How to Train Your Child to Be Your Favorite Fishing Buddy

How to Train your Child t Be Your Favorite Fishing Buddy
Here lately I have had several folks asks me how I was able to get my boys so involved and interested in fishing and the outdoors. The questions have been asked so many times that I decided to write out some tips that I believe has helped me and my boys have more fun outside as well as helping to create little monsters who love to fish. Granted, this isn't an exact science. Every child is different, has different interest and feelings on what they have fun but maybe this can, atleast at the very minimum, help you figure out what will work for you.
First, I have loved fishing my whole life and so has my dad. So it is possible that we have fish DNA in our systems that allows us to focus better on fishing. You may feel that this is an unfair advantage we have, and you may be right. But you can overcome this with a little education. If you have small children that you are wanting to get more involved with fishing or just the outdoors in gerneral, have some knowledge before you start. Kids ask, on average, between one million and 5 Brazilian questions a minute. There is a good chance some of those questions are going to be about fishing or fish habits so do a little research on your own so you look like the Rainman of fishing. Or, do what I do. Make it up as you go. It is not lying, it's creating an adventure. If my son asks me if fish have names for each other, I reply with, "Yep. That one we just caught was Captain Poopy Pants and the one before that was Old Man Whisker Face. He's 85, caught him when I was a kid about your age." Does he believe me? When he was younger, yes. Now, he laughs and we make up names for every fish we catch. I grab a copy of the Missouri Conservation handouts every year and hand them to he boys because they have pictures of fish and animals they can identify while we are out. Works kind of like a scavenger hunt while educating them at the same time. It also teaches them the real names so I don't have to spend all day coming up with ridiculous names.
Secondly, you will need two very important pieces of equipment; patience and needle nose pliers. If you want your future Bassmaster champion to enjoy fishing, it needs to be fun. Casting out a hunk of worm and letting it sit on the bottom is boring for even me. And I love fishing. Find you a hole of water full of perch. (If you do not know what a perch is, here's where the educate yourself portion comes into play) Put on a cork and small hook, a piece of nightcrawler, and watch that bobber dance. The fun thing about this is the action is fast, the fish are small for the child to handle, and you really do not use a lot of bait or tackle. I started my boys out with small artificial lures like a 3 inch Berkeley Powerbait Swim Shad  or Rapala floating minnows. These baits are easy to use and catch A BOAT LOAD of fish of all shapes and sizes. It also kept them interested because they can constantly cast and reel. This also helps to improve their basic abilities in casting. This is also where a good pair of needle nose pliers become handy. Be prepared to dig many of hooks out of clothing (both theirs and yours), animals (other than fish), trees, arms, legs, the back of heads, and even the inside of noses. But, if the great Tuna Gods are smiling down upon you and the young KVD, you can also use those needle nose to remove hooks from their trophy fish's mouth. Take a massive amount of pictures and if you can, videos. I downloaded a very neat app called Quik that allows you to put pictures and videos together with music to create an impressive looking memory of your trip. The kids love it.
Lastly, simply let them be kids. Forcing your child to fish when they really aren't feeling it isn't going to get either of you anywhere. I have spent many of hours throw sticks and rocks, chasing zombies and frogs, or just watching the water with my boys. It makes them happy. And really, that's all we should want. In reality, having them have the same passion for the sport we love only comes second to their little smiles fron just spending time with us. So pack a lunch of Twinkies and ice cold sodas and find your adventure. You may just catch a few small perch but that adventure will be one of their greatest memories.