 5 yr old, fishes on and off. At this age I do sign them up for a lot of things, Dance, Tee-Ball, Soccer, fishing, etc to get them a wide range of experiences so they can see what they like.

My oldest, did 2 seasons of T-Ball and soccer, decided Dancing was what she wanted to do, so she does that now. My 5 yr old is all about soccer. She just loves more aggressive sports. Fishing I would continue to bring them, unless they really loathed it. It is about fishing, getting them outdoors, but more importantly to get that critical one on one time with them. I imagine as they move to the teen years it will just grow in importance.

[kms399]

Kids love ice fishing

Im not sure thats the best thing. Its slow fishing and might lose interest.

if you do it right it is great. I took my son icefishing this winter and had a blast. he is 2 1/2 we brought his magnadoodle and some hot chocolate, cookies and caught a bunch of sunnies. I let him decide which ones to keep or throw back and he was so happy to show mom when we got home. I would set the hook and he would crank them in.

    keep the trips short is the key and dont try to fish for yourself. make it all about the kid.

[done]

Kids love ice fishing

GREAT point kms. You try to fish for yourself you are doing to be really frustrated. Last time I went with my daughter I spent 2/3 of the time helping her bait her line, cast out in the right areas, DUCK, LOL.

Which is still why after a long run of going with the girls, i really appreciate a solo run or heading out with one of my buds.

Im not sure thats the best thing. Its slow fishing and might lose interest.

if you do it right it is great. I took my son icefishing this winter and had a blast. he is 2 1/2 we brought his magnadoodle and some hot chocolate, cookies and caught a bunch of sunnies. I let him decide which ones to keep or throw back and he was so happy to show mom when we got home. I would set the hook and he would crank them in.

keep the trips short is the key and dont try to fish for yourself. make it all about the kid.