How to get young people fishing? 2024
Gundog reply :
A friend of mine is a PA Waterways Conservation Officer (Guppy Cop). We were talking last weekend and he told me that the trend in the US is less people fishing and even less people under the age of 25 fishing. He told me that if trends continue there will be less money spent on conservation and less enforcement of fishing and boating laws. He volunteers to teach young people in urban areas to fish and even buses kids from the city to rural areas to get an opportunity to fish. But he says that less and less kids are taking advantage of the program. So I was wondering if any forum members have any ideas on how to get more kids outdoors and into fishing? Lets hear your suggestions.
geo g reply :
Start them young.
Little ones just want to catch fish, don't worry if it's not bass.
Keep the trips short, when their done, it's over.
Don't fish yourself, help them have some success.
Bring lots of goodies they like.
Bring lots of juices, and drinks kids like.
Don't get upset if they have an accident, things will happen! Leave the expensive stuff home.
Keep everything simple, don't try to teach a 5 year old a baitcaster.
Life jackets always while in the boat, don't scare the crap out of them with your 300 Merc!
I learned most of this from practical experience.
Gundog reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 8:32 AM, geo g said:Start them young.
Little ones just want to catch fish, don't worry if it's not bass.
Keep the trips short, when their done, it's over.
Don't fish yourself, help them have some success.
Bring lots of goodies they like.
Bring lots of juices, and drinks kids like.
Don't get upset if they have an accident, things will happen.
Keep everything simple, don't try to teach a 5 year old a baitcaster.
Life jackets always while in the boat, don't scare the crap out of them with your 300 Merc!
I learned most of this from practical experience.
I agree with everything you said.
The Maestro reply :
Imo you've either got the fishing bug or you don't. It's easy to forget that fishing really doesn't appeal to very many people. At least not on the level that hardcore anglers feel about it. It's been my experience that it's actually a very rare thing to meet other serious anglers in your day to day life. Just about all the ones I know I met through clubs and tournaments etc...
Log Catcher reply :
My dad started me out fishing for bream and crappie when I was about 6 or 7. Most people don't think about doing that these days. Starting a kid out bass fishing can be rough if the fish aren't very active.
HeyCoach reply :
Worms or crickets under a bobber at the piers. Maybe try to find a small county/city government owned pond that stocks it.
See if any any docks, piers, marinas, have an automatic fish feeder set up. Almost always guaranteed nice sized panfish.
BigAngus752 reply :
The attention span of young people has shortened dramatically since any of us were young. There are a number of factors that play into this and I'm sure we can all list them. My son is almost 16yrs old and I've been taking him fishing a few times a year since he was about 5yrs old. I bought my first boat two years ago and he has less interest in going fishing on the boat with me than going to a nearby pond to bank fish. Why? Because the bank fishing will be much less time investment. The closest lake for the boat is a very small one that's 30 minutes away. I'm willing to drive there for only an hour on the water. My main lakes are a hour away and I never drive there for less then four hours on the water. Usually six or eight. He gets bored. We can drive somewhere and bank fish and be back in less than an hour.
Is it because of TV/smartphones/video games? I know that has something to do with the shortened attention span, but I also know he's 15yrs old so his life revolves around high school basketball, friends, girls, driving, etc. I don't push him. That will just make it less appealing to him. But it's like an Xmas gift for me when he wants to go!
DropShotHotShot reply :
Check out Minnesota's DNR R3 program, it does a great job of outlining barriers that get people fishing. Any interesting thought, don't teach kids, teach parents, so the can go more often with kids
slonezp reply :
Unfortunately, much of it is a family thing. Fishing runs deep in my blood. I love the fact that the high schools have fishing teams, but it should probably start much younger. Kids fishing derbys are almost non existent anymore because they cost too much money and they require kids to put down the video games. I'd really like the grammar schools or park districts to have an elective fishing program. At least get the kids introduced to the sport/hobby a an early age.
For the past 2 years, I volunteer, along with my father and @cadman and his wife, for a program that introduces kids to the outdoors. It's one day a year and we teach kids ages from 5-15 how to cast. The program also introduces them to firearms, archery, and gun hunting among other things. 99% of the kids have never picked up a fishing rod, and they graduate from closed faced spincasting to spinning reels in 45 minutes. We even teach some of the parents. Unfortunately, these programs are far and few between and I cannot tell you how difficult it is to get people to give up one day of their lives to volunteer to help others.
I have contemplated starting a "take a kid fishing" guide service, but feedback on numerous online forums makes me second guess the idea.
I PM'd a member here this morning asking how old his boy was when he first took him on the boat. My boy was 15 when I bought my first boat, so that doesn't matter. My grandson is 18 months and infatuated with fish. He loves my trophy wall and was mesmerized at both the zoo and Shed Aquarium by the fish. I'm excited to take him out on the boat for his first go-around
papajoe222 reply :
I likely introduce a dozen children of elementary school age to fishing during an average year. One of my daughters is a teacher and her husband is a little league coach, so finding young ones that want to go fishing isn't difficult. The biggest difficulty I run into is the lack of their parent's interest in their new found pass time. Why, because it involves a commitment of their own time and honestly, most parents only spend time doing things with their children when it suits them, or is one of their own interests. Some have actually told me that it is my responsibility to invest the time with their children as I was the one that introduced them.
Now I ask the parents if they'd like to accompany us on that initial outing. Some find it rewarding, some don't. You don't need to guess which kids remain interested for any length of time.
WRB reply :
It's not a easy problem to solve!
Too many single parents, mostly moms that have a lot of demands on their time and feel team sports like youth baseball or soccer is more important then fishing or camping.
I got involved with YMCA Indian Guide program about 25 years ago to get my son more time outdoors with his peers at age 6 to 8. The dads were more interested in playing cards and games then learning to fish. I would take groups of 6 kids shoreline fishing using my tackle with split shot rigs catching small bass and releasing them. The groups grew to the point where dads would bring their trout spinning tackle and started joining their kids on outings.The 3rd year we had about 100 kids and dads fishing each outing to lakes from shore.
The problem today is the young parents never learned to fish or camp outdoors so who is going to teach them? Who is going to get the young kids and their parents away from computer games?
Tom
apenland01 reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 9:53 AM, BigAngus752 said:The attention span of young people has shortened dramatically since any of us were young. There are a number of factors that play into this and I'm sure we can all list them. My son is almost 16yrs old and I've been taking him fishing a few times a year since he was about 5yrs old. I bought my first boat two years ago and he has less interest in going fishing on the boat with me than going to a nearby pond to bank fish. Why? Because the bank fishing will be much less time investment. The closest lake for the boat is a very small one that's 30 minutes away. I'm willing to drive there for only an hour on the water. My main lakes are a hour away and I never drive there for less then four hours on the water. Usually six or eight. He gets bored. We can drive somewhere and bank fish and be back in less than an hour.
Is it because of TV/smartphones/video games? I know that has something to do with the shortened attention span, but I also know he's 15yrs old so his life revolves around high school basketball, friends, girls, driving, etc. I don't push him. That will just make it less appealing to him. But it's like an Xmas gift for me when he wants to go!
This is exactly my situation. My son is 22 and he started going fishing with me when he was 4-5 and we had some great days. However, when the fish weren't constantly biting, he was throwing rocks or just going exploring and simply didn't have the attention span or desire to fish for any length of time. He fishes a few times a year now and just tells me he knows it's my passion, but it's not his.
TnRiver46 reply :
We have the opposite problem around here. Way too many fishermen........
Mobasser reply :
My grandson showed little interest untill age 10. Became bored easy, didn't seem to care. At some point 2yres ago we got on some 1lb bass and he caught a bunch. At that point he was hooked! Now he's 15, and would like to organize a bass club at his high school. Sometimes it takes some time. He would rather go fishing than play video games. Video games took away much of what we did as youngsters. Bring it back
jrwerner310 reply :
My kid is 8 and loves to go fishing. If they are biting shes hooked. One day last year we went for 2hrs bluegill and even nailed a few nice size rock bass. But if they are not fishing, shes out in about 20-30 mins then she starts exploring and wondering around. She says she wants to start bass fishing but every time we go bluegill fishing with bobbers and worms all she does is get excited that the bobber went under the water and wont set the hook! Its hilarious and frustrating at the same time. I even took her to our local river in December of last year when it was 55 degrees here and tried walleye fishing from the banks around the bridge. Just tried to see if casting constantly would keep her attention. No such luck. She was more worried about floating softball in the water or the dogs running around. But every time we are by a body of water, shes always asking if there is fish and what kind. Shes in girl scouts and they are putting together a fishing day to take the kids. She even wants a kayak to go fishing in like i do.
MassYak85 reply :
I think the important thing is to have them catch fish somewhat consistently starting out if they are young. That can just be bobber fishing for bluegill. My dad would take me bobber fishing all the time as a kid and I enjoyed it. I think the allure of it was just the "you never know what you're gonna catch" factor. That still sticks with me to this day. Catching bluegill was fun but throw in a 3lb bass every once in a while on an ultralight spincast rod and I was hooked. Although around when I started high school fishing started to become more of a passion rather than just a hobby, and I started focusing more on bass and learning as much as I could. I couldn't really tell you why though.
Also, like it or not, social media (Instagram, YouTube, etc.) is probably the best way to reach kids. Look at the Googan Squad and how big they got on YouTube. I'm personally not a big fan of their videos but they have introduced fishing to tons of people.
NYWayfarer reply :
Make a video game out of it.
A year ago there were some kids circling my neighborhood pond catching Pokémon on their phones. I was in full view of them catching Bass!
Morale of the story, in todays world pixels beat fins and scales. Sad but true.
ratherbfishin1 reply :
Right now I am a high schooler and fish constantly. Over the summer it is like 5+ hours a day, every day. For years I have invited people to go fishing and, while some of them kind of knew how, I pretty much thought them the basics of fishing. But when we go out, we like to have fun. I joke around, mess around, peg geese with frogs... and just have a good time. I have gotten so many people into fishing, it isn't like they are as passionate as me about it but they start getting into it and really enjoy going. Once I know someone is getting that fishing "bug" and it isn't a waste, I'll give them a cheep (yet decent) rod and a few lures. I have given away some ugly sticks and a silver max (some others that I can't remember as well). What I think it really comes down to is youth to invite other youth out. If it is an adult, no offense, many youth think of it being awkward, weird, or boring. What I do think adults can do is give youth fishing poles and talk to them about fishing, show them pictures of your latest catches and they will soon enough catch the bug. Just my .02 from what I've seen with people around my age.
Ethan Blum reply :
In my opinion it is all about the age that one gets started. I am 19 now and have been obsessed for about the last 4-5 years. As a younger kid, I was always very interested, but had to rely on others to take me fishing which made it tough to get out sometimes. At some point in my early high school days a friend and his dad took me out with them on their bass boat and that's what really got me hooked. The next big thing for me personally was when I got my drivers license, from then on I no longer had to rely on others, and my trips to the lakes and ponds became almost daily. With that experience in mind I think that when trying to get young people interested in fishing a lot more success will be found targeting kids that are a little older and they can fully grasp the sport on their own. I even had a lot of success getting kids at my high school interested once they saw how much fun I was having, from then on I never had a problem finding a partner to take the jon boat out for a day.
Sam reply :
How to get young kids to do more fishing? Good question.
Here are my suggestions:
1. Since kids have the attention span of a knat, unless they are constantly catching something they will get board and start to think of other things and lose interest. So you have to take them where they can catch something on every cast.
2. Sports, cars, girls/boys, money and friends will always be obstacles. If they play sports it is year round program for games, practice, conditioning and God forbid, travel teams. If they get interested in cars, hang it up. Girls can also come into play. He or she will want to be with their "friend" on weekends and during the summer and fishing is not on their minds. Money! Once they start working after school and on weekends, plus summer time, they will want to earn their money in lieu of fishing to support the sports, cars, girls/boys and fun with friends. And if their friends are not into fishing then they will not be interested in fishing. This has been going on for a long, long time.
3. Tackle. Tackle is expensive. And the kids need to learn how to take of it properly. Not fun. The kids want to grab their rods and reels and some baits and head to the pond. When finished, they throw them in the garage for their parents to clean up as they run into the house to call their friends or play on the computer.
4. Patience. Sometimes it is very difficult to take anyone bass fishing if you or they do not have the patience to enjoy the beauty of the sport. Seeing wildlife, the beautiful fall colors, landing a fish every few hours, and the experience of Mother Nature can be lost on a younger person. Getting up at 4 AM to drive an hour to the ramp to launch for 5 AM and they be on the water for 8 to 10 hours may not be what a youngster can withstand or a teenager can value. They would rather you take your bass boat, load it with you, your child, and the child's five or six best friends and do some skiing or tubing or rafting behind the boat.
5. Afraid. Yes, some kids will be afraid to touch or hold a fish. Even a bluegill or a bream. You have to show them how to hold the fish and to watch for fins and hooks. If the fish wiggles and the child gets burned by a fin or hook, it is all over. Mommy, here we go. You tried to kill our son/daughter. And then if they don't use sunscreen and look like a lobster the next day, Mom will not be a happy camper. End of that story.
6. Safety. When I grew up in New Orleans we would head for the French Quarter on weekends and holidays with my friends and we had a blast. Of course, I also started fishing with my uncle on weekends when I was 14 and he took me to the New Orleans Athletic Club and taught me how to work out. I would take the bus to the NOAC with no thought of "strangers" approaching me. Today, it is not safe to allow your child to play in the front yard, so how are you going to get Momma to agree to let him/her walk or ride their bikes to the local pond? And you work so you can't go with them during the week. But they can stay after school and play sports; or you and Momma sit in the stands as they practice and play baseball/softball; or you take them to theme parks and other venues for a fun time. But you or your wife/girlfriend/etc. must go with them. Today, it is too dangerous to allow the child to go out and play as we did when we grew up, even out in the country.
What can you do?
Take the child to a local pond and fish for bluegills and bream.
Take the child to a local pond or river/lake and fish for catfish with hot dogs.
Take the child to a saltwater beach and using dead bait catch some croakers, spot, and other small saltwater fish.
Take the child on your boat for short excursions until they are ready for the big time.
Always make sure the child wears their baseball cap, sunglasses, long pants, long sleeve shirts, and sun screen.
Bring along candy and good snacks for the child to chomp on during the day without washing their hands.
Watch YouTube, DVDs and the TV about fishing and fishing shows.
Take the child to the Bassmaster Classic and have a great time.
Take the child's best friend with you when you go fishing at a local pond so both can enjoy the sport and have some friendly competition.
Have the child pick out a few pros they like, such as Ike, Hank Parker, Jimmy Houston, that Awbunn guy Jordan Lee, KVD, Ish, etc. and follow them on Facebook and on TV/Internet at tournaments. And try to meet them at the Classic when you go and get their autographs.
There are other things you can do to try to get them interested in fishing but in today's world there is just too much competition that absorbs the time and money away from future anglers. You may have to wait until they graduate high school, college, vo-tech school, or start working and before they get engaged or married to get them interested in the sport.
Once they have a girlfriend/boyfriend whose thoughts about a fun time are going to a movie and out for dinner, it is all over. Gone. Finished. Hang it up. Forget it. They have other things on their mind and it ain't bass fishing. 
With all this written, it is still a good idea to try to get the child interested in fishing. Just don't be too hard on them if they want to do other things. Its life. And that's the way it is.
Now please take a kid fishing.
roadwarrior reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 8:32 AM, geo g said:Start them young.
Little ones just want to catch fish, don't worry if it's not bass.
Keep the trips short, when their done, it's over.
Don't fish yourself, help them have some success.
Bring lots of goodies they like.
Bring lots of juices, and drinks kids like.
Don't get upset if they have an accident, things will happen! Leave the expensive stuff home.
Keep everything simple, don't try to teach a 5 year old a baitcaster.
Life jackets always while in the boat, don't scare the crap out of them with your 300 Merc!
I learned most of this from practical experience.
Bluegill, crappie and white bass.
MassYak85 reply :
On 2/9/2019 at 5:12 AM, ratherbfishin1 said:Right now I am a high schooler and fish constantly. Over the summer it is like 5+ hours a day, every day. For years I have invited people to go fishing and, while some of them kind of knew how, I pretty much thought them the basics of fishing. But when we go out, we like to have fun. I joke around, mess around,
peg geese with frogs... and just have a good time. I have gotten so many people into fishing, it isn't like they are as passionate as me about it but they start getting into it and really enjoy going. Once I know someone is getting that fishing "bug" and it isn't a waste, I'll give them a cheep (yet decent) rod and a few lures. I have given away some ugly sticks and a silver max (some others that I can't remember as well). What I think it really comes down to is youth to invite other youth out. If it is an adult, no offense, many youth think of it being awkward, weird, or boring. What I do think adults can do is give youth fishing poles and talk to them about fishing, show them pictures of your latest catches and they will soon enough catch the bug. Just my .02 from what I've seen with people around my age.
That "bug" seems hard for people to catch IMO. I can take a good amount of friends fishing for the day as they just see it as a chance to be outdoors an hang out, and catching fish is fun. But the desire to go fish in 50° rain for 8 hours is a little harder to make them understand lol ????
shovelmouth83 reply :
You could got to local schools and put up flyers. But ask the office first and explain.
WRB reply :
If I ask my kids what they liked about going fishing they both answered having breakfast on the way to lake. I always thought it was catching fish, the truth is they like getting ready and being out with their dad. Both my kids started fishing around age 5 by age 6 they knew how to fish but needed help rigging or baiting hooks, casting they mastered very quickly. If you do everything for them they will get bored or dissipointed there a lot of satisfaction in learning. If your child want to try something different let them, sometimes they surprise you. What I learned was catching fish was a bonus.
Tom
Columbia Craw reply :
Affordable access to a population of catch able fish ! My local city has a park like lake. Twenty years ago it had a significant population of Crappie, Blue gill and a smattering of bass. A local civic club ran a kids day each year to catch stocked rainbows that were caught or died in a short period. They pressured the city to kill off the lake of all species so the stocked trout could hopefully prosper. They did not and a major potential resource for kids was lost. Sad. A base fishing license in Washington is near forty bucks.
Gundog reply :
On 2/9/2019 at 8:06 AM, Columbia Craw said:They pressured the city to kill off the lake of all species so the stocked trout could hopefully prosper. They did not and a major potential resource for kids was lost. Sad. A base fishing license in Washington is near forty bucks.
Wow. That is sad when you think about the kids not being able to catch panfish. Growing up we had a pond just outside of town. As kids we would climb down a steep hill, walk the train tracks for about 2 miles and then cross a busy road just to get to fish for bluegills.
gimruis reply :
I think the key is action. Exposure to a lot of fish every time is key. Their patience is very limited. Panfishing would be my first choice because it generally produces a lot of fish in a short period of time, whereas bass fishing may not. Do NOT take them muskie fishing. That is guaranteed to lose their interest in no time. Its no different than hunting, really. Taking a kid to a deer stand for 11 hours when its 20 degrees out is just a terrible idea. You literally may not see a deer for hours on end. They'll lose interest so quickly. Take them duck or upland hunting where the action is likely to be a lot more.
Sometimes there may not be a lot you can do to get more people to participate in certain things. People have to have the will power to at least try it. I don't force my wife to go with, ever. I ask her if she wants to go...sometimes she says yes, sometimes no.
The Maestro reply :
On 2/9/2019 at 6:42 AM, MassYak85 said:That "bug" seems hard for people to catch IMO. I can take a good amount of friends fishing for the day as they just see it as a chance to be outdoors an hang out, and catching fish is fun. But the desire to go fish in 50° rain for 8 hours is a little harder to make them understand lol ????
I think you have to be born with the fishing bug. People like the idea of fishing more than the reality of it. It's a lot of work. It's just that we don't really see it that way. Carrying all your gear, waking up at stupid times, driving for hours, spending all day on a boat in blistering heat or rain etc... You have to REALLY want to go fishing in order to actually do everything that's involved.
Non anglers would go insane if I brought them out from sun up to sun down. It makes no difference to me how many fish I'm catching. I'm as into it after 13 hours as I was at the start of the day. I honestly think it takes something of an OCD personality to be a hardcore angler.
LadiMopar reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 9:57 AM, DropShotHotShot said:Any interesting thought, don't teach kids, teach parents, so the can go more often with kids
I agree whole heartedly, but will up the game by saying, don't forget the grandparents. Most of us have more time, and more patience with the kids. Been taking my grandson since he was 6 and several of his friends (they're all about 12 yrs old now) the past couple years,
It was fun fishing with just grandma but it's even more fun with a friend your own age. Now when we go out my grandson shows off a little by "teaching" his buddy.
We also have a rule: no phone, no tablet, no device of any kind once the rods come out of the truck.
Columbia Craw reply :
On 2/9/2019 at 9:41 AM, Gundog said:Wow. That is sad when you think about the kids not being able to catch panfish. Growing up we had a pond just outside of town. As kids we would climb down a steep hill, walk the train tracks for about 2 miles and then cross a busy road just to get to fish for bluegills.
That's what got me started. A rail road " borrow " pit. Many great memories catching pan fish all summer long.
CrankFate reply :
Catching animals, including fish, is terribly disfavored by the majority of people now a days. Add that to getting dirty and covered with fish slime and fish scales, plus a single pack of rubber worms and a single pack of hooks costs at least $15.00, if not 20, no one is spending that kind of money doing this. Very few parents of this generation are going to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to go catch (and torture) a few fish for fun. It’s about $150.00 to 200.00 for a simple family pond outing, with gear, food and everything else. And, at any price, most people don’t have the time to spend a full day fishing every week or two.
Fishing became a niche activity over the last 50 years. The only way to get kids fishing is to take them fishing. My kids often want the snacks and goodies we get when we go, but if nothing is biting, they are ready to leave within an hour.
I personally believe the number of single parent households has killed the sport. Fishing is not a womans sport. And men and women have patience for different things. Men can spend days trying to show kids how to tie a hook, bait a hook and throw a cast. Women don’t have patience for that. And without two parents, it’s basically impossible to have enough time to waste half the weekend torturing innocent fish. Very sad. I started fishing at 2 and have fished the whole 41 years since then. The world has changed.
You just have to get the kids out there whenever you can and hope they have fun.
MN Fisher reply :
Remember that most of the parents of young kids now-days are in their mid-20s to early 30s. As the Internet is over 20 years old, they grew up with it. Being outdoors, watching a bobber isn't near as 'interesting' as playing games, chatting with friends in chat-rooms, searching for new information.
Cost wise, it's a non-issue really. A starting spin-cast combo can be had for less than $20, worms dug up in the back yard, most everyone is close to at least a pond with sunnies or perch. It doesn't take hundreds of dollars for an afternoon outing.
My neighbor hood has a number of children - 6 houses close with from 2 to 3 kids in each, all under 11 years old. Three of those households are 'outdoorsy', and the kids love going out on the boat with dad to do some fishing. The other three are 'internet babysat', and besides playing with the other kids here in the neighborhood, they spend their time on their smart-phones...ya, pre-teens with their own phones...sheesh.
On 2/10/2019 at 12:19 AM, CrankFate said:Catching animals, including fish, is terribly disfavored by the majority of people now a days.
I think it's just a VERY vocal minority, forcing their views on the majority. I'm all for treating farm animals humanely before slaughter - I'm NOT for banning meat products all together like some of the crazies.
CrankFate reply :
On 2/10/2019 at 12:33 AM, MN Fisher said:
I think it's just a VERY vocal minority, forcing their views on the majority. I'm all for treating farm animals humanely before slaughter - I'm NOT for banning meat products all together like some of the crazies.
Don’t get me started on this topic. I’m all for humane treatment, too. Then you get the morons who protest the farming of exotic animals for the markets in places like China. The crazies literally get the farms shut down, which forces more poaching of the endangered species they say they want to protect. I’m not for banning these things. They just need to be managed sensibly.
roadwarrior reply :
C'mon guys...Let's stay on topic.
-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior
Global Moderator
Mobasser reply :
I applaud all who take kids fishing, and are involved in programs that teach fishing.
The Short Fisherman reply :
When I was a kid i didn't care much about what I caught, just liked to catch a ton of fish. Worm fishing got boring sometimes though so if the kids are getting bored try switching it up to a small grub or minnow imitation like a mr.crappie lightning shad on a jighead. They're almost impossible to fish wrong and catch a ton of fish. Once kids start growing up into their teens though, they want to try to catch bigger and different types of fish. When I turned 11 I started getting into fishing and catching bigger and different types of fish, and went fishing almost everyday. I kept on fishing because I kept on discovering new species and different tequniques, which made me want to try them out and get out on the water. You can also show some children fishing videos to get them more interested. An Important thing to remember is to let them pick out their own lures. I always loved to pick out and try my own lures and going to different tackle shops. Right now I'm 14 years old and these are still the main reasons on why I fish.
CrankFate reply :
I still have fun when you throw a piece of worm in an a thousand baby blue gills attack it. The kids love fishing that way. So I’ll do it too. There are 1lb+ BG’s just beyond them and also bass that are basically managing them as forage farms. Sometimes, you can get those bass, too. It’s just not easy, because with a thousand 2.5” blue gills around, they aren’t very hungry and are too lazy to chase anything unless you really tick them off with noisy baits.
lets throw a picture in, my youngest son’s first LMB, for this pond this is big. You gotta make sure they get a few of these a season to keep them interested.
LadiMopar reply :
On 2/10/2019 at 12:19 AM, CrankFate said:Fishing is not a womans sport. And men and women have patience for different things. Men can spend days trying to show kids how to tie a hook, bait a hook and throw a cast. Women don’t have patience for that.
I don't usually react to this sort of thing, but I absolutely disagree with your "assessment" of women and the sport of fishing.
I've got 50+ years under my belt, sold gear and managed several tackle shops in my day as well. I have recently started tournament fishing.
Am I the exception and not the rule, maybe to a degree but all of my female friends fish, all have shared their enjoyment of the sport with their kids and grandkids.
And now a few stats from US Fish and wildlife:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife data, collected in part by Florida research firm Southwick Associates, shows that in 2001, 26.1 percent of freshwater anglers and 9.2 percent of hunters were female. In 2011, women comprised nearly 27 percent of all inland anglers and 11 percent of hunters.
The newest numbers of anglers by gender in 2017: 65.2% male, 34.8% female.
For complete stats of recreational fishing: https://www.statista.com/topics/1163/recreational-fishing/
Bluebasser86 reply :
Kids just need someone to take them. My sister-in-law is a kindergarten teacher and I've gone to talk to her class several times in uniform about my work and as part of it I make sure to remind the kids that police officers are just normal people like them. Last time I mentioned I liked fishing and the whole class wanted to talk about fishing after that. Most were inner city kids who said they wanted to go but either their parents wouldn't take them or they had nowhere to go.
CrankFate reply :
On 2/10/2019 at 10:39 AM, LadiMopar said:
I don't usually react to this sort of thing, but I absolutely disagree with your "assessment" of women and the sport of fishing.
I've got 50+ years under my belt, sold gear and managed several tackle shops in my day as well. I have recently started tournament fishing.
Am I the exception and not the rule, maybe to a degree but all of my female friends fish, all have shared their enjoyment of the sport with their kids and grandkids.
And now a few stats from US Fish and wildlife:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife data, collected in part by Florida research firm Southwick Associates, shows that in 2001, 26.1 percent of freshwater anglers and 9.2 percent of hunters were female. In 2011, women comprised nearly 27 percent of all inland anglers and 11 percent of hunters.
The newest numbers of anglers by gender in 2017: 65.2% male, 34.8% female.
For complete stats of recreational fishing: https://www.statista.com/topics/1163/recreational-fishing/
I have never seen more that 2-3% of the people fishing that were female. Maybe one or two every so often, but never 2-3 out of every 10. I just wonder how many of them register or get a license to take a few kids fishing once or twice a year? I would think 40-50 percent of men that get licenses only go fishing 2 or 3 times a season.
It would be great if more people went fishing, women and men.
NHBull reply :
My grandons are still a bit young, but last summer I put shines in one live well and gave him an aquarium net. He spent hours transferring them to the other well and back. It's another form of play until the bug hits.
Glaucus reply :
On 2/10/2019 at 8:16 PM, CrankFate said:I have never seen more that 2-3% of the people fishing that were female. Maybe one or two every so often, but never 2-3 out of every 10. I just wonder how many of them register or get a license to take a few kids fishing once or twice a year? I would think 40-50 percent of men that get licenses only go fishing 2 or 3 times a season.
It would be great if more people went fishing, women and men.
Yeah I'm not really buying that either. It's not that women can't fish, it's just that most women don't want to fish. My wife fishes with me. She's the exception, not the rule, but even then it's maybe 1 in 10 trips, and we just got her taking her own fish off the hook last year.
CrankFate reply :
On 2/11/2019 at 4:32 AM, Glaucus said:Yeah I'm not really buying that either. It's not that women can't fish, it's just that most women don't want to fish. My wife fishes with me. She's the exception, not the rule, but even then it's maybe 1 in 10 trips, and we just got her taking her own fish off the hook last year.
I never meant women can’t fish, but I don’t see them fishing very often. There are probably less women fishing here in NY than in other more rural areas.
Gundog reply :
As far as women not liking to fish, I think you are mistaking "hardcore" fishing with "just fishing". A friend of mine fishes with his wife but not in the same way he fishes with me. No constantly casting and using different baits. With his wife they just use bobbers and worms or inline spinners.
schplurg reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 9:20 AM, The Maestro said:Imo you've either got the fishing bug or you don't. It's easy to forget that fishing really doesn't appeal to very many people. At least not on the level that hardcore anglers feel about it. It's been my experience that it's actually a very rare thing to meet other serious anglers in your day to day life. Just about all the ones I know I met through clubs and tournaments etc...
Disagree about the bug. I acquired the fishing bug just a year ago and I'm 51. I'm pretty serious about it and getting moreso all the time.
Last summer I was bank fishing and a couple showed up with their two little girls. One approached me and I asked her if she fished (she was probably 8-10 years old).
She said, "No! I hate fish!" Not sure what she meant.
A moment later I got a bite and you should have seen the expressions on her and her sisters faces as I hauled it in. They were both very excited. I let them check out the striper I'd caught, then released it. I saw a spark there.
That is the moment to hand a kid a pole and let them try. In fact if I'd let her reel it in she may have been hooked right there. Maybe not professional tourney hooked, but hooked.
I myself got hooked about a year ago. I moved near the Cali Delta and a bunch of lakes, plus a Bass Pro Shops. One bored day I asked myself why I wasn't fishing. Watched some fishing videos - people getting excited. I Bought a cheap BPS combo the next day and never looked back.
To answer the question though, how to get kids into fishing:
Steps:
- take away their smart phone.
- make them play outside!
My parents wanted me OUT of the house to play, not inside. Parents today - man I am SO glad I'm not a kid today. What a shame.
Glaucus reply :
On 2/13/2019 at 9:25 AM, schplurg said:
Disagree about the bug. I acquired the fishing bug just a year ago and I'm 51. I'm pretty serious about it and getting moreso all the time.
Last summer I was bank fishing and a couple showed up with their two little girls. One approached me and I asked her if she fished (she was probably 8-10 years old).
She said, "No! I hate fish!" Not sure what she meant.
A moment later I got a bite and you should have seen the expressions on her and her sisters faces as I hauled it in. They were both very excited. I let them check out the striper I'd caught, then released it. I saw a spark there.
That is the moment to hand a kid a pole and let them try. In fact if I'd let her reel it in she may have been hooked right there. Maybe not professional tourney hooked, but hooked.
I myself got hooked about a year ago. I moved near the Cali Delta and a bunch of lakes, plus a Bass Pro Shops. One bored day I asked myself why I wasn't fishing. Watched some fishing videos - people getting excited. I Bought a cheap BPS combo the next day and never looked back.
To answer the question though, how to get kids into fishing:
Steps:
- take away their smart phone.
- make them play outside!
My parents wanted me OUT of the house to play, not inside. Parents today - man I am SO glad I'm not a kid today. What a shame.
Fishing bug is real. It doesn't matter the age. It's all about when, how, and why it happens, and you don't always get born and bred into it. I picked up fishing all on my own. Because of me my dad is getting into it. I had parents that wanted me outside doing normal stuff rather than in front of a screen. They built me up for football though. I was running 4:14 miles and being scouted as a freshman for WR and CB. Then I had a freak injury that cracked my skull, caused me to nearly bleed to death, forget most of my youth, and I later developed PTSD in another matter killing my football career. I picked up a rod at the store one day to see if I liked it and never looked back. It's my new life (well, many years old now but new as in it is what I do now rather than football)
lonnie g reply :
all kids strive to get some kind of attention, use this . take kids that like basketball, maybe involve there coach, then use the fishing event to teach the kids something new,then kids then also realize more than one person taking interest in them. make it fun and memorable. use your knowledge of the fish , water ,wildlife, etc.. to make it informative and interesting.i guess in this fast paced era that we live in we have to think outside the box. plant the seed somewhere one wouldn't expect, or maybe would ,just haven't thought it. schools ,groups, teams, fire , police, rescue, court systems, ect... kids deffinatly gravitate towards attention, apply fishing to that attention. I know that my grandkids love the time we have together. and now even ask "when are we going fishing"
The Dread Pirate Fisherman reply :
On 2/10/2019 at 12:19 AM, CrankFate said:Catching animals, including fish, is terribly disfavored by the majority of people now a days. Add that to getting dirty and covered with fish slime and fish scales, plus a single pack of rubber worms and a single pack of hooks costs at least $15.00, if not 20, no one is spending that kind of money doing this. Very few parents of this generation are going to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to go catch (and torture) a few fish for fun. It’s about $150.00 to 200.00 for a simple family pond outing, with gear, food and everything else. And, at any price, most people don’t have the time to spend a full day fishing every week or two.
Fishing became a niche activity over the last 50 years. The only way to get kids fishing is to take them fishing. My kids often want the snacks and goodies we get when we go, but if nothing is biting, they are ready to leave within an hour.
I personally believe the number of single parent households has killed the sport. Fishing is not a womans sport. And men and women have patience for different things. Men can spend days trying to show kids how to tie a hook, bait a hook and throw a cast. Women don’t have patience for that. And without two parents, it’s basically impossible to have enough time to waste half the weekend torturing innocent fish. Very sad. I started fishing at 2 and have fished the whole 41 years since then. The world has changed.
You just have to get the kids out there whenever you can and hope they have fun.
Not that I totally disagree about the cost but you can set up a kid with a 20 dollar Zebco combo and they're happy catching bait fish all day long...No? Last year I watched a 8yo catch a 8lb bass on a 20$ zebco combo 8 pound mono using a bobber and a live worm approximately 10ft from the shore. As for fishing not being a woman's sport you'd better talk to the founder of Bass Resource Glenn May and his wife about that one seeing as she is fishing with him and doing the camera work in most of his videos. Also my experience has been completely different in that woman have 10x's the patience required for fishing because they're the ones who have the patience to carry a child 9 to 10 months and that in my book is the ultimate in patience.
CrankFate reply :
I’ll never live down the comment about fishing being mainly a men’s thing. I rarely see women fishing.
The Dread Pirate Fisherman reply :
On 2/19/2019 at 1:57 AM, CrankFate said:I’ll never live down the comment about fishing being mainly a men’s thing. I rarely see women fishing.
I suppose it's how you put it in your OP. "Woman don't have patience for that" referring to the opposite sex in that way doesn't lend to attracting them to the sport. No harm no fowl just saying.
CrankFate reply :
On 2/19/2019 at 2:40 AM, The Dread Pirate Fisherman said:I suppose it's how you put it in your OP. "Woman don't have patience for that" referring to the opposite sex in that way doesn't lend to attracting them to the sport. No harm no fowl just saying.
Because every time I see a woman fishing, they get mad, they aske me for help. They get mad, the kids get upset and then they quit. I have seen this much more often than I have seen women fishing for the sake of fishing. I can’t help that that’s been my experience.
The Dread Pirate Fisherman reply :
On 2/19/2019 at 4:59 AM, CrankFate said:Because every time I see a woman fishing, they get mad, they aske me for help. They get mad, the kids get upset and then they quit. I have seen this much more often than I have seen women fishing for the sake of fishing. I can’t help that that’s been my experience.
That's your experience which is sad because I happen to know woman that live to fish for the sake of fishing and honing their fishing skills.
Jleebesaw reply :
Man I see kids fishing all the time. Maybe it's just this part of the world, northern new york, but they are fishing all over the place. I see them in the same ponds and river spots I used when I was a kid. I see groups of kids ride by on their bikes with backpacks and fishing poles a lot. Maybe it's just because I live on the river in my town so I see it more, but I see lots of them. There are 2 or 3 kids tournaments in waddington ny every summer that draw hundreds of kids. Waddington is a great fishing town with lots of free access to the st lawrence river, so I'm sure that helps. Just about every ice fishing derby around here have separate prizes for kids too. I don't know, man, I see a lot of youth participation.
Sifuedition reply :
Lot of good replies.
For me, it was perch that started it. Typical kid with no attention span, but, you get into the perch and it would definitely keep me going for a while. Then one day when I was five, that perch just kept pulling more and more line even though I was reeling like a mad man. My snoopy closed-face didn't have a chance against the 8 lbs catfish that decided it wanted a worm, too. Dad had to hand pull it in. That was the moment I was hooked for life.
The keys as I see it:
Get the parents at least into taking them
Get at least one of their friends going with them
Keep them busy with easy to catch, schooling fish; perch, white bass, crappie
Let them reel in a bigger fish. Hook one for them while they are busy with perch, if you have to
Until they have the bug, keep the trip fun, even if it's not fishing. Stop for donuts or something on the way. Let them catch worms, grasshoppers, etc to "help" with the fishing if they get bored. Let them swim or something if worms/bait is not something they are ok with.
BassNJake reply :
I think its funny when adults blame the kids for constantly being on their phones or playing video games.
Who gave them the phones? Who introduced them to video games? Who lets them be on them for hours on end?
Issues with kids are almost always related to the parenting.
When I was a kid, I was always outside, running all over the neighborhood from sun up to sundown.
I'd duct tape my 2 piece rod to my BMX and ride it 30 minutes down the back roads to get to the quarry or the river to fish.
That was a lot safer practice 40 years ago.
I always try to make it about time together while fishing.
I have been known to stop along the shoreline and bomb rocks into the water with my son.
We have pulled up on a random bank and went exploring along the shoreline for anything of interest.
I always have garbage bags with me so my kids learned that litter will always be an issue but as individuals we can make a difference.
TriCityBassin' reply :
Here is my comment.
I grew up in the inner city of Richmond VA. Concrete has no fish even though the james river was 10 minutes away, it was not "accessible".
I would suggest that anyone who is interested in continuing our sport set up events that get children who do not have access and are probably (Like I was) children of single parents or parents who can do nothing other than work on the water.
It can be bank fishing or even just creek exploration.
My perspective is very different than most fisherman I know. Most grew up in rural areas with easy access or ponds. I don't really think this is a perspective most people have considered. We focus on the kids in our life/family. We need to light the match for 20 kids, not just 2/3.
Just my 2 cents, good post.
Rip_lipz reply :
I am 24 and during the summer I am on my boat more than at home. My dad fished very seldom when I was very young, mostly ocean, off the bridges in Panama, Florida. I highly doubt I could ever get him on the boat to fish with me now. I taught my self how to fish and use a boat. I think its just in the blood. My brothers are 16 and they like fishing but I would never be able to get them up at 4am on a Saturday. We also grew up camping and racing motocross, so I have always been outside on the weekends. I completely agree that my generation is glued to our phones. I mean the first thing I bought when I came home from boot camp was a XBOX One and a new baitcaster. But, the electronics don't keep me from have a great day on the water.
Gundog reply :
Just an update on the question I asked everyone on the forum. I passed along the ideas brought up by everyone who replied and my friend was quick to put the suggestions to his supervisors. They liked the responses and are looking into including parents into the program for teaching kids to fish. Also not concentrating only on trout but more on sunfish which are prominent and easy to catch in our area was a hit with the powers that be. All the ideas were received well and I hope some changes come in the near future to protect the sport we all love. Thanks to everyone for your ideas.
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