|
|
Posts: 56
Location: Appleton, WI | My Dad and I did many outdoor activities growing up. One of them was fishing, but we mostly speared carp and fished for other crap fish. It was still fun, nonetheless! And, I carried that outdoor enthusiasm into adulthood.
Here's the question:
I want to foster the enjoyment of musky fishing in my grand daughter. Rob and I took her on the boat for her second fishing trip two weeks ago. She is a natural. We had musky and spinning rods with us. She wanted to cast and reel it in all on her own! It was cute. We plan on getting her a "Mickey Mouse" pole for next season. Any suggestions on what kid's set up is best today? What would you do? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 171
| Depends how old she is and what you fish for. I took my youngest (11) walleye fishing on Lake Erie this summer and told her one time how to cast the spinning rod (she has used a spin cast quite a bit in the past). First cast....ZINGGGGG! Beautiful cast. 5 mins later she was fighting an 18" walleye. We lost that one (she pulled it up out of the water). Next one she kept down and we boated it. Point is, a mickey mouse rig would not have given her a fighting chance of landing that fish. A real rig did.
Go for a real rig, IMO.
Best of luck, too!
Erieboy75 |
|
| |
|
Posts: 56
Location: Appleton, WI | She will be three October 24th. Thank you for the input! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | My daughter has been fishing with me (or I've been fishing with her) for 2 years now (she's 3 now). They get over the wanting to cast out thing pretty quick (about 5 minutes) unless they're on fish. I've got her a Tweety Bird rod and that's been pretty good so far. We fish for panfish together and I've got that rig down. Get yourself a #8 circle hook and a jar of Berkley Crappie Nibblits (red is the best from my experience) and a small pencil bobber. My daughter's caught 300-400 sunnies, a bunch of crappies and a bass on that rig this year alone. We gut-hook about 1% with the circle hook and it's very tough to hook yourself with it as well. Pinch the barb down to make it even easier on yourself. 99% of the fish should be hooked in the corner of the mouth. You also don't have to set the hook, just start reeling and you've got them. What you'll find is that it's not very tramatic for the fish and you'll end up catching the same one over and over again.
The big thing is to keep her on fish. Also, get really excited when she gets one. Go overboard if you have to, but keep the excitement level high. When we're fishing in the boat I'll look for schools of sunnies before we even wet the line. That way you keep them catching fish. The only problem is that when you're really getting on them and it slows down to "normal" they'll lose interest.
Rules of fishing with a toddler:
1. Keep them on action fish
2. Make it exciting for them
3. Keep lots of juice boxes and goldfish crackers around
4. When they're done, just accept it and call it a good day.
(Allison's first fish compressed.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 Allison's first fish compressed.jpg (4KB - 79 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 194
| My Daughter just turned 4. She and I do some fishing whenever SHE wants to. I firmly believe that forcing her to go fishing will ruin her on fishing in the future. I take my daughter out so we can enjoy the experience together and try to catch fish. It's FISHING, not catching. Sometimes you get blanked, that's a part of it too. Try to teach a love of the outdoors and make it fun. Sorry to state the obvious, I'm sure you make it fun already. Hopefully you can get on some fish and catch a few. If interest is lost, call it a fun day on the water and go in. I've always believed the fish are a bonus (I could never fish for Muskies unless I tell myself that one ALL the time).
As for your question about equipment, I would stear clear of the "Mickey Mouse" poles with cartoon characters on them. What happens if a big ANYTHING bites? Give your grand daughter a chance at landing the fish, not just hooking and losing it. It only took one big fish to hook me as a kid to fishing, but if I hadn't landed that fish when it bit... who knows? I would get her a Zebco "33" for a reel on an inexpensive fiberglass rod (ours is around 5-5 1/2 feet long), 12-14# line, small bobbers (both clip on and slip styles), hooks (small circle hooks as stated above are an excellent idea, I'm going to try that with my daughter's gear), and a few small sinkers. $30 tops for all of it. A tackle box is optional, but recommended. She'll want one that's HERS. My daughter's rod/reel combo cost around $15-20. I think the "Cartoon" combos cost around the same $$. If the rod breaks, the reel goes onto another $10 rod, no biggie. This set-up will last your Grand daughter a long time, possibly into her teen years. As fishing interest/skills improve, the nicer, more expensive equipment can be justified. There's always a story about young kids that land MONSTERS every year. A rod/reel combo like this one will give your grand daughter an honest chance at landing anything that bites. Mickey Mouse and Snoopy belong on TV or in comic strips, not on the side of a fishing pole, IMO. Good Luck |
|
| |
|
Posts: 56
Location: Appleton, WI | Good point about the Mickey Mouse pole not being sufficient to land ANYTHING big. I had not thought of that. And, yes, you do hear about the kids that accidentally catch some monster fish. So, if in fact that happens, I want her to be set up to bring that fish in.
I understand the importance of hyping up the catch. In fact, when we had her on the boat two weeks ago, she (her pole...LOL)caught a sheephead. She reeled it in and Rob actually netted the fish! So, we were very excited about the fish for her sake. I, also, agree about teaching her a general love of the outdoors. When we have her on the boat, we are commenting about the ducks, the birds, etc. Next year, we will take her camping with us. That will be a blast!
Great suggestions! Thank you. |
|
| |
|
| My girls love fishing but hate not catching fish. It is best to go for smallies, largies and panfish. We have a great time everytime out and it is always a joy to fish with them. Taking kids fishing is the best thing you can do because watch out they grow fast!  |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Those snoopy poles are cool (for the kids), but crap for casting & catching fish as noted by others. You might try shortening up one/some/all of Rob's old graphite bass rod's for her. 
That's what I did for the grandkids. Take the rod & cut it off about 6" above the reel seat. Then cut off the butt end of the top piece so it's about 3- 4' long (shorter for the little one's). The butt end of the top piece should now slide into the 6" piece sticking out from the reel seat/handle. add some two part epoxy inside the reel seat end, slide in the top piece & align the guides, let it set up. Finish off the joint with some more epoxy to give it a professional look. Put on a Zebco 33 or similar & she should be all set.
PS: you can also add a safety lanyard attached to the handle butt, i.e., a ~ 4' nylon cord w/clip to attach to boat so if it slip's out of her hands while casting or gets jerked out of her hands by a fish, she won't lose "her pole". It also helps to keep them in one spot in the boat.
Have fun!
Al
Edited by ESOX Maniac 10/6/2006 9:39 AM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | Definitely (DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT (choose one)) get a Snoopy (or any similar) so called kid's set up. You definitely get what you pay for! They won't work for long, the kids will get frustrated and not enjoy the fishing experience. The "cute" little decals won't matter to the kid once they starting catching fish.
I started both my son and later my daughter at the age of 4, with a Zebco 33 reel and a 48" rod. That reel has dipped into dozens of rivers and lakes. Most all its parts are steel and can be easily cleaned after getting dunked and sand in it and will work like new after cleaning for years and years. They are kids it will happen, but it doesn't matter. The reel is built well enough to handle most any sized fish that the kids will get into, and for that matter any sized fish that most adults will get into.
That rod and reel has been passed through 4 kids todate and will keep getting borrowed for years to come.
The lanyard, in the previous post, is a great idea.
Edited by Steve Van Lieshout 10/6/2006 11:50 AM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | Thanx for the advice, Folks.
When Vanessa was reeling in her fish, to add to the excitement, I swung the big Frabil under it.
I'm not just looking to make her a fishing buddy, but a hunting parnter as well. |
|
| |
|
| jhbjkgi
Edited by Sponge 6/26/2007 7:03 AM
|
|
| |
|
| Great thread. Don't make me bust out the pics of girls gone wild with pike, laketrout or smallies! 21" smallmouth last wknd! 14# lake trout! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 663
| The circle hook idea is great. Most kids just start reeling and don't "set the hook" anyhow. I need to try that. Also a good suggestion about taking a pass on the Snoopy/Barbie/Cinderella combos. I've found some nice little glass rods that work great and team them up with a decent pushbutton reel. The rod is from a company called Laker and the model is Brave Eagle. It's 4' long and your tackle retailer can get them from their wholesalers. I like the Johnson Century reel a lot. It's reasonably light casts very smoothly and has a drag that actually works. I've also had good success with some of the Daiwas but every now and then an issue with the drag wheel malfunctioning. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 56
Location: Appleton, WI | Simmer down, now... The old Saturday Night Live episodes were great! I thank everyone for their advice on keeping my grand daughter on fish, thus interested in fishing. She is going to be one of the great "fishermen" of her time. I am glad that I am here to foster the love of fishing and the outdoors with her!
Good luck with your ventures!
P.S.
Rob and I met on Yahoo Personals. (Worth a try, Ranger.) Again, best of luck!
Edited by Lolleitta 10/8/2006 6:02 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Just make it fun! If they get bored give them something fun to do, like go look for frogs on the shore or give her a sucker to play with. Just make it fun, doesnt matter the equiment, if they enjoy time on the water in the boat then that is what is important!
Mike |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | Good point, Pointer.
She will be as interested as we are. Which is a given, with Rob and I.
Good luck this Fall!
Lori |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | I will defend the Snoopy pole by saying that you need to match the rod to the size of the kid. I purchased that pole when Allison had 3 months to cook yet. At the age of 2 she could cast as it was in her set of "toys" she played with all winter. When she got to the lake she knew what to do at 2 years old. As they get bigger you do have to increase the size of the gear. If the kid's small the combo should be too.
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Start them early!!! I agree...keep progressing up with the rods as they grow....and never push it...if they want to take a break let them!!
Here are two pics from this past saturday...my daughter caught a few fish and then wanted to take a break....she fell alseep in the cooler!!!
Big brother hoists in a nice walleye!
(ava asleep in the cooler 10 06 b.JPG)
(kyles first walleye 10 06 b.JPG)
Attachments
----------------
ava asleep in the cooler 10 06 b.JPG (108KB - 74 downloads)
kyles first walleye 10 06 b.JPG (79KB - 78 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | That picture is priceless Cory. Too funny! Keep up the good work everyone. Thanks for the tips as well. I have another season yet before I can think of getting my super little one started, but she'll be in the boat with me next year for sure!!! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | One thing I may add is to let them pick out a good life jacket before worrying about a fishing combo; or better yet, integrate the two (a 'fishing' life jacket).
Make sure the jacket is safe and comfortable, yet allows enough freedom of movement to actually fish. The last thing you want is a kid that's all bound up in his or her PFD so bad that fishing (or anything else) becomes uncomfortable. Hard to beat a simple spinning gear w/ good quality mono for line. Pretty versatile, lightweight and not difficult at all for a kid to master. You can get reasonable quality stuff rather inexpensively also. Give them choices, to a point - you pick out 3-4 servicable rigs then let them pick one from those. They take more ownership in it that way.
S. |
|
| |
|
| Makes sense that the pole will progress with the size of the child. I guess that I will get her a Dora pole (if that even exists) initially. That way she can get comfortable casting and reeling something her own size. I agree about the breaks. I do not want her to feel like she HAS to fish non-stop. I want her to have fun!
Great pic of your daughter in the cooler. That is priceless! |
|
| |
|
| My only regret is not having enough free weekends to take them.
Attachments
----------------
hj-1.JPG (49KB - 69 downloads)
hj.JPG (62KB - 80 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 275
| That was nice that you let them hold your fish, but seriously the time goes by too fast and before you know it they grow up. thanks for sharing your pictures.
Tom |
|
| |
|
Posts: 56
Location: Appleton, WI | Your daughter looks quite excited/happy about that fish. That is my goal with my grand daughter. She is still a tad apprehensive, yet. She wouldn't hold the sheephead that she caught. But, that will come with time. Speaking of which, yes, it does go by rather fast. So, you have to seize the moment. Hopefully, we can get her out for one more fishing trip this season. But, if not, she will get a lot of exposure next year.
Thank you for sharing! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | Please consider the benefits of an "underspin" reel for kids. The weight of the reel under the reel seat (as opposed to above the reel seat on a traditional spin cast reel like a Zebco 33) keeps the rod correctly oriented on the retrieve and the fight. The spinning rod that an underspin reel requires also has a longer butt section so the rod can be placed under the elbow while retrieving (much like our musky rods). Different brands place the trigger closer or farther away from the rod blank so take note of that distance when choosing a reel. Little fingers must comfortably reach the trigger while gripping the rod. I've seen lots of little ones have trouble keeping a Zebco 33 upright while fighting a fish. I've also noticed their short thumbs having trouble reaching the push button in some cases. My kids have had much more success (and comfort) using the underspin/ trigger cast reels while growing up.
Just food for thought. Enjoy your memories!
Steve
p.s. The picture is my daughter's first pike. Caught with a Shakespeare Synergy underspin and 12# test. 2002
Attachments
----------------
Laura's 1st pike.jpg (124KB - 71 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 56
Location: Appleton, WI | Thank you, Steve. My husband will read this and know what you are refering to...LOL. I, just fish. I have learned a lot in the past two years, but I am content with Rob rigging up our rods. He knows what he is doing. I am the football aficonado, he is the musky fishing aficonado. Works for us!
Good luck and thank you!
Lori |
|
| |
