It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and end up doing the same things with your kids every weekend.
Many parents like to enjoy outdoor activities with their children, but it doesn’t take long to exhaust the parks and playgrounds in most areas. However, the vast majority of people in the US live within an hour or fishable waters, so consider grabbing a rod and reel and teaching your kids how to fish.
Fishing is not only a great way to get your kids away from digital screens and surround them with fresh air and sunshine, it provides a fantastic opportunity to bond with your youngsters too.
5 Easy Tips for Teaching Your Kids to Fish
To make sure your kids’ first fishing trip is a good one, you’ll want to embrace a few important tips and tricks:
1. Provide your kids with a rod and reel that suits their size.
Don’t hand your kids adult-sized rods and reels; they’ll only grow frustrated while trying to wield inappropriate equipment. Instead, set them up with rod and reel combos that are appropriate for kids. Typically, a 5- to 6-foot-long spinning or spin casting combo will suit most kids perfectly.
2. Target kid-friendly species.
Ignore the largemouth bass and walleye that draw the attention of advanced anglers – your kids are unlikely to catch these shy and wary species. Instead, go after the abundant and bold species in your local waters. Depending on your location, this will likely mean fishing for bluegill, catfish or perch. Teaching your kids to fish is a lot more fun when they actually catch something!
3. Use real baits rather than artificial lures.
Serious anglers often use artificial lures rather than live baits, but your kids should stick to worms, crickets and corn kernels. Not only will these types of baits trigger more bites for your youngsters, they’ll generate fewer snagged lines than artificial lures will.
4. Fish alongside your youngsters.
Above all else, you want your kids to have the opportunity to reel in a fish during their first fishing trip – that’s the most exciting aspect of the activity! And because you’re more likely to get nibbles and hook fish than they are, you should keep your own line in the water. When you hook a fish, hand your rod to one of the kids and let him or her reel in the catch (be sure to alternate between the kids to ensure everyone gets a chance to battle a big fish).
5. Don’t forget to obtain a fishing license before heading to your local pond or lake.
Most states allow children under 15 or 16 to fish without a license but be sure to consult the relevant local authorities to ensure you stay on the right side of the law.
If you’d like to learn a few more tips and tricks about teaching your kids to fish, check out the comprehensive review of the topic over at Outdoor Empire. There, you’ll learn a few more ways to ensure you provide your kids with the best equipment and that you select a good fishing location, among other things.
Author Bio: Jon Sutton loves to spend time in the woods and on the water. His life has revolved around outdoors since his early childhood days when he caught his first bluegill in his local pond. Since then he has grown into a full-fledged angler targeting salmon and bass during his free time. He also enjoys hiking, camping, and traveling. He is currently a content manager for Outdoor Empire.
This is so fun to learn and read. This is especially true for parents who will or had gone fishing with their kids. Great post!
Great article as always!
I’m just starting to teach my nephew to fish…he loves it but he’s scared of the maggots!…any advice?
Keep those great blogs coming….
My son is bugging me to have him join my fishing trips and I have always promised him that he can join once he is a bit bigger.
These tips are really helpful. I bookmarked it already so, that I can use it when needed. Thank you so much!
This is a fun idea. I am running out of ideas on what to do with the kids. Thank you for these tips and we’re off to go fishing this weekend. Thank you for inspiring my family.
Wow!! Great article and awesome tips! I want to teach my son to fish. So, these tips will be more helpful for me. thanks a lot for sharing such a nice post!
very very interesting post………. i will implement your amazing ideas!!!!!!
sharing your post in my facebook and also bookmarking!!!!!!!!!
Great Article.
Teach kids how to grip the handle of the rod keeping it in front of them in a 9 to 11 o’clock position. Explain how the reel handle turns and how to react to a bite.
Wow, thank you so much for that — I really appreciate it! will implement your Great ideas! thanks a lot for sharing such a nice post!
Such great tips. I think my kids can learn easily these tips in fishing. I’m excited to tell them about it. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for pointing out how 5 to 6-foot long fishing poles will be best suited for children who are trying to learn fishing. My dad wants to take the kids into a fishing trip next year, and he wants to teach them how to do it properly as early as now. It sure looks like I need to buy two poles at this size for the both of them.
Hello Janine, Great post. Fishing with older kids is a great way to have meaningful conversations. It’s called distracted listening. While the you and the teen are watching the bobber, you’ll both feel more comfortable talking about sensitive or difficult topics.
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Your tip about fishing alongside your youngsters was excellent. My family and I are considering going on a family vacation this year. We love the idea of chartering a fishing boat.
Totally agree with fishing for bluegill. The key is to keep those kiddos engaged and make sure they’re catching fish! 🙂 Once bored, it can easily be game over for them. Where I live, in the Pacific Northwest, there are trout farms as well as stocked ponds that are only open for youth under the age of 18 to fish in. We have one of these only 5 minutes from the house. These ponds and farms are a great place to take kids their first time…just to make sure they get into the action!
Fishing is always fun. My dad taught me when I was a kid and now I am teaching my kids. Your tips are very helpful.
I’ve got 2 small kids and teaching them how to fish will be very difficult. You need a lot of patience, make the activity fun for them and most important, let them reel that first prize fish!
Thank you, Janine, you and True Aim Family for sharing this valuable post. Fishing is one of my favorite activities, I learned a lot from your post. I want to teach my son to fish. So, these tips will be more helpful for me.
Wow!! Great article and awesome tips! I want to teach my son to fish. Thanks for pointing out how 5 to 6-foot long fishing poles will be best suited for children who are trying to learn fishing.
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That’s great tips for teaching kids about bass fishing. We should teach our kids about fishing fromchildhood to the kids otherwise they can’t become a great angler. Thanks for sharing this great tips.
I love the part where you mentioned that fishing is a great way to distract our kids from being too exposed to digital screens. My sons are really into video games and I’m worried that they might not have enough actual fun experience during their childhood. It might be a good idea to rent a fishing boat charter this weekend for an enjoyable family trip.
Really nice to read this write-up, bet it’s worth my time. it would have been better if I know these couple of years ago when I went fishing with my little Maxwell.
Thanks for sharing this information..
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You’re welcome!
Kids should enjoy their holidays by fishing. It is a great source of enjoyment of life. You made a guide for the patents to teach them a lesson about fishing. Thanks for sharing such a great article.
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Helpful, thanks for sharing…
This site is very beautyfull and Deep sea fishing is the most adventure and excitement for all fish lover. I like your port and your all picture are really awesome. Keep it up your good work.
It is currently a hard time to be a fish eater. Sure, wild Alaskan salmon is one of the best fish around; its flavor is like none other. Yet, with all of the recent talk about overfishing in the oceans and the haunting statistic that fish could start going extinct within 20 years, many feel that now may not be the best time to enjoy a wild salmon fillet. It may be better to let the ocean of https://wildfishingman.com/ populations recover by choosing farm raised. It is better a choice for the environment, right?
very very interesting post………. i will implement your amazing ideas!!!!!!
sharing your post in my facebook and also bookmarking!!!!!!!!!
This site is very beautyfull and Deep sea fishing is the most adventure and excitement for all fish lover. I like your port and your all picture are really awesome. Keep it up your good work.
I will definitely share it with my kids. I really want to enjoy the fun with my kids.
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Janine I appreciate your effort this beginner guide is really helpful for my son. Please keep sharing useful tips.
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Most important
Don’t forget to obtain a fishing license before heading to your local pond or lake.
helpful article thanks for it. now i also teach my son about fly fishing .
This site is very beautyfull and Deep sea fishing is the most adventure and excitement for all fish lover. I like your port and your all picture are really awesome. Keep it up your good work.
Jon you just remind me my childhood days when I was always eager to fish in my grandpas pond. The small spinning reels grandpa gave me is still in my storage. Its really gives a positive vibe when kids enjoys the fishing so much.
Hi Janine,
As a fishing enthusiastic I know how satisfactory habit it is and really appreciate this post. I kids have just came to this beautiful world and I wish one day he will go fishing with me and feel the beauty of it.
i love this post! I definitely agree we can learn a lot &I want to teach my Little sister to fish. So, these tips will be more helpful for me. thanks a lot for sharing such a nice post!
Its a imformative post.Thanks a lot for shareing this post.
wow! That’s impressive. I loved your blog.
Thanks! Sounds like we both need to try it again ?
love this post