Hooking a kid on fishing

[Craigums]

Taking a 3yr old out on the boat tomorrow. It will be his 1st time out so I figured I'll target some sunnies. Plan on either picking up either a Spiderman pole or just a 5' UL, which would you guys suggest? I'll be doing the casting and he can reel em in.

Other things to bring:

Small floats

Worms or waxies?

Circle hooks or regular?

Coloring book incase his attention fades?

Would you guys suggest anything else? I plan on putting a sunny in the live well so he can observe one up close, maybe let him steer the boat at idle

[monstermoose78]

Seeing you are casting any light action or ultra light, look for the weighed clip on floats, worms, regular hooks, snacks and some kind of drinks for the kid. Color book may buy you some time to fish, but once the kid loses interest it normally is best to just call it day.

[GeluNumber1]

Cheap spiderman pole - I've seen kids drop poles into the lake, never to be recovered. Best to lose a $15 pole over a $40 pole.

Small clip on floats and small split shoots.

Very small circle hooks - don't want to waste time dealing with a guthooked sunny. Also, if he doesn't set the hook, it does it for him.

Worms - it's possible for him to catch a small bass using worms, which would really get him excited.

Enough snacks to last a day.

[Craigums]

Alright! Picked up a "cars" pole. Some size 6 circle hooks, clip on bobber, and trout worms. I think he'll have fun tomorrow. Photos of 1st fish to come....?

[JBMasterAngler]

Yep, good choice on the cheap kiddy pole. They are advertised that they float, but they don't! My son dropped his in the lake a couple weeks ago, luckily the spool was open and the lure was floating just below the surface long enough for me to grab, then hand line the pole back in the boat.

Anyway, a small net (like a minnow net) and a little paddle are a good idea too. My kids have more fun playing with those than they do with the toys I pack. If your doing the casting for him, don't hesitate to put on a small floating rapala or torpedo. Kids probably don't care for the most part, but it might add a little more excitement to the game.

Have fun, my kids just caught their 1st fish a couple weeks ago, and that was the most excitement that's ever been in my boat before!

[Craigums]

I think he liked reeling the most lol. He was also intrigued when I fired up the big motor. We did catch some Sunnies

[monstermoose78]

Good job Craigums!!

[delmuts]

NICE!!! Just remember to keep it FUN and simple for a number of years. As he shows more interest, try different things.

[ozzie]

Good Job!!! When my kid comes out on the boat we bring his dvd player, snacks and beverages. My kid used a snoopy type pole until this year (5yo) and I got him to switch to a 4'6" lite actioin spinning rod. He burned through the cheap reel so I bought him a new one and threw it on the pole and he loves it. he has learned to cast and has a better set-up to catch the fish.