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Posts: 132
Location: Elkhart, IN | My kids always want to come out with me while I'm fishing. Usually they play around on the boat but every once in a while they want to cast for a while. Last year my daughter was casting one of those little snoopy poles with no drag and 4# mono. I want to get a better rod/reel with a ok drag and put something heavier than light mono on it. If a ski ever did decide to eat their small lure I want them to have a chance at landing it. I think they are a bit young to use a baitcaster. I'm thinking a closed face reel and shorter rod.
So my question is, does anyone have any success stories with kids, rods, reels, and Musky?
Thanks!
Brian |
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Posts: 492
Location: Lindenhurst, Illinois | Boro,
I don't know how old your kids are, but I had my 9 year old casting a 5500 C3 last year a little bit. There were some wild casts and a few lures banging agaist the boat but over all he did alright. I made sure he was throwing top waters or bouyant baits so he didn't get hung up in any weeds. No fish. I am going to try it with my 8 year old this year. Need to be very careful and lots of supervision until they get the hang of it.
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| Brian
My opinion is to:
1) Keep them in gear that is appropriate for their age and size (baitcasting gear requires a lot more hand and forearm strength).
2) Then, forget about the muskie thing while they are in the boat, and make sure they are catching alot of fish without regard for size. They will let you know when they are willing to graduate to fishing longer and harder for a larger fish that is more difficult to catch.
3) Alway, always cut your trips on the water short when they begin to show signs of getting tired or bored of fishing. Remember: leaving them wanting a more is always better than leaving them wanting less.
4) I wouldn't really think about the muskie thing for them until they get older. Say 12 years old or so. Any younger than that and you might wind up burning them out due to the many hours of fruitless casting and unrealistic expectations (lots of talk of huge musky can diminish the great crappies, bluegill, perch, bass they actually can and do catch).
5) Prolonged or repeated exposure to anything that makes the trip uncomfortable for them (e.g., fishing in the rain, wake up calls at 5 a.m., frustration with gear they can't figure out, staying out too long, boredom) will come back to haunt you later in life, when they would really rather not go fishing w/ you. "I remember when my dad used to drag me out of bed early in the morning and keep me out in the boat all day in the rain" is a common theme among non-fishing adults I talk to.
They could still luck out on a musky, which my (then) 8 year old son did when he caught a 32 - 34 lb. fish on a closed face reel, light action rod, and 6 lb. line. I just wouldn't go w/ that type of experience in mind until they are older children and show you that they really want to do it. Relax, just go fishing, and they may get lucky anyway.
BrianF.
Twin Cities
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | Zebco 808 reel, and your choice of rod. Maybe a heavy ugly stick. There are some cheap musky rods out there. I know of guys that use 808's to fish for carp. they talk of catching 20lbs carp on the reel. Granted a fighting carp doesn't compare to a Musky but still 20lbs fish can tear up tackle. |
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Posts: 7090
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | YO GQ: it might be a bit long for them, but I have a 7'6" Rizzo that is rottin in my closet with a brand new 5000 series on it, if you want it.
The Blind Squirrell |
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Posts: 20254
Location: oswego, il | Brian, I have three sons, all of them cast and I have spent alot of time getting them the RIGHT equitpment. You can do closed face and a decent pole fairly cheap. Not sure what sized lures they will throw but there are some key things to look for.
Closed face reels, picking up slack line. A must. Best reels I have found are the zebco prostaff 1020 ans 2020(maybe the bigger ones too), the diawa(not sure but it's 40 some bucks) and the garcias. You can pretty much forget about the others. The reels above do not seem to tangle and twist line bad either.
Rods, make sure they are light and the handle not really fat. Stay away from pistol grip handles. My kids first rods were uncle bucks 4'6" crappie rods. Work great but not for bigger lures. Get them a lightweight 6' bass pole.
Any other questions e-mail me. The better their equiptment functions properly and is comfortable, the longer they will fish and the more they will enjoy it.
Edited by ToddM 4/28/2003 9:17 PM
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Posts: 3913
| My 4y/o daughter once said she didn't like going out in the boat with me because I didn't catch very many fish out there. She stayed on shore, fishing with a hand line by the pier. Rockbass. Lots of rockbass. She said, "Sometimes they are so big you can't even get them through the crack!"
I have 3 kids, ages 10, 10 and 14. No musky success stories to share, but they've all caught some nice bass and pike. They all started out with Snoopies, but they moved to spinning reels pretty quick and now all of them can use baitcasters, too. I think kids can learn fast if you have patience. Good quality gear helps, too, amybody can learn to use a Shimano Curado.
Muskies and kids are not usually a good mix. Fishing waters with lots of pike, even small ones, is great with kids because they get lots of action. I say, rig the kids for action. |
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Posts: 294
Location: Suspended | My 8 and 10 year olds are using spinning reels for casting but we're not targeting muskie. They just want to catch fish so numbers matter more than species. You may want to try trolling with them for muskie if you can using your usual gear. I helped my 5 year old get her first muskie last fall while trolling.
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Posts: 743
| Boro, i'd say get him/her a spinning reel for a little while. I had my son casting a spinnig rod before he was 4, and most kids can pick up on it easily. Spinning set up will allow them for the longest cast, that's for sure...and he/she will want a long cast. Get a spinning rod/reel,you'll be happy.
tomcat |
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Posts: 132
Location: Elkhart, IN | Great ideas so far, thanks.
Let me explain more what I'm trying to do. I'm looking for gear that is small and easy for a kid to use that will give them at least a chance to land a fish if one actually does bite. The snoopy pole they use now is not good enough.
My kids want to come with me while I Musky fish. My daughter (7) comes with me more than my son (4). But I am talking about 2-3 times per year each. She wants to cast for a few minutes then she goes back to playing on the boat. I bring lots of food, drinks and some toys for them. I did take my daughter bluegill fishing. She wasn't excited about catching them at all. I only take them on nice days and stay only as long as they want to stay. I am going to get some minnows for the livewell this year I hear that keeps them busy for a while.
I like the idea of using spinning gear. I think she will be able to use it. She was getting pretty good with that snoopy pole last year.
Anybody else have any suggestions? I've got some ideas from the above, thanks for the suggestions so far.
Brian |
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Posts: 278
| Boro:
I started my sons fishing with me when they were quite young. You're on the right track staying only as long as they are having fun. With each passing trip, the stay got longer and longer until they're staying the day. I too graduated them to spinning gear fairly early on. I would take plenty of soft drinks and snack food along so when they tired they could eat and drink and they soon were back at it. Minnows are a good choice for bait as it holds their interest, are preferered forage for many species, and are often result in some pretty decent fish caught. I would troll when they were eating or drinking and once they saw a musky caught, they wanted to catch one too. When a musky was caught trolling, I would hand the rod to them, get the camera ready, and then just sit back and watch the show! And what a show it is too! Both managed to catch a musky before they started school using this troll/hand the rod off technique. I didn't do any casting with both of them in the boat (considered it too dangerous) and only casted a limited amount when only one was along on the trip. Did nearly all of the musky fishing trolling until they were fairly experienced which took a few seasons. Once they reached about 9 or 10, we introduced them to baitcasting equipment and they took to it almost immediately. I commend you on your desire to take your kids with you and select equipment they can handle and which can also handle some larger fish. I wound up with two of the most loyal fishing mates anyone could hope for with this technique, you will also. My two now take my grandkids with them, using these very same techniques. My oldest grandaughter has a 28" channel cat to her credit already and she is but 9 yrs old. Best of luck to you with your junior anglers, they're special times with special people.
Mike
Edited by Musky Mike 4/29/2003 3:04 PM
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Posts: 335
Location: Orland Park | What about a 7 month old? He'll be on his first trip in less than a month, then he goes to Minnesota in late July.....cane pole? He's strong enough to hold a bat that Runnin Hot bought him, and it's tough to take it away. He loves to hit his toys (and daddy) with it, so he should be able to hold a little cane pole, right? |
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Posts: 1046
| Boro, at 7 I started my kids on bait-casters with Shimano curado`s and Quantum Iron rods(very light) and 6"Jakes and smaller bucktails.THEY LEARN VERY QUICKLY! You would be surprized and amazed at how quick they get good if they truely enjoy it! i think its a mistake to start them off with some crap that they will not continue to use later in life! Its a gas to watch your young ones crank in there first 25# er on there own equipment and are still to small to hold the fish by themselves for a pic!Now at 15& 18 mine are better then most adults at the art of casting! In fact leaving tonight for our musky meeting and the boy 15 is winning the JR.DIV. 3 yrs. running with 15 legals and the big one this year at 44" 26# nov. fatty! PRICELESS!!Good luck with the kids! Handy |
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Posts: 3913
| Commanche Jim! What you are suggesting for your 7 month old is far too dangerous!
You should attach a 10' quickstrike sucker rig to his wrist with velcro, and then tie the kid to something in the boat so he's not jerked overboard.
Glad I could help. |
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Posts: 335
Location: Orland Park | Ranger,
That might not be good. If he got yanked in, he'll want to take up waterskiing, and that gets old after a while!!!!!!! I can't wait for Jimmy Jr. to start fishing, whether muskies or panfish, I can't wait. |
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Posts: 132
Location: Elkhart, IN | Thanks everyone that replied. I'll post how we did out on the water later in the year.
Brian |
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Posts: 578
Location: Sheboygan Falls, WI | If you are going to get your kids into musky fishing, I say do it right the first time. My daughter was 7 when she started to musky fish with me. Her first and present rod is a 6' medium heavy St Croix bass style rod. Great for throwing hair, top water and smaller cranks and jerks. This is paired with an Abu UC4601 and loaded with 80lb Tuff Line. She casts this thing great with no problems right from the start. She also owns her own Lakewood tackle box.
Start out with shorter musky outings and increase from there. Talk to them about the enjoyment of just being on the water and how hard it is to really catch these fish. My daughter is to the point where I got home from work last night and the first thing she wanted to do was go musky fishing; unfortunately that will not happen up here until the 24th.
She is fishing the Petenwell Musky Challenge with me and she is totally excited about that. She wants to catch her first musky and release it on her own. She has no desire to keep any musky as she has been taught to respect these beautiful fish.
Start 'em young and keep them going. They are the future.
Chuck |
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