What age to start kids 2024

nateobot reply :

My son is going to turn 3 in about a month. He has shown an interest in fishing, and I do want to encourage anything he shows interest in. Do you think he is old enough? How do I get him started, just hook on a worm and bobber and drop it off the dock?

UPS VT reply :

Yes get him started. A worm and a bobber from shore is the way to go, although a short trip on a boat will be a blast for him. Just be patient, cast for him and focus on just him. I have four boys, and they all started young. When I take them out we fish from shore, and it is all about them. I rarely bring my rods. My wife and I focus on them having a good time. Also, once he even seems to not be having fun, call it a day. You don't want him to get bored and not like fishing. We have gone fishing for less than an hour before. Keep it simple, and keep it fun, lots of snacks, and oh yeah have fun

mlpauley reply :

my dad started me when i was 3...he gave me a little zebco push button reel and a bobber. I would catch little bluegill either off the pier or from his boat and now im 16 and love to bass fish..Good luck with your son

Tim Ford reply :

My son is 4 and he caught his first bass yesterday. I described the trip in another part of the forum. He has been going with me since he was 2. At first, he would just go sit in the boat and play with toys while I fished. Then, I got him a little Sponge Bob rod and reel set from Wal-Mart and I would practice casting with him, and letting him reel it in. Then, last year I started taking him bream fishing. He can catch bream just as well as anybody now. I progressed him up to a real Zebco reel, and 3 foot rod. Now, I let him cast real baits. Usually T-rigged plastics with heavy sinkers, so he can throw it further. Also, I let him reel in bass for me a lot of times. He loves to fish, and begs me to go practically every day as soon as I get home from work.

Tim Ford reply :

I would also like to add, that I agree it's good to take days and focus totally on the kid, but at the same time, it's also okay to just fish, and let him learn from his mistakes. If you fix every tangle, or cast for him every time, he isn't going to learn for himself. Teach him to be patient and keep his line tight. From there, he'll be learning just like the rest of us, one trip at a time.

wagn reply :

My son Jonah is 1 year and 10 months old. He can't cast or fish with me yet but i still bought him a little push button rod. I tied a crankbait to the end (with the hooks removed) and he carries it with him all the time. When I go fishing from shore he comes along and pretends to cast and slaps the water with it.

It' really funny because he will point to my fishing rods on the wall and say "dad fish", point to his rod and say "Jo fish" then point to his mom and say "mom no fish". ;D

There never to young to get interested in fishing even if they aren't ready spend the day in the boat with you yet.

nateobot reply :

LOL wagn

Thanks guys. Grampa already has a pole for him, I think it is a Thomas the Train one or something like that. We are going to see them this weekend so everyday he says "Go to grampa's on Friday and go fishing?"

He has gotten rides in Grampa's boat many times already and he loves it, he even got to "drive" once. In his mind the boat cannot go fast enough though. We'll see how this weekend goes. Hopefully we can find him a sunny or bluegill to crank in.

kms399 reply :

my son just turned 3 on the 11th i took him ice fishing this last winter and had a blast. I would set the hook and give him the rod and he would take off running, the sunnies would come flying out of the hole. this summer I am thinking of a cane pole that way we don't have to mess with a reel. most of those cheap spiderman reels suck so bad I can hardly use them. why mess with tangles.

kms399 reply :

on a funny note, I was at cabelas with him looking at rods, when I grab a rod I will put the tip on the floor to kind of get a feel for it, I was looking for an ugly stick for him when i gave him one he looked at it and put the tip on the floor like he knew what he was doing got a good laugh out of the salesman behind the counter. funny what they will pick up.

islandbass reply :

He is definitely ready. All you need to do is:

1) Get him the scooby, spiderman, superman, sponge bob pole of his choice and a life vest that fits.

2) Give him 100% of your attention (in other words, if you can help it, don't fish yourself) You will probably be spending more time untangling knots and rebaiting if you know what I mean. But more improtantly, 100% of your attention, because it won't take even a second while you're "workin'" your bait he could fall in unnoticed.

3) Have no expectations and keep in mind that if his attention span for fishing is only 10-15 minutes, he's already doing better than many other kids.

4) Have lots of food and drinks. It helps keep the keep their attention.

5) Don't be too much of a teacher. He doesn't need to have superb casting mechanics to have a great time. They learn quickly and are quite able to learn quickly on their own.

Congrats and don't forget to enjoy and cherish every minute of his experiences. It is the only experience I'd rather have (watching my kids fish or have them fish with me and outfish me) that I can enjoy if I can't fish.

Walz reply :

I agree that it is never to early to take your child fishing. We actually just took my daughter for the 1st time last weekend. She is almost 2. We got her a little Dora the Explorer rod, and I taught her how to reel it in the back yard (it came with little plastic fish to practice with).

We have neighbor with a pond that is just loaded with blue gill. She can't cast yet, but she was able to reel in a few. She had a blast. She kept telling me Daddy get green fish. She knows bass are green.

Tim Ford reply :

Quote

4) Have lots of food and drinks. It helps keep the keep their attention.

Great point. Having enough food and drinks is essential. Trust me, the last thing you want on your boat is a hungry child....

Derek Chance reply :

Couple things you could do. I have started by just trying to get him to learn how to cast and reel. He really doesn't understand the whole watch the bobber and catch a fish thing so I just let him play with his spincast rig. If I catch a fish, I let him throw it back. He is also 3, but has a physical handicap so my situation may be a little different.

Joe Boss reply :

Islandbass is wise, all 5 points are spot on.

I found it helpful to bring a rod and reel with a lure attached that I removed the hooks from. My son loves casting it over and over again into the lake with no danger of him hooking himself, me or others. I have another rod set up with a live bait rig in a rod holder on shore nearby. When a fish bites on that rig I let him reel them in.

This year he has been holding that rod waiting for a bite. He is developing patience, as much as he can at his age (5 and a half)

bunkerbstr reply :

Great advice from everyone. I will concur. When you start them out, it's all about them, leave your rod at home and be there for help when needed.

One other thing that's cool, is if the fishing gets slow, take them around the shoreline, show 'em a crawdad, water bugs, dragonflies and stuff like that. My son always seems to come home with some type of souvenir from the lake.

Food & drinks a must.

Enjoy and take some pics for memories.

WRB reply :

Agree with most of what has been posted on this subject. As Islandbass stated; make it a fun. I will add make it a short day and successful outing.

The best first day is usually a pond with bluegill (bream) and bobber fishing. It's your time with your son or daughter, be attentive.

I decided to make a rod out of a fly rod top section, about 40" long, added a cork handle, mounted a small trigger spin, Zebco Omega reel. My son started about 3 years old and used that rod & reel outfit until about 6 years and caught a lot of fish with that outfit.

When he went with me in the boat, took along a few toys. I added a rod holder for him to put his rod in when playing or just tired of fishing.

The best rig by far for bass with my son and other kids was the slip shot rig and 3" reaper or 4 1/2" curl tail finesse worm. I would rig a 1/8 oz mojo weight, stopper about 12" up from the hook and light wire size 1 worm hook. We had a lot of good days on the water catching bass with that rig, even while he was playing with toys and the rod in holder. "Dad, gotta another fish"! After about 6 years old they want to have a rod & reel like yours, then it's time to set them up with a spinning rod/reel and progress to a bait caster about 8 to 10 years old.

Take the time to enjoy these moments, they will last you a life time.

WRB

mrlitetackle reply :

from what i was told by my father, i caught my first fish at the age of four.......a bullhead.....

so start now for sure....

i feel catfish are a good way to go as well.....bait it up for'em, and toss it out....

all you have to do is wait for the bite, help'em set the hook, and watch'em reel it in!!!! ;D

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Quote
He is definitely ready. All you need to do is:
1) Get him the scooby, spiderman, superman, sponge bob pole of his choice and a life vest that fits.

2) Give him 100% of your attention (in other words, if you can help it, don't fish yourself) You will probably be spending more time untangling knots and rebaiting if you know what I mean. But more improtantly, 100% of your attention, because it won't take even a second while you're "workin'" your bait he could fall in unnoticed.

3) Have no expectations and keep in mind that if his attention span for fishing is only 10-15 minutes, he's already doing better than many other kids.

4) Have lots of food and drinks. It helps keep the keep their attention.

5) Don't be too much of a teacher. He doesn't need to have superb casting mechanics to have a great time. They learn quickly and are quite able to learn quickly on their own.

Congrats and don't forget to enjoy and cherish every minute of his experiences. It is the only experience I'd rather have (watching my kids fish or have them fish with me and outfish me) that I can enjoy if I can't fish.

Some AWESOME advice above

To add to #3, have other things with you for when his/her attention is waning. Stuff to play catch, soccer ball, kite,butterfly and/or minnow net, whatever. You can always come back to fishing again later or it may be satisfying in itself as a short session. A field guide book is a great tool for exploring the shoreline also. Plants, bugs, critters, start turning over rocks,....now he/she also knows how to find their own bait too.

(in bold above) Letting him actually pick his gear begins the connection to the sport/hobby/activity. Makes it personal to him/her

Unknownwaters reply :

haha i remember when my dad took me fishing when i was just 2 years old. I remember spending all night catching 5 pound striped bass and setting up the underwater light to watch the baitfish school around. it was those nights that made me crazy for fishing.

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Quote
haha i remember when my dad took me fishing when i was just 2 years old. I remember spending all night catching 5 pound striped bass and setting up the underwater light to watch the baitfish school around. it was those nights that made me crazy for fishing.

and evidently created some pretty special memories of you and your dad spending quality time together

Btech reply :

So i can start teaching my 2yr old?

DINK WHISPERER reply :

As soon as they show interest in it(and can hold a rod). I am in the process of teaching my 3 1/2 yr old daughter how to pitch a lure. Believe it or not she is getting pretty good with a princess pole and a trick worm.

Unknownwaters reply :

i say go for it, if your child doesnt enjoy it then you can always wait until they get older or try to make it funner, but if they do enjoy it theyll prob be hooked for life.

Grandpa reply :

I tried the spiderman pole routine with my 3yr old grandson and it was junk. I got him a Zebco 202 with a 5 foot rod and let him practice casting in my backyard. He would spend hours every day just doing that.

Now that the weather is nice and he is on the water he is able to routinely cast 20-30 feet and catch some nice bluegill with a bobber and worms. I have not been able to get him to grasp the whole "jerk the line" concept but he always yells that "the little red ball went away" and then I tell him to reel in and he most times has a catch.

Good times, and he has kept at it for a long as 2 hours at a time. I can't wait till my grandaughter can hold a pole.

Oh, I agree with not always running to their aid when they have a small tangle or problem. I have been very impressed with how well he works many of those out himself.

nateobot reply :

Wish me luck, we are heading out to grampa's house for some fishing action. My son made me call grampa to confirm that we were indeed going to go fishing on Friday. Should be a blast and thanks for all the tips.

simplejoe reply :

I started my son at 3, and now my daughter is now 3 it's her turn. She can't sit still for a long period of time like my son does so it's going to be fun.

joe

islandbass reply :

Quote
So i can start teaching my 2yr old?

Absolutely! 8-)

JuniorFisherJJ08 reply :

Nate, NOW is the perfect time to get him started i started when i was 2 and was winning my age group tourneys when i was 4. Take him to the lake and get him a bobber and meal/wax worms and let him catch bluegill! Make sure to pick a nice day when you think a lot of fish will hit. It will make it more enjoyable for both of you. Once he is old enough work on his casting techniques of different rods. Set him up a target and see how close he can get. Bass Masters Kids Casting Tournaments is a good thing to compete in for accurate casters.

Also get him a reel(no line) and let him reel it in the house or whatever so he gets used to holding it and reeling it. That is what we are working on now with my niece(spinning reel) and she is 2.5yrs old(plus it should keep him entertained for a while!

Hope this help!

Btech reply :

I took my lil one to BPS the other day to get a rod and she picked up a 5ft bps pole *pink of corse* she WOULD NOT put it down, she wouldnt even let the cashier take it to ring it up! lol

Had to coax her with pink worms - so she is fitted (like a pink panther) hope we catch somthing (gona go for cat in our stocked pond) next weeked.

How often do kids break poles? My 2yr old girl likes to wack things with it such as the truck the dog her mom....

skeeterman24 reply :

My son is due in a month, is 1 day old to young?

I can't wait until he's old enough to get out there.

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