Fishing with kids.

[B-BoB]

Hey everyone. I wanted to see if anybody here might have any tips for keeping my kids (girl is 6 and boy is 3) occupied while fishing. I really like them coming with me but they get bored after about 10 minutes or so. I figured if I had a boat I could throw a handful of gravel in it and let them chuck it all in the water, but momma won't let me get a boat yet. (I think she's scared to let the youngsters on the water). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[steezy]

Looks like a good reason to buy 2 snoopy poles and 2 small spinnerbaits.  You (and they) might be surprised at what they catch!

[B-BoB]

We've got a princess and a spider man. I haven't really tried them on spinners. My son tried for a few minutes just because that's what I had on. I'll definately have to try it though. Thanks.

[Raul]

I have a 6 year old boy and a 4 year old girl, I don 't go fishing for me, I go fishing for them, the girl, oh well, the girl isn 't hooked on fishing and she 's more focused on running and playing with her girl cousins. The boy is another story, he is focused on fishing and whenever I take him fishing the trip is his, don 't even take my rod, I 'm there to direct him, also, I have places where fish are small, dumb and barely ever see a bait so they are very easy to catch and what drives him is that he 's catching fish, all day long otherwise he gets pretty bored quite fast.

[slider head]

If where you fish has a-lot of perch, I recommend the old night crawlers and a bobber. My son is 4 and it typically takes him 2 hrs or so of catching fish before becoming bored.

[islandbass]

Well, if you're going to take them you have to expect that their attention span is going to be no more than 15 min. esepcially if they aren't catching anything. If the bucket of gravel is merely there to keep them occupied while you fish, then I would say it is not a good idea.  You might as well leave them in front of the TV.

Matter of fact it would probably be better if you didn't fish at all and gave them 100% of your attention. It will show your dedication to them but more importantly they can fall in (even from the shore) while you're "working" a lure in an instant. Invest in life vests too.

If their attention span is indeed short, then there's no point in bringing your gear.  ;D  You'll be spending more time lugging it around unfished and untangling line or tying on baits.  

Let them fish for as long as they can bare and call it a day. I tend to choose lakes that have playgrounds, and I bring a lot of snacks and drinks.

As for lures, I have learned that the great barbie and snoopy rods don't fare too well with baits that need to be moved relatively quickly like a crankbait or spinnerbait.  Their really low line recovery rate is perhaps the culprit.

Have fun with them.

[D4u2s0t]

If where you fish has a-lot of perch, I recommend the old night crawlers and a bobber. My son is 4 and it typically takes him 2 hrs or so of catching fish before becoming bored.

that's what I was going to say.  By me, you can pull out a bluegill or perch almost every cast with a nightcrawler.  That ends up with my and my buddy going for bass, and mumbling "lil scoundrels got another one'.  lol

[spotaholic]

I have 3 girls and all of the love 2 fish. They are 15 and twin 13 year olds. They have fished since they were able to walk. I always have a rooster tail or a beetle spin tied on their rods. They started out with Zebco 33's but have recently started fishing with spinning gear. I have been out fished several times maybe not with size but #'s because of those baits. The main thing is keep it fun...bring some food....teach them don't preach to them and make the trips short. Don't expect them to last for 4 hours.I have fishing partners that are much older that struggle with 4 hours. I have a boat and fish in a large lake and many times during the coarse of the trip we go for a swim and cool down...that seems to be a winner also. The key is FUN and NO PRESSURE. You may be amazed at what you learn and more than likely have a fishing partner or partners for life.

[mikey16]

i would buy many small shiners so they are cheap and bring the kids  out and let them go at it with the shiners and like the others say dont fish but if you do fish something that is unproductive or a crankbait with no trebles but if you keep them busy and they catch more fish than you they will have lots fun

[riverfisher]

My boys (twins) are 5 and only last at the most about 3 hours. It used to be about 20 minutes when I started them out with worm's and bobbers. What I do is set one of them up with a chug bug or something top water and the other with a carolina rigged worm and let them cast and work the lure. I have them both switch on and off using each. I also let them reel in just about every fish I get when I get a chance to fish. I hold on to all my old plastics and keep them in a bag they seem to love playing with them I also keep a bag of there action figures on the boat at all times for when one of the really gets bored. Radio is always on and I pack a whole bunch of drinks and junk food. They aslo get a kick out of the trolling motor ill let them take the front deck and they have a ball.

[endless]

if fishing becomes boring to them maybe try feeding ducks or geese if at pond or lake providing them and maybe get a pair of binoculars. try other outdoor adventures while out.

[tnbassfisher]

I know when I was a kid I had almost zero fun when fishing with artificial lures. I just wasn't able to grasp the concept of working the bait. So, my dad would always just give me a box of nightcrawlers, and I could sit on the dock for a couple of hours and be happy until I ran out of worms.

[Mottfia]

One of my first memories is being on a boat with my family and daddy handing me the rod with a 4lber on the other end.

   We have always made the day on teh lake a family event. We would ride when we got tired of a spot and swim...with floaties...when we got bored. Alot of times it was just cool to be outside.

  Daddy would also put a few fish in the livewell to eat from time to time and we would play with and watch them. That was always fun back in the day.

   But nothing bets reeling in a fish. You can let them use crickets and catch bream or you can hook the fish and give them the rod to reel in. Daddy said it was a funny kin dof scary to watch us reel in big fish with his tackle but he never lost a rod to us being too weak to hold on. Thats a chance you could take that could really spice it up. especially if you're on a ton of fish.

  The last thing I can say is be confident and positive about them loving fishing. If they came from your genes then they should have the bug in em too. It will show up in time

Mottfia

[Az Bassin]

All of those are great suggestions and will work, Sometimes.With my son i had to always guess what would keep him occupied.Hes going on 8 now and his attention span is still short but if the blue gil are bighting or i can catch fish and let him reel it in. toys, worms, and even chasing minnows along th shore.Also if you have crayfish they seem to be occuppied for hours catchin them.Good luck

[Folshen]

My daughter just turned 11 last month and she fishes with me 50% of the time.  She has no problem getting up at 5am and spending 3-5 hours on the water.  

I just try to make it as "comfortable" as possible.  Make sure she's over dressed in layers so she can peel off as needed.  Let her wander down the snack isle in the grocery store the night before and pick out whatever chips, crackers, jerky or cookies she wants along with a big jug of Gatorade.  

I like the "teach, don't preach" mentioned above and I try to do just that.  There are times where she fishes away and other times where she'll just be dipping her Rapala in the water or watching it "swim" next to the boat for extended periods of time.  Other times, she might put the pole down and sort out / organize / play in her tackle box for a half hour.  

I just try to cherish each and every trip knowing that it won't be that long before dear old Dad and early morning fishing trips are replaced with texting and facebook and boys...  

[BassDeaton01]

My daughter turns four in a couple of days and she absolutely loves to go fishing with dad. I swear she asks me almost every day if I want to go fishing! Her attention span is pretty short right now and I try to make the fishing trips we take more about her fishing than me fishing. Right now I have her set up with a push button rod, bobber and night crawlers. I really want to get her casting so I can tie on a small spinner or a top water that she can just reel back in. I feel that fishing with a bobber when the fish aren't biting really bores her! But if she could throw something out and reel it in, even if the fish aren't biting she will still be interested.

[mudkart]

I've got a lot of experience taking our two sons (5 and 7 y.o.) fishing.  

Use the methods mentioned to catch #'s rather than going for size (I find a bobber is often unecessary when fishing worms in shallow water and only serves to spook fish, YMMV).  Try wax worms or "panfish" worms on small hooks rather than night crawlers.  If they want to switch and try artificial baits, show'em how.  

When fishing is slow or gets old to them, I find they can entertain themselves for hours with small nets or a minnow seine, catching various forms of aquatic life.  Bring along a small bait bucket so they can observe their catches.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I have a 6 year old boy and a 4 year old girl, I don 't go fishing for me, I go fishing for them, the girl, oh well, the girl isn 't hooked on fishing and she 's more focused on running and playing with her girl cousins. The boy is another story, he is focused on fishing and whenever I take him fishing the trip is his, don 't even take my rod, I 'm there to direct him, also, I have places where fish are small, dumb and barely ever see a bait so they are very easy to catch and what drives him is that he 's catching fish, all day long otherwise he gets pretty bored quite fast.

x10

Lower your expectations for your own fishing whenthe kids are with you and you'll all enjoy it alot more. Take it from one who's been there, they grow up way to fast!  

[B-BoB]

WOW! I really didn't expeect this much feed back. Thanks everyone. The main I'm seeing is to make it more about them, I really need to work on that. I do help them out but I'm also working on getting me a fish too. Having not had a whole lot of luck myself it's just as exciting for me. I'll definately have to just take them and leave my rod behind and just focus completely on them. I really like the idea of having a bucket-o-minnows too. Again thanks so much to everyone.

[D4u2s0t]

while not my kids, i was fishing off the dock today and 2 kids probably about 7 or 8 came down.  one of the first things they said was 'if someone tries to take us will you help out' haha.  so anyways, my fishing off the dock turned into fixing their tangles, showing them how to put a worm on, and me yelling out 'wait, wait, wait, not yet, not yet, ok go he's on!' and then taking their fish off the hook.  first one they caught, they looked at me like 'now what' lol.  but to be honest, i had just as much fun not fishing but helping the kids as i would have fishing myself.

[kms399]

I have a 3 year old son who loves to fish. I have been talking to him about where the fish like to be and I taught him to pick the stinkiest lures I have. so when we go fishing I ask him where he wants to go and he will point to a spot and we will go there then he picks a lure. then I start fishing while he plays with a spray bottle or throwing my anchor rope into the water trying to catch floating weeds. when I catch a fish I get all excited and let him reel it in and snap a few pics. we went out tuesday and we caught probably 10 fish in 3 hours and he was good the whole time until we had to leave at 9 pm.

here is a pic of the 3 1/2 lber or so we caught tuesday. looks like a happy kid huh.

[Red]

The key for me when I take my nephews is two things.  First, I get it in my head before I go that I will not be fishing much, if at all.  Second is that catching fish is very important.  They don't care what kind, just any fish will do.  Like someone else mentioned the old worm and bobber is a great idea for them.   The way I look at is if I teach them now how to cast, catch and release, sportsmanship and those things, then the trips when they are older and we can both fish will be much more enjoyable.

Cliff   ;D