Preparing for fishing?

[Donald Stonecipher]

I have been sitting here hesitating whether or not to put this on the site but hey why sit here and be ignorant and never get anywhere. Right? There is not any dumb questions I heard someone say.

I dont have the priveledge of having very good equipment to work with. The cheapest walmart sells, you could say. I think I paid 11.98 each for reel and rods, several years ago. You have work with what you can get. I have a big tackle box I have had for years but not much to talk about in there either.

Finally, my question. How would you advise me to set these poles up for me and the 3 kids to get out there and slay'em. Please give advise on type of string in particular. I want to catch bluegill and crappie.

I also need to be able to keep 3 kids content or they are ready to quit after about 30 minutes without seeing a fish. I realize this could be a wide general discussion. I have fished all my life but that doesnt mean I know anything. I would like to have them use artificial baits just because of expense of buying live bait.

For right now I have to keep things pretty cheap, I am sure some of you fellas out there are raising kids and can understand. I appreciate the advice and I am really enjoying the site. One more point, we have a rowboat the kids love to get out in, so we will be doing most of fishing from the boat. So, from that stand point what would your advice be?

[AtticaFish]

Go dig some red worms, throw on some bobbers and use small hooks! :rolleyes:

I prbly wouldn't go over 6 pound test if you are only planning on panfish... easier to cast and fish may not see the line as easy. Just make sure the drag is set before you hand over the pole, never know when a 3 pound bass will think he's hungry and that may be the one that will make the kids want to fish for life. My nail in the coffin as a kid was a VERY LARGE ( at least I think it was) walleye I caught while the rest of may famliy was fishin' for gills. Crawdad Hot-N-Tot.

My kids also love to use a cane pole. Halfway nice telescoping ones are pretty cheap ($10) at Cabelas. If you do want to go the lure route than the live bait, go small, maybe even flies. But to keep em' into it I would go dig some worms! Just always make it fun for them and bring along some suckers!!!!! Good luck.

[CrappiePappy]

OK ... I'll start this off, and others can add to it :

Live bait ... don't buy it -- catch it yourself (worms come to mind )

If you have a rowboat ... let the kids troll out the back, dragging jigs or spinners or whatever artificials you have (even a hook/sinker/worm will work)

Make it a friendly competition (most/biggest/prettiest) Keep a conversation going with the kids ... solitude is for us adults, but kids like participation (even if it's just verbal) and attention :p

Some good lines, that are inexpensive but still work just fine :

BPS Excel (clear/blu)
Mr Crappie Super Hi-vis (fluorescent yellow/chartreuse)

4 - 6lb test should work fine on your equipment.

See if your DNR/F&W puts out a fish ID booklet, showing the fish available in your state. Take it with you and have the kids ID whatever they catch. Maybe even check off each species as they catch them.

Troll along rocky banks ... lots of panfish species inhabit these types of banks, and are usually more than willing to grab any offering you put in their area.

Forget about doing any fishing yourself .. make it strictly a kids event ... you just be the "motor", motivator, scorekeeper, and guide.

And don't forget to have them keep a sharp eye out for various types of wildlife ... deer, turkey, turtles, herons, squirrels, whatever :p

... cp

[cook]

crappiepappy hit the nail on the head-forget about fishing yourself.Most kids up to the age of...say..12 want constant action.Your best bet would be to find some areas you can catch bluegill,size dosen't matter so much to kids as numbers.Pre baitthe area a few days ahead with a box of crushed crackers or a can or two of corn(both cheap!)
Really hard to beat just a worm on a hook 3 feet under a cheap bobber.
Don't try to keep them out all day,let them explore around,throw rocks,look for tracks,etc....
Save the artificials for when your alone-the more you get out and become proficient,the better you'll be able to get the kids onto some action.
Good luck and God Bless,last week I took 6 grandkids out-took me 2 days and a 12 pack to recover from that!!

[BarryG]

If you want to use minnows...maybe invest in a few minnow traps. They aren't that costly and the kids would have fun running them with you! You may even pick up a few crawdads that way..fish love those! Good luck! :D

[rcfillingham]

Have plenty of healthy snacks for the kids. My girls would stay out for hours as long as they could stuff there faces when fishing was slow.

[SpeckWick]

I have three young boys myself, and the best advice I can give is the same as others.....forget about fishing yourself when you take them out. It just leads to frustration, for you and them. The flies idea for bluegill and crappie is one I had forgotten about till Attica brought it up. My dad used to buy those little cheap multi packs from Walmart for a couple bucks and us kids would fish 'em under small round clip on bobbers, the ones a little bigger than a marble. Throw it out and let it sink and sit a minute, then move it a foot or so and let it sink. Bluegills would tear 'em up, and so would crappie now and then. We would really do well with those rigs in the spillway below our local lake and in creeks. Just let 'em drift. You can even add a pinch of redworm or crawler to the fly to make it more attractive. If you want, you can fish jigs this way too. A lot of crappie are caught fishing jigs under a float. You can buy a multipack of hair or feather jigs at Wally World for a buck or so, or buy some 1/32 or 1/16 ounce leadheads and use some cheap tubes. Yellow or chartreuse are good stand bys if you aren't wanting to spend a lot on multiple colors. My boys like to throw jigs because they like to keeping throwing it out and reeling it in. They never stay still, so minnow fishing is tough to do with them. Your kids may be the same. The snack thing is good advice too. That's the first thing mine ask for when the fishing is slow.

[Eager Beaver]

If the kids are having a hard time hooking the fish, then you hook the fish and let them pull them in. You can do this with several kids at one time if you are using bobbers. If a kid looses interest early then make them the minnow boy or girl and they can catch and give the others minnow or worms when the others need them. Do anything that keeps them in the action of fishing. It is very hard to keep all the kids interested in fishing all the time. Take plenty of snacks and drinks along with you. DO NOT take a gameboy or any other game along for them to play with when they get bored, or you will defeat your purpose. You want to keep them in the mind set of fishing or partisipating in some way so when you get home, everyone can say THEY help catch the fish. And most important of all is to take a camera along to document the outing. There is nothing greater than the look on the kids face with a fish that they just caught.

[8fishermen]

Take a change clothes and shoes and when they get tired of fishing, let 'em explore! This is what I do when I take all 6 of mine that range from 10 - 2 years old. It is a blast! They have more fun catching minners and crawfish than actual fishing. We call these "daddy fun days". Some of our best memories are exploring creeks, lakes, and swamps around the house. Just watch the little ones, they don't swim as well as they think they can:D:D:D. They raised kids on dirt floors for thousands or years, a little on ours won't hurt.

[Donald Stonecipher]

Wow, I gleamed a lot of info from all this. It turned out to be a really good forum for me. I believe it will help others too. Thanks again!