Starting 8 Year Old On Artificial Bait

[kennyo]

I want to take my 8 year old son bass fishing and have him start using artificial bait. He's got a spincaster on a medium action rod.

I fish an old gravel pit that ranges in depth from 0 - 15 feet and has a good population of bass.

What would be a good bait to start him off with. I'm leaning towards a minnow bait that runs near the surface so he can see the strikes, and with the treble hooks the hookset isn't as crucial.

What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Kennyo

[NBR]

I would agree with your choice of bait. I would be sure the hooks had the bards pinched and you son always wears sun glasses or some other eye protection.

[islandbass]

Tie on whatever you use.

However, on the downside with crankbaits is that the typical spincasters Line recovery rate might not be sufficient to keep them wiggling without a lot of handcranking. I noticed this with my son's spincaster. So it can be done, but depending on the reel, it could be a lot of work. It might not be the case with his reel.

Any reason you won't let him go with a spinning reel or even a casting reel? I think you'd be amazed at how fast they will pick it up.

[berea bassman]

i would go with a beatle spin

[Jigfishn10]

I started my then 5 year old son on a spinnerbait. At that age, they like to crank and a reaction type bait where a bass would hook themselves is key in my opinion, but your choice is a good one.

[SDoolittle]

i would go with a beatle spin

I agree. A beetle spin or something similar is great for young kids because they will get a lot of bites, and they are less prone to hang ups than a treble hook lure.

[Raul]

Beetle spin

3 inch senko wacky rigged

In-line spinner ( 3 or 4 size )

[breezy]

A 4-5" senko, either wacky or t-rigged depending on cover, is hard to beat IMO. I can't count how many times I've seen friends/family that are clueless when it comes to fishing catch nice fish on a wacky rigged senko. If he has the patience to fish it a senko will catch fish.

I like to use a wacky rig specific hook or octopus style hook for wacky rigs. Fish will generally set the hook on themselves.

[slonezp]

The thing I see as an issue with a senko t rigged is line twist. I would guess it's probably the same or worse than a spinning setup. I vote beetlespin. A good multispecies lure.

[Avalonjohn44]

My 6 yo cleans up with a lunker city Helgie on a jig head. Another good one is a white grub on a jighead. Bass, sunfish, even a catfish last week. When the topwater bite is on, I give him a rage toad. He has a blast.

[fishingkidPA]

roostertail or a mepps, maybe swim a grub too.

[BASSclary]

Something I think is key when fishing with younger kids is use the same bait that they are, which should be something to catch quantity, not quality. If they see a more experienced fisherman as yourself using the same bait they'll have more confidence they will catch fish. It usually keeps them more interested and focused.

[Bluebasser86]

A small spinnerbait like a Strike King mini king or a wacky rigged senko are 2 of my favorites to teach kids how to fish. Some need to be doing something constantly, they get the spinnerbait. Others seem to be a little more patient and will at least let a bait sink, wacky rigged senkos work great because you don't have to do anything, just let them sink, and when they reel in and a fish is there they don't even have to set the hook! Not a big fan of giving kids treble hooks, I've been hooked on the backcast enough times with single hooks, don't need to have that many more chances to get hooked!

[slowpoke274]

i started my nephews on t-rigged plastic worms and theyre both naturals they can keep up with anybody on a good worm bite

[Catt]

At eight years old there is no reason he cannot handle a bait caster, as mentioned a spin cast lacks the gear ratio to effectively retrieve a spinner bait much less a crank bait. After teaching 4 sons, 2 daughters, 3 grandsons, a granddaughter & countless others I can tell you for sure all spin cast reels will not last under the abuse of catching decent size bass. The gears will strip or the reel seat will break & yes I know how proud some of y’all are of your Zebco.

If you were to put him in baseball, soccer, or football would you buy him the cheapest equipment available?

I would invest in a decent quality bait casting or spinning combo

[RoLo]

I agree with 'Catt', spincasting is better suited to panfishing.

I also agree with 'Jigfishn', who recommends a crank-type bait.

I’d rig’em up with a roadrunner or roostertail, which puts no demands

on patience or finesse, as would a senko for instance.

Roger

[Shad_Master]

Don't be afraid to let him experiment - when my son was about that age, I let him be my "partner" in a club tournament - when we got to our spot, the wather was like chocolate milk - I had planned to throw a spinner bait, but felt like the muddy water (from a rain that morning)would not be good. He tied on a Chug-bug. I had just finished explaining to him that this was more of a clear water lure when he hooked a solid 3 pounder (so much for ole Dad's advice)

[gobig]

I never let either one of my nephews use a spin cast, both of them started with a spinning reel. They are now 9yrs old and both of them can use a spinning reel or a bait caster. I set both of them up with a dropshot in the beginning and they have caught quit a few fish. They have now moved on to other baits as well. My one nephew is in to the show river monsters and all he wants to throw now is floating swimbaits because he wants to catch a giant.

[Hyrule Bass]

At eight years old there is no reason he cannot handle a bait caster, as mentioned a spin cast lacks the gear ratio to effectively retrieve a spinner bait much less a crank bait. After teaching 4 sons, 2 daughters, 3 grandsons, a granddaughter & countless others I can tell you for sure all spin cast reels will not last under the abuse of catching decent size bass. The gears will strip or the reel seat will break & yes I know how proud some of y’all are of your Zebco.

If you were to put him in baseball, soccer, or football would you buy him the cheapest equipment available?

I would invest in a decent quality bait casting or spinning combo

Ive used an old zebco 33 to fish spinnerbaits and buzzbaits effectively, but youre right in most wont hold up against bass overtime and when theyre striking violently. hooked a no more than 1lb bass on the buzzbait one day and completely stripped the gear in the 33. broke the drag on an 808 while catfishing when i set the hook in a stump presumably, now a 1lb fish can pull out drag when its maxed out. on the same token, some spincasters are pretty decent. i have a shakespeare tiger spincast combo that has held up for years, pulled in numerous bass on numerous lures, has caught hundreds of catfish and panfish, and even been to war with a striper and won. still works great to this day. also my bro in law has a zebco 888 that has lasted him for years and he uses it religiously when he goes fishing. while the gear ratios may be in the 3-4 range, i have effectively fished spinners and cranks with them, though its not my first choice now that i have better gear. but you are right that an 8 year old should be able to learn a reel beyond a spincaster, i was using spinning reels before 8 years old. but spincasters can be just as fun if you do a lot of fishing like me, just post up on the bank and throw out a nightcrawler or minnow or other live bait and chill which i find so relaxing to constantly chucking artificials all day...

[Lund Explorer]

I started out all of our kids and grandkids on these worms.

http://www.stopperlures.com/bass_stopper.html

[RoLo]

I started out all of our kids and grandkids on these worms.

http://www.stopperlu...ss_stopper.html

Holy Cow, that looks eerily similar to the Creme rigged worm that I began with in the early 50s

Roger

[Lund Explorer]

Holy Cow, that looks eerily similar to the Creme rigged worm that I began with in the early 50s

Roger

Yup, they do other than they don't have the little prop on the front. They act quite similar to a senko in the way they drop too!

[Bigtimezonafan]

Definitely the worms that Lund explorer recended

[J Francho]

roostertail or a mepps, maybe swim a grub too.

That's great advice. And don't put pressure on them to catch bass. They'll get a few on their own, but new anglers gain more by catching more. I wouldn't set my 12 year old up with a flipping stick and jig just because I was catching on it - that's a skill they have to ramp up to. Same goes for MANY other baits and techniques.

Yes, that's a white Mr. Twister grub in that fish's face.

[kennyo]

And the winner is...

A weightless wacky rigged senko, and a new spinning combo =