Article by Sue Foster
Teaching Tiny Tots
“I want to teach my son how to fish!”
Well this can be a grand idea. And the whole concept of “taking a kid fishing” can swell up Dad’s head. He gets all fired up, goes to the tackle store and buys some really neat rods and reels for himself and his son and plans a great “getaway” for just the two of them while Mom goes to the beach. They get to the pier, and the son decides he’d rather play sword fight with the fishing rod instead of fishing, and Dad gets upset and takes the fishing rod out of his hands and the little boy starts to cry. Mom shrugs her shoulders as if she knew this was going to happen…. hey, the little boy is only 4 years old!
“How do you get preschoolers interested in fishing?”
First and foremost, don’t get your expectations up too high. They are only little children with a short attention span. Plan on a short outing when the child is fresh and not tired, and keep it short and simple. If the child loses interest, don’t lose your patience. Let him play while you enjoy your fishing. Then try letting him hold the rod again for a short time later. Let the child see you are having fun fishing. If he or she sees you fussing and getting irritated, they might get the idea that this fishing thing isn’t so much fun after all. Set a good example and have a good time. Don’t force the child to be interested. He or she will either enjoy fishing or not, and that’s just the way it is. Like art or a sport, present fishing to the kids, let them dabble in it, and what will be, will be! If it doesn’t work out the first time, try it again later.
“What kind of rod and reel should I buy them?”
Children less than 5 years old do best with the push button type fishing rods. Zebco brand is the most reliable and often come with Disney or other cartoon characters on the packaging. Buy something bright and bold that will catch the child’s interest. The main thing is to buy a rod and reel that is short, so someone doesn’t get poked in the eye! If you buy a rod and reel that is not shrink wrapped, check out the rod and reel and make sure it works properly before leaving the store. Sometimes kids (and adults) play with the rods and reels on display and they get snarled up before ever leaving the store!
To test a push button type outfit, put your thumb on the button, pull out a few feet of line, crank the handle, and while holding the line between your thumb and forefinger, reel the line back on. If you are in a “real” bait and tackle store you can ask the clerk to do it for you.
Next is what is the ruin of many a fishing trip. After the purchase, the adult gives the rod and reel to the child, and says, “OK, here’s your rod and reel!” All of a sudden, the rod and reel turns into a toy. The line can get all snarled up because it has no sinker on it yet. Sometimes the kids are allowed to take the rods and reels into the back yard to “play.” I’ve untangled many a fishing rod for the parents after “playtime.”
“I want to take my daughter fishing, but I know nothing about fishing either!”
This is where the Mom and Pop tackle stores come into play. There are many single parents out there that want to give their child a taste of the great outdoors, but have no idea where to start or what to do. So, the best thing to do is come into a tackle store, and lay it right out on the table. “I know nothing, but want to teach my child to fish. Sell me a fishing rod and reel, rig it up for me and show me how to use it, please.” It’s as simple as that. You don’t have to buy an expensive outfit. In fact, at a very young age, it’s best that you don’t! Lots of childrens combos are available for less than twenty bucks.
If you need a lot of help, the best approach is to either leave the child at home in someone’s care, or bring someone along to watch your child. A tackle shop looks like a giant candy store with all kinds of colorful lures with hooks that shouldn’t be touched and plastic worms that shouldn’t be eaten. Some tackle stores have back doors leading out to water. If the clerk has to keep one eye on your child while trying to help you, you are not going to get the full attention and specialized help that you need. In fact, the clerk will probably try to finish with you as soon as possible.
“Where should we go to fish?”
Go to a simple place, close to the water, without a lot of snags. In North Ocean City, the pier behind the ball field at 125th Street at Northside Park is a good place for the first fishing experience. Go at high tide so you are more likely to catch the little spot or sand perch that are there. Use a single or top and bottom rig with size #8 hooks with night crawlers, bloodworms, or Artificial Fishbite Bloodworms. You can also go to the pier at the Isle of Wight off the Route 90 Bridge. The Convention Hall behind 41st Street is also good during the higher tides. If you are downtown, 9th Street is good. Ask the clerk what time the high tide will be on the day you want to go fishing.
Have the rod and reel already rigged up before you go. Toss it in the water, and try to hook a fish. Then let the child reel it in! In most cases I hear that the tiny tots are tickled to catch one fish and that may be the end of the fishing experience for one day.
Kids love colored bobbers. You do not need a bobber to catch fish because you want to be on the bottom. But children love bobbers, so if you use a bobber, place the bobber a couple feet up on the line so the bait is close to the bottom.
“What else can we do while we are at the piers?”
The tiny tots are almost always interested in crabbing. Take a line, a net, and some chicken necks and let them pull in a crab. Even if the crabs are only small, kids just find crabs interesting. Instead of buying a crab net, you can buy a fine meshed shrimp net, and dip all kinds of things in the water. Kids find jelly fish especially interesting. Teach them to look, but not touch! Especially when it comes to crabs and jellyfish!
Taking pre-school children fishing for the first time can be a very rewarding experience. Plan a short trip on a good tide. If you are totally inexperienced, go to a place where others are fishing so someone will be around to help you. Try to go with a friend, so you have four hands instead of only two! Scope it out the day before and see what others are doing and catching. See what they are using for bait and look and see how big the hooks are. If you want to try a boat, go on one of the two hour pontoon boat trips. And if you want to fish yourself, while teaching your tiny tot, bring a friend or spouse to watch the child once the attention span wanders off to other things like jelly fish, fishing rod sword fights, or pretty shells along the shore….
Good fishing….
Sue Foster is an outdoor writer and co-owner of Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City, MD and Fenwick Tackle in Fenwick, DE.
