Get Children Interested In The Outdoors By Teaching Them How To Fish

When I was growing up there were very few times that a whole day was spent sitting around inside, watching television, playing video games, or texting on a cell phone.  Part of the reason was because I didn't have video games in the house until about the age of fourteen, cell phones didn't become affordable until I was in my twenties and TV was for Saturday mornings spent watching  shows like Gone Fishing with Bill Dance and Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine.  As a child my parents strongly encouraged (forced) us to be outside riding bikes, playing with friends and often took us fishing.  This time outdoors taught me many skills that have stayed with me through out my life.

Children today spend less time outdoors than any other generation that has come before them.  Time spent playing with video games, computers, and phones is almost equal to the time children spend at school, leaving them about three hours to eat dinner, do their homework and get eight hours of sleep.

It's time to unplug our children and get them outdoors where they can develop knowledge and skills, that will allow them to grow socially, emotionally, and physically.  Life lessons can be taught  fishing, hunting, and camping to kids of any age, so take some time to get your children involved in outdoor activities and one day they can pass their experiences on to the next generation.

Getting kids interested in fishing

Take Children:  There is no right age to take a child fishing, just take them.

Teach Children:  Spend time teaching your child to cast, and reel in the line.  This can be done in your back yard at first, by tying a large sinker to the line.  Make it a game by setting up some five gallon buckets and letting them cast at them.  Assign a point value to the bucket an add up the points they earn. Join in with them and you can improve your casting skills too.  Teach them how to tie a hook.  Using barbless hooks for younger children will probably be safer.  As the child gets older teach them how to bait their hook, and how to safely take off the fish

Be Patient With Children:  Children are going to try your patients when your teaching them new things, so be patient.  They are going to make mistakes, like getting stuck in tree branches and tangling up your lines, so try to laugh with them and encourage them when they make mistakes.

Live Bait: Using live bait will improve your odds of catching fish.  Worms, minnows, and meal worms are all good choices, but worms are probably the best bait to start with.   Try getting worms from your own back yard.  Digging worms will add another activity you can use to get kids outdoors.

Catching fish:   There is no guarantee that you will catch fish but you can improve the odds by going to a place that you know hold a large number of sunfish and bluegill.  These small fish are probably the easiest to catch and for children it is about catching a fish not how big the fish is. Bluegill and sunfish can be easily caught with worms.

Don't Stay Too Long:  When first starting out, most children will probably not be able to spend more than an hour fishing and your patients might be running out by then too.  As your child gets older and more experienced the trips will probably last longer, but watch for signs that your child is getting tired or bored. 

You may not know it now but spending a day out fishing with your children may mean a lot to them, and shape their love of the outdoors in the future.