taking a 4 year old fishing?

[loworange88]

Hey everyone.  I have a 4 year old son, he'll be 5 in May.  I have been ramping him up for fishing this year, once the weather is a bit more warm, and he asks all the time when we are going, so I think getting him out there will be no issue.  I am not a huge fisherman, but I like to go, so there is MUCH I need to learn too.  I live in Cicero, and South shore of Onieda lake is only about 5 or 6 miles away.  For starters I plan on just going to a "dock" area and fishing from there with him. 

 

What have others done for those first few times out with the kids?  I want it to be fun for him, and I'm hoping he doesnt get bored after 5 mintues.  Ideally if the fish are biting it will keep his interest.  If not, I fear he'll bored and wont want to go.

 

Any input would be great.

 

Thanks everyone.

[phade]

You already have a good game plan. Dock fishing is pretty much the best for starting out. Simply dropping the line with a worm on a hook will catch the sunnies and occassional other fish.

 

THe push button style reels are probably the best for him. By dock fishing, he won't need to cast it and can just reel the fish back up after he drops the line.

[Reelhooked]

Enjoy the moment. As Phade mentioned it sounds like you have a plan, docks are great starting points. I started my girls out fishing at the same age, one was 4 the other was soon to be 6, now 14 and 16 and they love fishing.

Understand that your son's attention span is only about 20-30 minutes at this age, if he gets bored that's okay; hopefully there's something in the area of the dock he may want to explore. Go with it; before you know it YOU'LL be saying it's time to go well before him. The worst thing you can do is force him to keep fishing if he's not having fun, he won't want to go back. Plan for short trips and expand the day as his enjoyment grows.

Just my 2 cents, most importantly enjoy the the time spent and be sure to have a camera or cell to capture the first fish moment !

[RangerClay]

I used to take my boy to this place where he hammered the bluegills from shore.  He loved it.

 

Take him down to Onondoga Park and fish the outlet/breakwall and catch white perch.  I going to spell this wrong, Caughnoy Dam is also a good spot near you.  There is that little state access park near Brewerton that you can see from the rt.81 bridge.  I've never been there but it would be a cool spot for a picnic and catch panfish.

 

USE BOBBERS!  Kids love them and get off watching the nibbles.  Take him out for breakfast or lunch afterwards.  Especially at diners where he can sit at the counter with the big boys.  Get him his official fishing hat.

Edited March 18, 2014 by RangerClay

[loworange88]

I used to take my boy to this place where he hammered the bluegills from shore.  He loved it.

 

Take him down to Onondoga Park and fish the outlet/breakwall and catch white perch.  I going to spell this wrong, Caughnoy Dam is also a good spot near you.  There is that little state access park near Brewerton that you can see from the rt.81 bridge.  I've never been there but it would be a cool spot for a picnic and catch panfish.

 

USE BOBBERS!  Kids love them and get off watching the nibbles.  Take him out for breakfast or lunch afterwards.  Especially at diners where he can sit at the counter with the big boys.  Get him his official fishing hat.

 

The spot off 81 in Brewerton is exactly where I was thinking of.  I know of a one other dock area up on Lakeshore Drive, just past the country club.  I will have to check out the area over at Onondaga Park.

 

Thanks for the tips everyone.

Edited March 18, 2014 by loworange88

[shawnhu]

Pretty good tips so far.

Spin caster reels is what phade is referring to. They are the standard reel for kids starting out. Use whatever line that comes with the setup, or use a 6-8lb mono for starters. You'll want something soft and thin enough not to cause tangles and be easy to work with on those lite poles.

Floats are great as mentioned, but not necessary if the water is calm and clarity is excellent. Many times, you can see the fish run up to the bait and watch the action. Be sure to use small wire hooks for those sunnies. I like using Aberdeen hooks for easy removal. Size 10 Aberdeen is a great size. The gold colored ones sometimes don't even need bait!

Be careful and keep it fun! Make sure he's safe from falling in at all times, and when he's ready to go, you are too. If he had fun, he'll surely want to do it again and you'll have a fishing buddy for life.

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[Two Track]

Bobbers are easy, but hard keep the kid patient with them if there are others nearby that are spin-casting with lures.  Try to be a bit secluded from others fishing if possible.

 

Don't add on additional kids - gets difficult to manage.  Try having 1-2 adults supervising 4 kids between ages 5 and 11 from a shore line.  They all can't wait, lose worms, want a different lure, and tangle the lines (or catch a tree). 

 

Just you and your son should be good.

Take some juice boxes and snacks along to take a break for a bit and re-enage in fishing if he gets bored for while.

 

Watch birds while out fishing to provide some other visual stimulus during the wait for the line to be hit.

Tell a few stories of times you went fishing.

 

If he enjoys it, may want to consider getting him kids a tacklebox later on.  After a trip out fishing, let him pick out a bobber for himself or other non-impaling fishing accessories, like the fake worms you can add to a hook.

 

I put a luggage lock on my and my kids tackle boxes. Lessens the accidental spillage and keeps fingers away from the hooks.

 

Don't forget kids must have a fishing licensed adult supervising them, so keep your fishing license current.

 

Keep a life-preserver on him just in case.  Believe me they all eventually will say, I will be careful and won't fall in.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Two Track

[boo711]

Where do you guys fish by the caudenoy dam? I went up there last year to bullhead fish but didn't really see a good place. Just the dirt parking area across from the red onion. I ended up taking my son up to the lock at caudenoy and bullhead fished there. Didn't catch any. Was a little disappointing when the fishing report said people were getting them at the dam and just not sure where to go.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Bobbers and worms from the shore. Hopefully you can get him into some bluegills or something. Make it fun, let him cast it and reel it in all he wants. I started my daughter out when she was 2 1/2, some great memories, dont forget to take the camera!

 

Here she is with her first fish.

 

[Two Track]

Forgot to mention, always take spare clothes and a sweatshirt for both of you.

If he lets go of the rod, you may have to go in after it - prepare for it, but always assume it will be the best day out for the two of you.

[Larry]

Just keep it simple it's more important to catch fish then size.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Larry

[stoneam2006]

I agree with all of the above bobbers and worms are the way to go get into some sunnys and have fun....and in my experience with my 3 yr old son try and go somewhere with minimal distractions if possible I usually go to these gravel pits locally and he's always excited to see the dredge and machinery it takes a good hour to get his focus back to fishing to try and teach him anything....have fun I remember the days with my dad

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[dbHunterNY]

bobber with a worm on the hook. use a spincasting reel or a bait caster that's tension is torked down a little to prevent backlash with the line from getting all messed up.  they aren't casting that far anyway. 

 

if your kid gets bored with the bobber, take a second pole put just a plastic garlic and coffee (Striker King Finese) infused worm on a #6 hook for plastic bait.  hook into the tip of the worm at an angle and then back up through it so the point of the hook rides along the top edge of the worm.  stick the point just barely under the surface of the worm to make it weedless.  they can cast it out and jerk it in while reeling.  it'll get any fish moving around then if things are slow and it gives your kid something to do that may just catch fish.

 

what Larry said is important.... think quantity over quality.

[loworange88]

So we went for his first time today! We didn't catch any fish, but it was a fun morning and he had a good time. Looking forward to going as often as possible here on out.

[sidewinder]

i agree with all of the above points. i would also add one of my own. when you take your kid out fishing for those 1st few times leave your rod at home. spend the time with your child fishing....... not you trying to fish while at the same time trying to help reel in line, set a hook, ect ect ect. i have also found that if you take a pair of pliers and smooth out the barb you will still catch fish but it cuts down on those lil fingures getting poked. best of luck to you and enjoy your day.

 

[bowslinger]

plus let him keep some too cook up it will make him feel good knowing he bought home dinner a few times

[Culvercreek hunt club]

one great option for kids is if you can get access to a farm pond. A bass bluegill pond can be almost like catching fish in a barrel.

[Woodjr55]

one great option for kids is if you can get access to a farm pond. A bass bluegill pond can be almost like catching fish in a barrel.

thats what I did with my little cousin went to the pond across the street from camp and killed the blue gills. Only thing is we can't keep the fish and he wanted to.

[josephmrtn]

Another good idea might be a life vest depending on water depth.... Accidents can happen

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