How young do you start kids on the ice?

[Gillagain]

Looking for some experienced dads. How young do you start the little ones ice fishing? I have a three year old daughter who loves to fish off the dock, but....

[Craigums]

I'd Figure as long as your getting action 3 would be a great age to start. Little kids will get bored easily in an ice shack if there is no fish being caught. And just make certain the ice is plenty safe. Have Fun!

[Borch]

When my kids were little kie that we'd plan a day to play on the ice. I'd bring a portable along to warm up in. But when the fishing got slow or the kids got bore we play ice hockey, make snow angels, pulled the kids on sleds... you get the idea. Spent a lot of time on the ice with maybe a 1/3 of it being fishing time.

[B@ssmaster]

3 or 4 isn't too early, if you remember a few basics. Fish for something with lots of action, bluegills or perch. Bring lots of extra clothes, boots, mittens, etc. Because eventually they WILL step in a hole. You might want to avoid drilling the big 10" holes when the kids are really little, the smaller 4" or 6" holes are harder to fit down any great distance. Keeps thier little bodies above the waterline when the do go in. Keep them warm and entertained and they will want to go back. Treats, hot chocolate, etc are also good incentives for staying out a little longer.

[blueroof]

I fished with my 2 y.o. daughter last year late ice on Chisago a few times. We were only out for an hour, and it was well above freezing, and the pannies were biting one after another each time. Perfect storm to turn a little girl into a fish maniac. She talks about monster crappies and bluegills all the time, pretty hilarious. He favorite stuffed toy is a big bluegill too. LB

[gurkster]

IMHO it is never to young. I have a 6, 4, 2 and one on the way. All of the kids have been out ice-fishing with me. My advice is to find action, quantity over quality. Let them drive - I bring skates, hockey stuff, fishing stuff, lots of snacks, etc. On nice days we do a little of each. We also only go for a few hours at a time, so they are leaving while they are still having fun, but winding down some. The 6 and 4 year old were also in the duck blind with me, after grouse, and in the deer stand. I managed 3 ducks with the kids - not surprising that we didn't get anything else. The deer stand had dropped mittens, pee breaks, giggles, etc. but they saw lots of birds, squirrels, etc. I think they are hooked.

Now I also have my "Dad only" trips and outings too. It makes it that much easier to devote their trips to them when I am also out with the adults on other trips.

Once you get your routine down it is very enjoyable. I look forward to "their" trips as much as any of "my" trips. Really priceless seeing a 3" metro sunfish coming up the hole at the hands of your 3 year old son/daughter and them saying "Look I got him daddy!" You will love it!

[Grant Pearson]

I plan on bringing my little one out as soon as he can walk on his own,weather permitting. Just like he'll be sitting in a pontoon next summer as daddy teaches him how to fish. Can't believe he's already 3 weeks old!

[CNCMike]

I had both of my girls, Now 16 and 7, on the ice by age 3. Everyone is right...Make sure you are into the action. They get bored so easily.... I always brought lots of snacks and extra clothing too. My little one is more of a fishing fool than the older one was. She will spend a good 3 hours just staring down the hole and fishing before she really needs to get out and tear around on her skates or with the dog or what have you. The oldest, at that age, was good for maybe 1 hour max, before needing to run around.

The oldest still goes out with me, though she wont admit it to her friends. And my youngest gets angry if I don't take her with every time I go out. The only way I can get her to not be mad and stay home is if I lie and on really cold windy days, tell her I am not bringing the portable, just gonna fish on a bucket so I can move a-lot. She knows enough to find that situation to be miserable, so she will stay home and call me crazy for being out there.

As long as they are having fun, you will create a love of the sport in them. Good luck, and have fun. Just remember, it is, at that age, about the kids, and not fishing so much.

[looneyducer]

21 days old. Wow. Have you decided on a first rod yet?

My little nephew sent his Superman rod to the bottom last July (he's three), then looked puzzled and said "I didn't know Superman couldn't swim." After a while of thinking he decided his next rod would have to be SpongeBob because "SpongeBob floats."

When we got to the store we found out he was right, the SpongeBob model does float, though I have to say the Superman model was much easier to cast. Up, up, and away!

[Weed Shark]

Three is very young; so don't be too disappointed if the patience isn't there yet. Every kid is different. I have three boys 10, 10, and 7. One will sit on a bucket, with no shelter, on a frigid evening well past dark with no complaints (or fish through heavy rains...soaking wet). Another I can count on to get restless first, even in a shelter. With age, they develop more patience. Starting early probably develops it faster.

My kids love tip-up fishing with the flag-paging units. They just play until a flag goes up (rarely warming up in the portable). My more impatient boys first fish on a tip-up was a five-pound bass. That'll hook ya' on ice fishing!

Warmer days and snacks help.

[Weed Shark]

Oh yeah...bring spare gloves/mittens. They will get them wet somehow everytime.

I'm laughing to myself...thinking about photos with 7 kids covered in frozen fish slime. That's snake fishing for ya. Moms just shake their heads.

[art321]

I had both mine out before they were 2. Never very long, lot's of snacks and hot chocolate. Coloring books, barbies, trucks, etc. It really fills up the tub in a hurry with all the extras. But they usually had fun and 4 years later they still love to fish any chance they can get.

[DigitalFisherman]

Both of my kids caught their first ice gills when they were three. Now they both love it so much that in the summer they beg me to set up the portable so they can "practice". All of the advise has been good; snacks, other things to do (we alwayse take a sled). My only aditional advise is this; if you dont want it to go down the hole, keep it out of the kids hands... the north bay of Med Lake has alot of "artificial structure" donated to the lake bottom by my kids. Definately take an extra ice scoop.

[polarsusd81]

My little boy is just about 18 months old and is carrying a fiberglass ice noodle and reel around the house with him. He knows how to operate the reel already and will carry it for a good 20 minutes or so before he thinks about putting it down. I think a little later in the season, maybe when we get 9" or so, I am going to take him out on a little adventure to a spot I know that will produce hundreds of small bluegills and crappies. His first trip out is already planned and running through my head, I am probably only going to drill three holes. Two will be right under the sled on my trap guide and I will place the reel weeds down them. The other hole will be in the house and will be the one we fish out of. I will pack light only bringing one or two rods of mine, plus his fiberglass one and have him set up with a genz worm. Of course it will have to be on a warmer day just to make it a bit easier on him. I will have the vexilar set up too cause he would like it. Gotta save room in the sled for the toys and snacks.

Can you tell I have put some thought into it? Soon enough he will be out with me.

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

If they can walk they can fish!

[Dances with Walleye]

I'm not a Dad myself... But last winter I helped my primary fishing partner introduce his (youngest) 3 and a half year old to ice fishing.... Of his 3 kids the boy has shown the most patience from the get go... Despite a rough start.

First time he walked into a fish house, he walked directly into a hole.

We pretty much followed all the advice you see here...

Though I must say the best day I think we had all around:

It was a really nice day out in December... Temp was like 35...

We got on some perch early which he had a blast catching....

Then the bite died off... So we went to go play outside... Pull on the sled... Make a "Snow Castle" out of the dusting of snow and slush...

And then a tip up went off... Caught a pike...

Kid loved it...

So we pulled all of our reels... And just set a bunch of tip ups on the ice... The Pike were rather compliant... Played with the kid for hours on the ice, with breaks for pike everytime a flag went up...

Even ended up catching 2 Walleye 18 & 17 inches... Brought them home along with a couple of perch and cooked up Fish and potatoes for us and his entire family.

*****

Later in the year he took the boy on an overnight trip up to the Fish house on Mille Lacs...

He just put down the rattle reels and let the boy color...

They had a great time... Despite the fact that the boy soaked both sets of clothing in 3 hours, and had to sit in front of the heater for an hour wrapped in a blanket.

When he and I were talking about it later he said "The only part that was bad was when the boy had to [PoorWordUsage] in the middle of the night."

I didn't inquire any further...

LOL

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

The first time should be a perm and keep them involved. It shouldn't last to long. When itroducing youngsters to new items the books i've read say no longer than a half an hour the first time. But you be the judge, an ice house is just like a big play house if you set it up right.

[Shack]

As far as perm's go, as soon as you feel comfortable with them tagging along. For me, my wife worked weekends and if I wanted to head to Mille Lacs, the kids had to come. Video games(N64 or PS2), VCR/DVD player, snacks,shovels and slides makes them love their time up at the shack.

I think my boy was about a 1 1/2 years old in this pic. Also you can see the bag of video's was a must.

My yongest was a little short of a year before he was up at shack.

Now for a portable, I waited till about 2 something before they would tag along. My oldest loved being out no matter what and could sit with me as long as we where out. Now my youngest was a differnt story. He got bored easy and still kind of does at times even last year when 5 years old.

[metrojoe]

I think I started taking my boys around 3 years old. One of the big problems was cold hands. I picked them each up a Marmooska jig pole, I'm sure any style jig pole would work, but these were small and light and cheap. They didn't need to take they're mittens off to use these poles and when they did get a fish on I'd just have them back up from the hole until the fish flopped out onto the ice. This method works really well in shallow water(8 to 10 feet). Plus you could throw out a tip-up or two for some added excitement, that is if one of them hasn't stepped in a hole by then.

Like posted above make it fun. Bring snacks, toys and your patience.

[tacklejunkie]

Quote:

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As far as perm's go, as soon as you feel comfortable with them tagging along. For me, my wife worked weekends and if I wanted to head to Mille Lacs, the kids had to come. Video games(N64 or PS2), VCR/DVD player, snacks,shovels and slides makes them love their time up at the shack.

I think my boy was about a 1 1/2 years old in this pic. Also you can see the bag of video's was a must.

My yongest was a little short of a year before he was up at shack.

Now for a portable, I waited till about 2 something before they would tag along. My oldest loved being out no matter what and could sit with me as long as we where out. Now my youngest was a differnt story. He got bored easy and still kind of does at times even last year when 5 years old.

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Your son looks alot older than 1 and a half in that pic

[mojocatt]

I brought my daugter out when she was four (she is now six). That's where the "confuse a crappie" method of jigging was developed. We both laugh about about it to this day, and she tells the story at every Thorne Bros or Vados Bait visit to anyone she can snag.

Yeah, the kid will become bored during slow fishing and it is not easy to roam the lake in search of the fish with the child in tow. So you need to know the time and place to be for a good bite. I've got a little hole that has Crappies every evening, never anything of decent size, but it sure is fun for the kid.

I started when I was ten, Grandpa brought me to the family shack on Mille Lacs. Those memories, sights and smells were golden. A ten year old boy learns about what a eelpout can do with it's tail, with much noise.

Ice safety concerns me though, and I'll only bring her out when the ice is thick enough to drive on.

Plus you can set out another tip-up, one for each of you.

But yeah, bring lots of snacks and games.

[mojocatt]

Quote:

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Your son looks alot older than 1 and a half in that pic

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That's exactly what I was thinking until I noticed the little head sticking out of the blankets in the lower right hand corner.

LOL.

[Shack]

You guys could be right; I think he might have been two. This was picture taken from a disposable camera and does not have a date. I figured it was from our first year, because bunks where not finished yet. Now I think about it, I might not have finish bunks until after or late in my second season. I called my wife and she has no idea (without seeing picture). She was the one taking picture. This is my oldest and he was potty trained before 3 and we still have diapers with. He will be 12 soon and my brain isn’t what it used to. I know he was up with me the first season and he would have been 1 1/2, Never the less it was still fun times.

[Gillagain]

Thanks for all the insight. I don't have a permanent ice house, but I do have a portable clam. I have a good panfish lake just a couple miles from home - I think I'll start there. If she gets cold or bored I can run her home quick. The first few fishing experience can really set the stage positively and negatively for the rest of their lives so I'll do my best to make it a good one. And, if the fish don't bite, we'll build a snow ice fisherman.

[jigging-matt]

I took my daughter out on the ice whe she was four. She did pretty good. First started on a lake where the bite is pretty good, size is terrible but it kept her occupied. Then would make trips and have my wife come get her after about an hour. She got her own rod and bag for christmas last year. She has been helping dad get the gear ready for this year.