young kids fishing

[crocket]

just looking for a bit of advise: I have twin boys 3 years old, had them out fishing at sylvan 2 weeks ago. they were quite nervous about the whole and the dark shack. Eventually they come to join me and moma bear,but soon as we landed a large jack they freeked. I hear lots of guys on here talking about fishing with there kids, is ther any advise to hand down to make them feel more comfortably, or is it to early. ( i never think its earliy) anything would be great???

[bobalong]

just looking for a bit of advise: I have twin boys 3 years old, had them out fishing at sylvan 2 weeks ago. they were quite nervous about the whole and the dark shack. Eventually they come to join me and moma bear,but soon as we landed a large jack they freeked. I hear lots of guys on here talking about fishing with there kids, is ther any advise to hand down to make them feel more comfortably, or is it to early. ( i never think its earliy) anything would be great???

I was taking my sons at that age, they were a little iffy at first, but they soon got over it and learned to love it. Never, never to early to take a kid fishing IMO.

[crocket]

thanks bobalong thats what i thought, just thought i would hear it from sombody else. but still need to get them in the shack.

[nicemustang]

Maybe try Dickson trout pond and fish for some smaller "friendlier" looking fish until they get used to it. I hear that works.

[Gillfisher]

I started taking both my daughter & son fishing as soon as they were out of diapers at about 2 1/2 yrs old. Ice fishing at Chain Lakes South and pot hole lakes in the summer.

[jjstar]

Definitely take them out for small ones first had my 4 year old daughter catching 3-6 inch perch when she was 2 and now everytime I go she wants to and the main question when it pops out of the hole is can we eat this one or does it need to be bigger.

[2big4u]

I take my kids out with me as often as I can. My little one (3) does not come to a new water body with me until I am comfortable that it is safe for them (access, good water) and that he will most likley catch fish quickly. If it is fun for him he wants to go again. My 7 year old wants to quit school to fish everyday. As long as the kids are catching and learning to appreciate fish I will take them out. When they get cold or bored it is time to go, I try not to stay when they don't want to. Also I bring about 20 pounds of snacks and drink boxes. If the fish aren't biting they can eat crackers.:)

[merk1]

My daughter just turned 6, been fishing since 1. Now I can't hook on to the boat without her, the best feeling though. She reeled in her first trout at 1 1/2 on my fly rod. Now all I fish is pike and walleye, she will catch them but that's it, the pike still scare her.

[MuleyMonster]

I have 2 kids that have been coming with me since they were 3 and now are 5 & 7. Found that I first took them ice fishing I went to a small pond with a ton of perch so there was always action. When I went ice fishing for pike I put the shack out in the deeper water to catch perch and set up tip ups outside of the shack in shallower water. This way I was not bringing a pike into the shack and gave them a job of watching and checking the tip ups. Give them a job and lots of snacks and they will be happy. As 2big4u said make sure you head home when they want to. Usually they are cold or bored or hungry or tired or...or...or and it is never fun when this happens and they will be reluctant to go with you again.

Also take a sled some olf gardening tools. If there is a little hill they will spend hours going up and down it. Gardening tools are for cutting out snow blocks and building forts and for just digging in the snow. Good luck.

[Kelly & Beth]

Our first son who is three now, was fishing on the shore in the infant carrier when he was a week old. He was born in the summer and that winter he was in his infant carrier in the ice shack all bundled up. Next winter he was loose in the shack and his 2 month old brother was in the ice shack in the infant carrier. This winter our older guy had a rod and liked to have it in the ice hole waiting, but the younger one(2) is like yours. Doenst like the idea of it being dark inside the shack. I think I get more nervous when we go with uncle cause he uses a 10inch and I know they fit cause I've tried then on the hole that is drilled to hold the auger. Kinda makes me nervous.
We take them with us alot just to get them use to it. They love the boat.
beth

[Mish]

I've taken kids fishing and I found I was most successful when I took them perch fishing first. Perch are harmless looking fish :) The problem then is, if you want to keep the fish, trying to explain why the cute little guy will make a good meal. As for ice fishing huts, make it seem like a fort, kids love that :)

I really feel blessed to have my nephew, he didn't have any fear in him when it came to fishing. I took him out fishing for the first time when he was 3, caught a mean old nasty pike with teeth big enough to make me shudder, and he loved it!! Kept asking me when we would catch a medium one (I had explained to him that the big ones make babies, and the little ones needed to grow). Since then, it's all he talks about..."Aunty, when are we going to catch more medium pike?" He even lectures his mom and dad on why we can't keep pike that are too small, or too big...they have to be juuuusssst right. And when it comes to killing them, he assures me that when he is old enough (he says 6 years is the minimum age requirement), he will bash their heads in for me :lol:

[bubba 96]

I have a six yr as well and i took him to the funfish derby on pigeon last year and he is hooked for life every time I go ice fishing or boat fishing he is packing his gear, but the very first time I took him was @ chain for the easy trout, now his fav is a big stinky pike..

[MrDave]

I used to set my shack up in the yard when the kids were young and they used it for a fort. Solved the fear of the confined space, and let them play with the pike on the ice to lose the fear of the fish, natural curiosity will win out.