Hi friends!
My 4.5 year old was recently introduced to fishing by his PawPaw and he loves it!
PawPaw bought him a little Spiderman themed rod and the kid is great at casting – he even caught three sunfish his first time out!
Now that we're back home, I want to take him fishing more often but I have VERY little experience and nearly no knowledge.
We bought him a little tackle box and some worms and took him fishing at a local stocked pond. Unfortunately, the fish stole every worm we put on the hook, despite trying several methods of having the worm on.
So I guess I have a few questions:
1. Any tips for kids, on fishing?
2. Should I get him anything else to start?
3. What could we be doing wrong with the worms?
4. I'd love to fish with him, but I have no gear. I want to start out as inexpensive and basic as possible. What kind of rod/other tools should I get for me?
[Photos of kid's tackle box with what's included, his pole, the bait hooks, and the fisherman in question]
Posted by gaurdianofsleep
6 Comments
you need much much smaller hooks than these if youre starting off with bluegill, you should increase your hook ups
Bigger hook = smaller fish can eat the worm OFF OF the hook, smaller hook means that when the fish takes a bite, it also bites the hook
If you’re looking to join him for the lowest price possible, I’d recommend a trip to Walmart. You can find a spinning combo for around $50 if not less. I started with an abu García youth combo from Walmart for around that price. Definitely not the nicest setup in the world, and I’ve got some nicer setups now, but that combo has lasted 2 years, and it still comes with me on every trip to the lake
I want the pink tackle box
Gamakatsu size 6 octopus hooks. Tie it straight to the line and get rid of the snap.
Get an ugly stick combo for yourself.
I’d look into slip bobbers. They really come in handy when the waters deeper than 3ft.
Start from there. You will find the path
If you’re taking a beginner fishing be prepared to be retying, baiting and unhooking for the other person all the time. I’ve brung people fishing many times and usually this is the case for me. That being said after a few times you might be able to fish in tandem here and there. If you are taking a kid fishing I would recommend practicing tying knots at home
Those little rods are cute and do work well for many kids but generally for beginners (including kids) the easiest to use are actually “full size” rods (such as a light ugly stick) around 4 feet or longer. You do want to keep them light (think ultralight-medium light) so that the kid can lift it but the length gives a lot of leverage against fish. If you need to replace line 4-6 pound monofilament is cheap and ideal for most light rods.
The hooks look large and the snap swivel probably isn’t helping either. Try a #6 -#10 hook directly to the line and put it about 2-3 feet below the bobber. Make sure to set the hook and you will be pulling in fish in no time
The pond in our neighborhood has a ton of little bluegill not nothing bigger.
We use a bobber and nightcrawlers and my sons pull out the little fish left and right. They nest about 8 feet from shore and I’m sure we’re catching the same ones over and over.
But the kids fucking love it.
I get bored with the bobber/wait and reel, so I’m always out there with a fly rod without a chance in the world of actually catching anything.
That setup you have isn’t any different from what my youngest uses. My 8 year old has a more conventional setup, but still a bobber and small hook.