You know what I would like to see? I’d like to see a MasterCard ad where they show the cost of a couple of rods and reels and some lures, and then have the voice-over say, “and time spent fishing with your family … priceless.”
I will always be grateful to my father for the time he spent fishing with us kids – for all the summer afternoons he spent sitting with us out in a boat on a lake somewhere. Back then it didn’t really cost him very much to take us fishing. It still doesn’t cost all that much.
Nowadays you can buy a decent quality rod and reel outfit for around $60 to $75 that will cast properly, handle a fair-sized fish and stand up to years of use. When you’re buying a rod and reel for a child, regardless of their age, buy something that you would be willing to use yourself. There is no point in buying something that won’t work properly. If they can’t cast with it, they won’t catch fish and it won’t take long for them to lose interest in the whole thing.
Once they are into the whole fishing thing, it won’t take long for them to also want their own tackle box. A simple plastic, two-tray box doesn’t cost a lot, and, there is a real sense of pride in ownership that comes with having your own tackle box with all your own lures in it. I probably still have mine somewhere, and it’s a good, 55 or so years old now.
If money is an issue, you can often find decent rods and reels at yard sales. Just make sure the rod is intact and the reel is in proper working order. Then all you’ll have to do is re-spool the reel with fresh line.
Once you have attained a rod and reel set up for your child (children), and before you ever head out fishing, take them out to a field somewhere and let them practise casting until they get the hang of it.
The mantra for teaching a child to cast is “finger, line, bail – cast, release.”
To start out, have them slip their first finger under the line and lift it up so that the line is pressed between their finger and the cork of the reel seat. With their free hand, they should get use to cocking the bail back (that loopy thing-a-ma-jig that helps wind in the line) before arching the rod forward through the air. Finger, line, bail. Then explain that the key to casting is releasing their finger from the line just before the rod tip points to where they want the line and lure to go. Finger, line, bail – cast, release.
It will take a little practice but, before long, they’ll get the hang of it. And then you will all be ready to head out.
The only other things you’ll need to get for each child is a life-jacket, a wide-brimmed hat and maybe a cool pair of polarized sunglasses. Whether fishing from a boat or along the banks of a stream, each child should have and, most importantly, wear a weight- and size-appropriate life-jacket.
It is also important to keep in mind, when taking kids fishing, that all they’re really interested in is catching fish. Quantity, not quality, that’s the name of the game.
When you’re planning your first couple of fishing trips with kids, it is a good idea to head for some place relatively close to home – less travelling time and more fishing time. Like I said, most kids would rather catch a whole mess of small fish than one big one. And above all else, be prepared to spend most, if not all, of your time untangling lines and putting worms on the end of hooks.
And remember, time spent fishing with your family … that really is priceless.
