Over these last 2 years, on of my children, who is now 14 years old, has taken up a further interest in fishing.
At this age, he fishes alone with his friends just as much as he does with me, but I’ve learned a lot and would like to share the absolute basics in terms of what you should keep in mind when your kids start showing an interest.
Looking through my Google Photos app, the earliest actual fishing photos I can find with my son are about 6 years old. It’s amazing what just a few summers (and many, many trips to Bass Pro) has taught me about what is essential for keeping the fun alive.
The Beginning
Six years ago, I joined my son and his friend, along with the other dad, for a quick fishing trip to the docks.
We didn’t really have any supplies, but the other dad was kind enough to lend us a rod. They were learning too, and over a couple of short trips (we live right by the docks) and talking to more experienced fishermen, we started in with drop fishing.
We didn’t know anything about fancy lures, and you really don’t need to in the beginning.
I remember being squeamish about hooking on bait, even though it was just cooked or raw shrimp. I also remember the first month or so, where we would just be excited with even a single bite or two, being happy enough if we landed even just a couple of bottom fish.
Keeping Kids Hooked: The Art of Fishing with Children
While I have now gone out a few times on my own trying to catch a few fresh herring (and succeeding but nothing compared to the pros who fish beside me), the vast majority of my interest in fishing has been to be able to spend more quality time with my son.
It’s the same for most hobbies – our kids get us into it, and we’ll take it so we can spend more time with them. It’s part of attachment parenting.
Six years ago, and still to a lesser extent now for my now 14 year old son, fishing was all about the action. Yes, it teaches patience eventually, and while patience can be a part of raising resilient children – keeping the interest alive is key at first.
What age does a kid need a fishing license?
In our area, all fishers need a license. Reading about areas in the states, it appears that many do not require a license if you are under 16. However, in our area of Canada, every person who uses a rod and lands a fish needs to have a license. Thankfully, licenses for children are free where we are, and you don’t even need an adult to sign up online. Adult licenses are also very inexpensive, around $20 a year.
In the 6 years we have been fishing at our usual locations, there was one instance where a fisheries officer stopped us to check licenses, though I think he was just on his way to check a few fishing charter boats on the docks. We showed him our online licenses, and he took a look at our gear, but lost interest when we told him we were just bottom fishing for shiners and bullhead!
In Canada, online licenses can be purchased at The National Online Licensing webpage.
Learning the Ropes
For where we are, bait fishing off the bottom is the easiest way for a novice to get more bites and more excitement. For us, this was key. For a kid who is new to fishing, waiting 30-40 minutes for a single bite when you don’t know how to use lures properly can be very, very boring.
For our area (and almost certainly most areas), putting a piece of shrimp, usually sized small, less than 0.5 cm, on a small hook (small! like a size 10, which is also less than half a centimeter across the J space), was key.
It won’t sink to the bottom on your own, so you have to add a weight, usually around 1/2 oz.
Raw shrimp made for many quick bites! We would catch mostly bullhead or sculpin, and sometimes shiners in our area, and would usually release them back.
While these aren’t “game fish” or salmon, the younger your kids, the less likely they are to care!
Sharing with others this easy method
Since our start, we have now been mainly using lures to catch bigger and more usual game fish. We’ve caught salmon during pink salmon runs, and caught and eaten ling cod and rock cod.
But during the recent pink salmon run, we were at the docks and another young family had brought their kids. I overheard them that they had gotten the lures and the rods from the library (a great service our local library has) and it was their first time fishing out.
The kids were good sports but getting pretty bored – they were not using the usual salmon spoons. We ended up giving them a few spoons to try, but I don’t think they caught anything.
Another time on the docks, we were fishing for herring using a sabiki rig (multiple small hooks on a line, no bait), and another young child was fishing with her dad.
It was her first time as well and she wasn’t really having any luck, so we gave her some shrimp and set up a bottom rig for her with a small hook.
Within 5 minutes, she was screaming with excitement with her first fish she had ever caught on her own, a little shiner!
Shrimp as a bait, on a bottom rig, is what you need to set up for a new child going out for their first time.
What we are using now
We are both definitely still beginners, but we can catch and target different species.
We aren’t as much into getting as many bites as possible and then releasing a bunch of fish at the end of a day, but we still bring our original shrimp bait set up if going with friends who are new to fishing.
We have learned the very simple, but effective, cast and slow retrieve as well as jigging method using either soft plastics or simple lures, such as spoons for salmon or metal spinning minnows for rock fish.
Where we are we also have a herring run, so we have been using sabiki rigs with success in catching herring. It’s my favorite fish to catch and eat – tastier than the salmon and ling cod we have caught and eaten previously.
Growing Up
Not that my son is in his early teens, most of the time he prefers to go fishing just with his friends. I will still join him if the original family from 6 years ago goes fishing with us at the docks though.
It’s great to see him mature and now teach his own friends about fishing, and setting up rigs for them.
From 5 years ago, where we were both (me more so) squeamish about most aspects of fishing, we’ve both progressed to the point that we can help others get into this hobby with ease.
I love that my son is confident in his fishing skills enough that he shares with other people on the docks, teaching and helping younger kids to get their first fish on the line!
It’s great that we have yet another activity that we can enjoy together, that gets us outside and enjoying a slower pace, allowing us to be simply present together. It’s another was to reduce stress.