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Posts: 661
Location: Roscoe IL | I'm taking my son (Joey 9yrs old) on his first trip with Dad this weekend.
Any tips on what not to do?
I know patience is key with them & my plan is to switch to small mouth when he starts to lose interest.
That said, I still want him to spend most of his time trying for muskies.
How do I keep his head in the game after hours of nothing?
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Posts: 354
| Here are a couple of probably silly ideas but they have worked for me. I once had a guy in the boat who became easily bored. I made up a game while casting. We were fishing a lot of shoreline structure so I made up a game similar to horseshoes; you pick out a target and each attempt to cast to it. The closest casts wins a point. It's a lot like shooting hoops in the backyard. I would think a young kid would like the game playing aspect to it as well. You can also intentionally "miss" a few times to boost the kids confidence.
You can also play the old standard I see something white or I see something flying .......and your son has to guess what you are talking about. It should also give you opportunities to point things out and discuss a lot the natural things surrounding him.
Bring music and snacks along.
Let him go for a swim or hunt around on islands or shore for frogs, critters, etc.
Take a break and cruise around slow; let him drive the boat with dad supervising of course.
Make it about him and not the fish!
I have worked with at-risk youth for 14 years. Studies indicate the average attention span of a sixteen year old is 12 minutes.
Hope these ideas help.
Edited by greenduck 6/27/2008 3:09 PM
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Posts: 238
Location: Rhinelander | My soon to be 7 year old has been tagging along alot more this year for musky. He's been fishing "on his own" since three....meaning casting his own rod and baiting hooks. Last summer he took fish off the hook and baited quite well for a little guy.....stayed in the front of the boat and even maned the anchor. Rarely asked for help with anything. Casting baits did take some time, patience has always been an issue.
The suggestion about food and drink is right on.....when you think enough is packed, double it. Island or remote shoreline exploring is a great way to kill time. The kids love it. Great for a miday activity.
If possible fish a lake with a good northern population. Nothing helps better than letting him "feel the thunder" thinking this hit could be the musky and not another pike.
As stated my boy is just about 7 and just lately started casting a 5500 on a 6' St Croix. This sring started with a differant set up but didn't take long to move up. No musky yet but one solid follow on a topwater bait. Figure 8's need a lot of practice but oh well it's fun.
Attention has improved dramaticly this year....in good weather he casts 3 hours straight.....just last year, lucky for an hour and we started adventuring.
Hey it's fun with the kids, but still bring the slip-bobbers....nothing wrong for fishing for some gills to bring a smile to their faces. Go back casting later when he's ready. |
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Posts: 4266
| Kids want action. I learned from my daughter that she would cast as much as she wanted to and then would pick up a video game and play with it or read a book while I fish and then when she feels like it, she'll start casting again. Letting them fish for bass or panfish while you fish for muskies is a great thing. Options for active, easier to catch fish will keep their interest more than expecting them to sling lures with you. You have lots of years to develop the muskie fisherman in him, developing the fisherman should come first. He'll let you know how long he feels like casting for muskies, but when he wants to take a break or fish for something else, don't say no. If he enjoys his time in the boat he'll want to go again. If trolling is an option, utilize it to break up casting periods.
My daughter is 12 now, and she will cast with me when we first get out there for up to an hour. If there is no action, the time frame is shorter. Many times I will move from one spot to another and tell her that we are moving to a good spot, and if she wants to cast for 15 minutes with me, I tell her what the area looks like and where she should cast. The longer the day gets, the shorter the attention span gets. Video games, portable DVD players, books, iPods....they all are welcome on my boat, because it means that Taylor will feel like staying out longer with me. Catch a fish, and that is guaranteed to keep the interest level up for at least an hour.
Whatever happens, enjoy your time with your kid.
Beav
Edited by Beaver 6/27/2008 6:26 PM
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Posts: 20218
Location: oswego, il | Defeinitly keep the options opten. Give him equiptment that won't tire him out and that is comfortable for him to use. My son's use heavy bass stuff. Kids love topwater baits. My kids will throw one all day. Mini lac suel turbo's are great for kids. Somebody makes a mini 5" globe and it's a great bait too for kinds. They can be casted on bass rods. Small crane baits are bouyant and work well too. 2 of my kids caught bass on small cranes yesterday. Small spinnerbaits are good around the weeds as are the topwaters. Stay away from baits that take alot of work and have alot of drag. Generally think smaller with the baits and like somebody said bring food and drinks.
Edited by ToddM 6/27/2008 9:16 PM
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Posts: 661
Location: Roscoe IL | What a blast!
Joey caught 25 fish total. Most were Northerns, but he did get into some smallies largest being 17"
Dead on about the snacks & also brought his Nintendo DS. But when he saw the lily pads he was up & casting. By the end of the trip, his casting was much improved. I will post some funny pictures soon. I had to duct tape my old rain gear to him & it worked out fine.
Largest fish for him was a 30" northern on a #4 Mepps. He lost what we figured to be a 19" smallie on a buzzbait.
Dad didn't even see a muskie as the weather knocked them down for everyone. Off again in a few weeks for a 10 day vacation to do nothing but fish & hang out with the whole family. I think I created a monster now!!
Thanks to my buddy Steve Ruhman who guided us all weekend. Great guy!
Thanks for the tips everyone!
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Posts: 909
| Make sure everyone in the boat has eye protection on! Those little guy tend to get alittle eratic sometimes so keep them safe and enjoy them!
Brian  |
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Posts: 1769
Location: Algonquin, ILL | Be sure to correct them when they make a mistake but just as important Praise them when they do good IE, "Great cast Joey", " Nice fig 8"
above all just make sure to have fun, Let him Drive the Boat now and then when it's safe to do so
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | I didn't read the other posts, so if this was stated , sorry about the redundancy.
Make sure that he always has his rod in is always in his dominate hand. If he is right handed that means a reel with the crank on the left side, just like he would on a spinning reel. He will be able to impart action on baits better, set hooks better and quicker and in doing this this cut his learning curve on using a baitcaster dramatically. Switching hands while casting does not accomplish anything, but wasted motion. |
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Posts: 661
Location: Roscoe IL | Here is a picture of one happy kid.
He's excited for our family vacation all next week.
His younger brother Jack is going to test Dads patience. That said, all the ideas & suggestions will sure help! |
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Posts: 661
Location: Roscoe IL | I can't seem to post a picture?
Need help..
[email protected] |
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Teaching my son to muskie fish