Take a kid fishing
July 30th 2007 00:41
If you have the right expectations, sharing a child's first fishing experience can be one of the most rewarding endeavors you can imagine! Just remember that it's all about the youngster and both of you will have day you'll never forget.
The thing you must remember is that kids have very short attention spans. Cries of, "I'm bored!" or, "Can we go?" will not be uncommon if you don't start producing something pretty fast! At best, if you don't start catching something in 10-15 minutes, kids are going to be distracted by something else. And, that boredom threshold is usually in proportion to the child's age. This is going to be the time for those bluegill you usually scoff at!
One important aspect, often over looked, is to have equipment geared toward the child. It will make them feel "grown up" if you take them shopping to get a rod for the special day. Whether it's a Barbie or Spiderman character rod, smile and congratulate them saying you would have made the same choice. You'll be shelling out under 20 bucks for a kid's outfit that will have everything you need for that big day.
Since you're going after small fish, small hooks will be in order. Size 4 is probably the largest you will want but, keep size 6 and, possibly, 8 close at hand. In order to help guarantee success, it's good to have a variety of baits handy. Pieces of worm, cheese, bread, and kernels of corn will probably yield good results.
Although a rosy picture is being presented here, prepare for emotions to turn on a dime. I say that because of my own experience--
By the time my daughter was 8 or 9, she was begging to go fishing with me. When the day arrived she was more than ready and excitedly threw an offering to eager bluegill.
The fish she caught was too eager because it inhaled the bait (I forget what we were using) along with a hook that was WAY too big for such a tiny fish.
The elation she had displayed pulling the bluegill from the water quickly turned to tears as we saw the first tinges of blood run out of its gills. Looking closer, it was evident that the fish was already dead.
My daughter didn't know the fish was dead so when she asked, "What are we going to do?" I did what any parent would do. I lied.
Quickly cutting the line, I answered, "I think we'd better throw this one back and let the hook rust out." Then, we moved to another part of the pond so she wouldn't see "her" fish floating on the surface.
I guess that's why, for the next couple of years, whenever she drew a fish, it always had a red stripe!
To learn more about fishing and kids, click here.
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
*Image from morguefile.com
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