Fishing age

[AZMinyard]

When did you start, or start your kids on fishing? I have an 18 month old son and am itching to get him out in the boat. I am curious to find out what ages people tend to get their youngsters out and fishing.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Fishing age

I've taken my 10 yr old daughter a few times over the years but she loves to fish but only 20 mins at a time. It doesn't keep her interest however she did well this June spending over 2 hours with me in a tourney on the first day of bass season.

(What's more impressive is that she got up at 5:30am and fished those couple of hours in the rain) Might have a future fisherwomen in the making.

 

[akmoosehauler]

Re: Fishing age

I was started out before i was 2. My 2 daughters have done the same. Start them out young and they will remember the right way and keep the memories.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Fishing age

My earliest collection of fishing memories goes back to 1955 when a neighbor invited me along to go trout fishing off of Tarpon Springs, Fla. We were in a small jon boat with a kicker. We used live shrimp and a cane pole!
I remember literally filling the bottom of the boat with fish. No limits of course in those days.
I had to gut and clean the fish as he fired up a big iron kettle and all the fish got fried. We and several neighbors stuffed ourselves for the next couple of hours.
Both of my kids were in our boat when they were 2 or 3.
Both of them, especially my daughter, still love to go fishing with me today.
Aint life grand!

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: Fishing age

I took my 5 year old son fishing a few years ago. After soaking a leech for about 20 min, he wanted to fish muskies. I gave him a 9" floating crank bait and showed him how to cast it. On about his 3rd cast (the cast traveled about 8 feet from the boat), while I was de-rigging the leeches, he said "Dad I see a musky". I looked over in time to see a musky come to the surface and grab his crankbait about 4 feet from the boat. The rod doubled-over but he hung on. I helped him after that and we boated a 43" musky. As a father I was proud, as a musky fisherman, I was ill - a 43" musky on your 3rd cast ever is a good start to a musky fishing career.

Point is, he still can't fish with me for longer than 15 minutes without expecting a fish. I can't take him fishing for anything except pan fish or it exceeds his patience capacity. He's 8 this year and logged about 3 hours total in 4 trips fishing with me this summer. Its a start; I think patience will come with age.

-Don

 

[sunburnt]

Re: Fishing age

i started about 8yrs old while on summer vaca in andalusia Alabama.my uncle built a house on the river . they let me take out the skiff by my self ! nothing better. then fished ft Walton beaches with friends while i lived there. never moved too far from water since.

 

[ToothDocNick]

Re: Fishing age

I began fishing at about 5 years old with my father and grandfather. My grandfather ran a boat delivery on a small lake, and it was tradition that none of us could go out in the boats alone until we were able to swim across the lake. So we fished with whoever would take us out in the row boats. I hated fishing with my dad because he was a solid 4 hours at a time fishing guy, and if they weren't biting I was done after about 15 minutes.

I began taking my oldest son out about the same age. He could not cast, could not bait a hook, and was done after 15 minutes if he was not catching fish. To this day, he is now 10, he is still the same way. I make him take his PSP with us so he can have something else to do if we are not catching fish left and right.

I began my youngest on at the age of 2. I bought his first pole at 18 months and began working with casting at home on the couch. He is now almost four and he will fish for hours on the boat with me. I just have to catch one fish for the live well so he has something to look at when they are not biting, other than that he would live on the boat. My daughter is 2 1/2 and he is just like my youngest boy. She loves to fish as well.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Fishing age

I really started fishing around age 12 or so. I recall when we would come to Alabama from New York on Vacation when I was 6 and used a "fishing rod" that I made up, my cousin stuck a 3 pound bass on my line just to see how I would react. For the longest I thought I really caught that fish until a couple of years ago I finally found that I really didn't catch that fish, I'm 28 now.

 

[mike64]

Re: Fishing age

I have an almost 6 year old and almost 3 year old. The oldest I took fishing for the first time last summer. On the way to the lake, he kept bouncing around in his car seat and saying how excited he was-- it was really cute. But after 15 minutes of fishing he says "this is takin' a looong time, daddy". Now he never wants to go fishing with me, says it's "boring". But he's not a big outdoors type anyway. A half hour after playing in the backyard he wants to go inside and watch Spongebob.

My youngest on the other hand, he loves the outdoors, loves playing in the dirt and discovering new bugs and stuff. He could stay outside playing all day. I think he's going to be my fishing buddy when he gets a little older

 

[Mn Warrior]

Re: Fishing age

I have three boys, 11, 6, and 3, and all three started fishing with me before they could hold a pole. My 3 year old only wants to cast, reel, and play with all the bait (kill the minnows) but the 6 and 11 will fish all day. Both of the older boys can catch just about anything we fish, the 6 year old has landed two walleye's over 20" and the 11 year old has landed two over 26", the excitement keeps them wanting more. They are never too young to get out on the boat and the all progress at different rates...start them now and watch what happens...

 

[LostOmen]

Re: Fishing age

I've been itching to get my 18 month old girl out, myself! I think I'm gonna wait until spring to get her out on the boat because she's right between life jacket sizes right now. Haven't been able to find a good fit. I'll have to get a fishing pole in her hands now that I've seen some of these posts!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Fishing age

i was 5y/o when i first feel in the water between the dock and the boat. but started fishing much younger. so did my sister, and our kids. you either taught them to fish, or have to stay home with them, as Mom, need a day for herself, and you watched the kids. those were the old days. My son at 5, if a boat was going, he was on it. didn't matter who it was, me, Dad, neighbor.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Fishing age

I don't really remember when I started fishing. I started taking my son out on the boat at around 2, just droved around to get him used to be on the water. We started fishing this year and he had caught a couple bluegills on the first couple trips. He's just a little over 3yrs old now and refuse to use a bobber. He can cast a spinnerbait well and is a power fisherman in the making. All he does is cast and reel and had started to smack the lure on the water to get rid of the weed just like his old man.

 

[BF]

Re: Fishing age

all my kids started young.... <2 Of course Mom would "help" them hold the rod sometimes. Trolling is good with young kids, and rod holders are nice. They'll consider it a boat ride until a fish bites. Often the putt putt of the motor gets them napping. Don't forget snacks and drinks.... and don't expect to stay out too long. 45 min's is a long time for the wee ones. My middle daughter is 8 now, and she's keen to stay out as long as I will. She asks me how many fish she's caught, and now my answer is "lots". She's even keen to bounce out of bed at 6 am. The older one and the youngest are good for about 1 1/2 hours now.

Another tip... go for quantity of fish, not quality. It's better to go out for 45 min's and have everyone in the boat catch a fish than for them to catch a really nice fish only on every 5th trip. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've taken them out and we've been skunked. I think that's a big part of why they all like it, and don't think it's boring.

 

[david_r]

Re: Fishing age

i thought it best to wait a little while.......ive seen too many accidents with hooks small children to risk it

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Fishing age

I started both our son and daughter out shore fishing at their Grandparents house when they were around 3 yrs old.
I just let them do what they want so they'd have fun. Kids just don't have much of an attention span.
Daughter never really liked it an son used to love and went up north with me on lots of trips. Worked good on him till he discovered girls.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Fishing age

i thought it best to wait a little while.......ive seen too many accidents with hooks small children to risk it

Friends of ours take their small ones out at 3 yrs of age and leave a weighted object on the end and let them hang it in the water.

A lot of times, being on the boat and doing what mommy and daddy are doing is fun enough for them. They're simply enjoying a family activity while being acclimated to boating.

 

[BF]

Re: Fishing age

i thought it best to wait a little while.......ive seen too many accidents with hooks small children to risk it

my kids were always very careful, but my cousin's little guy is much less attentive. When he was 3-4 years old, as he'd get the lure (spoon) put on his rod, my cousin would take the treble hook off. Little guy then casts away without endangering anyone around him. Now he's graduated to having sharp bits on his hook. He also seems to have better luck now.

 

[David Wolfe]

Re: Fishing age

I have three children, age 14yrs. girl, 12yrs. girl, and 10yrs. boy. They have all been saltwater fishing (bays) for about 4 years.

They enjoy fishing as long as they are catching something (don't we all), it does not have to be a 21" trout or redfish, just something. I can take them on the boat 45 minutes out or they can fish right off the dock as long as the catch something they are having fun.

Take them out as soon as you think it's safe, but only as long as they are enjoying fishing (he will let you know when he is done), and do not expect to get much fishing done yourself. With three kids and live bait, I spent most of my time baiting hooks, but now my sons is a first rate deck hand and will bait hooks for everyone one the boat.

 

[koolerb]

Re: Fishing age

That depends on what you call fishing. Off the dock in the stroller, all my kids started as soon as they could hold a pole. But actually fishing, comprehending whats going on, stetting the hook with out dad's help; I'd say around 4 years old.