Fishing With Kids

[slinkymalinky]

LITTLE FISHING BUDDIES

These days there are a never ending list of activities for kids that mostly involve them sitting on their backsides, staring at rectangular screens. I’ve got 2 young daughters and time we spend together is the time I most value.

Instead of shooting aliens or watching mind-numbing cartoons, you’re as likely as not to find my girls sitting on Sydney Harbour at first light with fishing rods in hand. One little girl in particular... Little Slinky... is a member of this site and a regular fixture on the water to the extent that people who know me usually identify my boat from a distance by the little head sticking out of the yellow life jacket.

I know I’d much rather see them enjoying the much healthier outdoors. I certainly appreciate the extra freedom to pursue my obsession that comes from being able to share it with my family.

Making sure you have the best chance of turning your kids into fishing nuts is pretty easy if you follow a couple of simple steps. As is turning them off fishing for life if you don’t go about it the right way.

If you’d rather hear your kids saying, “when can we go fishing?” instead of “I’m bored, can we go home yet?” then this is what I’d suggest:

Firstly think like a kid… no seriously, I mean it. It’s tempting to approach fishing with kids like fishing with your mates but kids are different critters with a different perspective. While we might think nothing of sitting in freezing drizzle in the dark waiting for a Jewie, kids won’t. If you try it, don’t expect to get to many smiling photos…or a second go at it.

think about their comfort

When starting out, kids need to feel comfortable and safe so they can focus on the fun of catching the fish. Take them fishing in places with easy access. If you fish from shore, find a nice jetty, quiet beach corner or breakwall. If you’re in a boat, stick to sheltered enclosed waters. Nothing says, “fishing ain’t fun” to a kid faster than sea-sickness.

Rough beach breaks, long walks over slippery rocks or 2m swells all seem pretty scary to a five year old. As they get more used to it and their enthusiasm for fishing grows, you can ease them into more challenging environments but take it easy. My girls are now happy to troll places like North Head in a bit of chop, but only for short periods.

You also need to make sure they have food to eat, something to drink and somewhere to go to the toilet. These little things can turn a happy kid grumpy very quickly if overlooked.

The next important rule is at first to focus on quantity of fish rather than quality. Let me tell you, the smile on Little Slinky's face is still just as wide catching Yakka’s under a jetty as spinning up Bonito. What kids don’t do well at first is wait patiently for something to happen. As they become more experienced, you’ll find your kids will want to start tackling tougher opponents.

Little Slinky, my youngest, started with a baby Snapper as her first fish. Her first keeper was a just-legal Bream. Then she set her sights on flathead. At the moment as a lot of you probably know, she is obsessed with catching Kingfish. With each challenge met her patience grows and she is more prepared to work harder for better fish. After her first Kingy this summer, she announced she wanted to catch a Queenfish.... time for a trip to the Grandparents place on Magnetic Island

start small

then the challenges can increase as they want them to

The gear kids use is the next important consideration, and one that’s importance is often overlooked. Most kids I see are fishing with the cheapest possible rod and reel combo. Now ask yourself, would you enjoy fishing with a reel that has a drag like a corrugated road, a handle that comes off when you wind or a rod that constantly separates at the ferrule? I didn’t think so… neither do kids.

Fishing is most enjoyable when everything works as it’s meant to and again your children can just focus on catching fish. You don’t need a Stella on a Loomis (although Little Slinky is getting a custom rod from Tony Fishfinder... but that's my extravagance as much as hers) but for about $50-$100 you can get a combo of reasonable quality that will last for years if well looked after....

And don’t turn your nose up at gear you wouldn’t be seen dead with yourself. The lairy pink combos my girls loved for a while came from Nana and Gramps at Christmas time. With some replacement drag washers of oil-soaked chamois, they’re sweet to use and the kids loved them.

Lastly on gear, don’t overgun your kids either. When they’re little, 2kg is fine. My eldest girl is fishing 4kg comfortably now and Little Slinky has upgraded to 6kg on the kings. Any heavier and fighting a decent fish is beyond their strength (when Little Slinky is hooked up on a king we have to keep a hand on the back of her life jacket in case she looks like going over). If you’re chasing fish they need 10kg outfits to catch, you’re not doing kid fishing (at least until they get a bit bigger).

Once you get out on the water, the best advice is to keep it simple. Simple rigs that are easy to use and less likely to need work from the angler are best. For bait fishing, simple paternosters or running sinker rigs are best. Kids can lower them to the bottom and wait for the fish to bite. Don’t expect young kids to gently feed lightly weighted baits back down a burley trail.

With lures, small metals are good for kids because they cast easily and work effectively with a straight retrieve. Bouncing weighted soft plastics on the bottom from a drifting boat also works well. Twitching micro plastics for bream is a bit too much to expect.

It’s also really important to get your kids involved in all aspects of fishing to maximise their fun. Bait gathering (or even bait buying) is a lot of fun for kids. Pumping nippers, catching squid, hand-lining Yakkas and Slimeys are all part of fishing and can be heaps of fun (just watch those nippers or it will be tears on the sand flats).

kids love catching bait

Let your kids help choose terminals and tie rigs too. A tackle box is like an Alladin’s cave to a 5-10 year old (come to think of it, I’m 42 and it’s still much the same). When they’re fishing, let them practice casting even if they're not good at it. They may not get far or be particularly accurate but it’s all part of ‘fishing like mummy and daddy’.

As far as keeping the catch versus catch and release… balance is important. If your kids like to eat fish, having one they caught themselves can be a real triumph for them, particularly if they feed the whole family. It’s an achievement very worthy of ‘school news’. Make sure they learn though, not to take more than you need, and obey size and bag limits religiously. Seeing you throwing back undersized fish will teach them the importance of conserving our resource. Bad habits die hard.

teach good ethics from the start

And finally one really, REALLY important bit of advice that is sometimes the hardest to adhere to. When you take your kids fishing, let them do the fishing. It’s all too easy when the action is hot or your kids are fumbling to get excited and become the ‘dad who takes over the train set’. Surprisingly, most kids aren’t too impressed when dad grabs their rod and takes over as soon as a school of fish blows up.

Finally you have to accept that all kids are different. While Little Slinky thinks nothing of getting up at 4am and fishing for 10 hours, her elder sister has a much shorter attention span. Little Slinky like to play in the bait while her sister hates getting dirty and smelly. They both enjoy fishing but in different ways.

Cater to your kids, not to yourself and they will always enjoy themselves. Don't push them beyond their limits, be prepared to go home if they start getting bored, and do everything you can to let them get involved in all aspects of the fishing trip.

They have to learn somewhere too that making mistakes is all part of the journey. Don’t yell, don’t get dictatorial, just coach gently and enjoy all their little successes with them. Your kids will have a heap of fun doing something healthy outside, you’ll have fun, and you’ll end up with some regular little fishing buddies. You'll both have a treasure trove of lasting happy memories

See you on the water,

Slinky

PS... Thanks Swordie

[huntman]

top post, I don't have kids but when I do this sort of info will be very handy.

[mr magoo]

very good post mate ,sounds like your doin a good job dad,with little slinky fast learning curve you might be trading in the tinnie for a 7 metre glass boat and chassing blue marlin on the canyons in the coming years ????

if i could add one tip crush those barbs ,something scary about kids casting chemically sharpened jig heads about not for them for us .

well done mate

cheers arman