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SALT LAKE CITY — Fishing with your kids is a great way to get them out of the house and excited about nature.
If you're a parent thinking about introducing your kids to fishing, here are seven tips to ensure it's an enjoyable experience for everyone:
Bring the right gear
Most kids benefit from using a child-sized rod and reel because handing a 7-foot rod with a hefty reel to a small child is like someone giving you a 7-foot golf club and telling you to sink a putt. One option is to buy a child-sized combo, which is sold at any sporting goods store. These combos, however, are usually inferior quality, and their childish themes — like Barbie or Mickey Mouse — may make other older children uninterested in them.
The best option for your kids is usually an ultralight combo, which many anglers already own. Compact and lightweight, these combos are perfectly sized and still give kids the versatility of a quality rod and reel. Also, an ultralight will always be practical for stream fishing and other uses, whereas a Barbie pole runs the risk of becoming uncool and unused within a short period of time.
Keep good line on your reels
Children will always have a special ability to create bird nests out of their lines. But in their defense, cruddy line dooms anyone to tangles and children are often given the forgotten reel that hasn’t been respooled since the Reagan administration.
Not only does old line tangle more, but its weakened state means it’ll break if your child is lucky enough to hook into a large fish. Rather than setting your child up for disappointment, take a moment to properly spool new line on their reel. Better yet, let them help you spool it so they can learn how it’s done and get a sense of accomplishment from their smoothly operating reel.
Keep your rods off the ground
Few things ruin a fishing trip faster than a broken rod. Never lay your rod on the ground, even if it’s just for a moment. This is particularly true for trips with large families — there are simply too many feet on the ground for your rods to be safe. In addition to risking a break, laying your rod on the ground can potentially damage the guides, which are more fragile than you might think. When there’s nothing handy to lean your rod against when it’s not in use, ask your child to hold it. Getting in this habit will prolong the life of your rods and teach your children proper tackle care.
Choose a promising spot
Go where catch rates will likely be high and your child has the opportunity to learn fishing skills, rather than merely casting, sitting and reeling skills. It may be tempting to hit up a complex fishing destination so you can target larger fish at the same time, but remember that it only takes a handful of fruitless days to turn the average kid off the sport.
Which definitely makes sense.
Introducing a child to fishing by taking them to a spot where they won’t catch anything is akin to taking your kid to a park, sitting them on a lawn chair, telling them that you are “candy bar-ing” and then waiting around for hours while nothing happens. After a couple hot, boring days of "candy bar-ing," they’ll probably hate it, despite its intriguing name. Strengthen your kid’s love for fishing by going to places that add the element of fish.
Venture off the beaten path
While the catch rate is important, it’s not the only consideration. Try taking your children to a fishing spot off the beaten path. Some of my favorite fishing trips as a boy were to small streams and beaver ponds in the mountains near my hometown.
When introducing your kid to fishing, the size of the fish is inconsequential and a mountain stream may be just the ticket. It’ll help them learn to spot promising holes and develop accurate casting. Fishing in seclusion offers real bonding opportunities that often aren’t as easy on a crowded, noisy afternoon at the community pond.
Include a secondary activity
Consider adding a little breadth to your trip by bringing something that complements the fishing. My dad brought a couple carving knives on most of our trips when I was growing up. Over the course of the trip, he would carve a canoe, complete with a sail and outrigger. It was always a thrill for us to watch the canoe drift across the lake into the distance or barrel down the current of a stream.
Bring a camera
Remember to capture the memories of your fishing day with photos. Your children will be excited to have proof of their fishing prowess and, if they’re like me, they’ll treasure the photos years later. You can even enter your fishing photos in the KSL “Camp Chef Photo of the Week” contest for the chance to win some great gear!
