6 Tips for kids fishing
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Tips for Teaching Kids How to Fish
Kids fishing is an ideal activity to get away from the daily hectic schedule and connect with the young ones. Parents should learn to teach their prospective young angler how to fish at an early age. Children are naturally curious about the world we live in. They love to play in the water and are fascinated by creatures that swim. Fishing with kids can be an ideal sport if you introduce it in a positive way.
When preparing for kids fishing, there are a few things and tips to consider for your fishing trip to be a success:
1. Location
Scout out locations where fish are plentiful whether you plan to fish from a boat, shore or the dock. If you’re choosing to fish from shore, find an easily accessible area. A short drive and walk to your spot are best as you it will not tire your child to the extent of making him or her unable to enjoy the fishing excursion. Choose a spot where you know there are fish and mostly a shallow area where tiny fish can be seen to keep them excited and involved. A good location should also allow kids other forms of break play like digging in the dirt, tossing pebbles into the water.
2. Time Your Trip
Dawn and dusk tend to be more active feeding periods for fresh water fishing and also allows some escape from the heat. However, any time of day you can also expect to catch fish, if you know where to find them and are patient.
The length of time spent fishing will be determined by your child’s age and concentration level. When your child seems to be disengaged from fishing and engages in other activities like running all over and isn’t paying attention, maybe it’s time to go. You want these first trips to be remembered as something fun
3. Equipment
The most basic needs for kids fishing are a fishing line, a hook and some bait. The line can simply be wrapped around a cane, but a basic cane pole with no reel is easier to handle and normally a better choice. For bank fishing with a cane pole and live bait for example worms, simple sinkers and a bobber are useful.
Provide your child with easy-to-use tackle. There are a many designs and types of simple poles specifically for kids. They are short rods with kid-friendly characters and appealing. You can cast for your child and then give him the rod since it will be physically impossible for your young child to hook the worm, cast the line, and reel in the fish alone. You can also attach a sinker so your child can release the line straight into the water. You can attach the rod to an eyelet on either the boat or dock using a piece of string. This will prevent losing the rod if a fish bites, and your child lets go of the rod.
4. Make it comfortable
Do as much as you can to make your kid comfortable on the fishing trip. Include items such as food, water, sunscreen, bug repellent, first-aid gear, life jacket, and a camera in your fishing trips. Also, prepare snacks, crayons and a little notebook, small toys or even mobile phones to call their friends and to occupy your child when he or she needs a diversion from fishing.
5. Stay Safe
Water accidents are a possibility in any water activity including fishing. It is therefore crucial to select fishing spots with stable ground and free of hazards like rocks that children could easily slip on into the water. If you’re fishing near fast-moving water or from a boat, children should always wear life vests. Impact to your child some simple safety procedures like lowering the rod and keeping it below the waist.
Kids get so excited after catching the first fish and will want to hold the fish or touch it. However, you should prevent them from touching the spiny dorsal and lateral fins on a catfish. Never allow children to handle dangerous objects such as hooks on their own, always provide adult supervision.
It’s important to wash up after handling fish, too, so keep a supply of moist towelettes or hand sanitizer in your tackle box.
Remember to adhere to the fishing regulations in your area before you go out for an adventure like whether you and your child need a fishing license, the quantity of fish allowed for one day, which types you can or can’t fish etc.
6. Make It Fun
During the kids fishing trip, talk about anything and everything and share feelings about anything under the sun. Teach about the differences between salt water fish and fresh water fish and how to fish for different kind of fishes. Spend some time looking at a variety of books and posters available on the subject of fish with your child. They will begin to identify easily recognizable fish.
Sometimes kids want to catch fish. Sometimes they want to chase butterflies. Take pictures of your child with his or her prize catch. Make a big deal out of it. As your child’s attention span gets longer, so will your fishing trips, and you’ll be making memories you will cherish for a lifetime.
Fishing requires patience, which is something most children do not have. By using these short fun activities, it will help peak their interest in fishing. Most importantly, don’t forget you’re building memories to last a lifetime.