AKRISONER Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hey guys, I have a nephew who is 5 years old, he loves to come out on the dock (lifejacket always on of course) with me while I am fishing. he brings his little Mickey Mouse special rod with a jig weight with the hook removed and will spend a fair amount of time with me out on the dock casting away. Typically, his imagination is so vivid that it keeps him entertained, however I am wondering what techniques and tips you guys might have for keeping the young guy calm but interested. There are tonnes of panfish around for him to definitely reel in on a bobber or the like. The biggest challenge is that he is a pretty intense little guy so swinging hooks around isn't necessarily the safest thing for him to be engaging in... (you should see him cast, he outcasts my 24 year old girlfriend) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Governator Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 The best way is to put down your own rod for a bit and show as much interest in helping him as he has watching you (either have him sit on your lap or stand infront of you, etc). Work with him for a little bit to get the hang of safety on the dock and the rules we have to follow. If you don't follow those simple rules someone will get hurt. With my 5yr old, he's more interested & calm about anything when I want to teach him and show him something. If I make him feel like he's a bother it's game over. Patience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 A bobber with a small hook loaded with a nightcrawler will keep the hook out of him and give him a visual to watch as his bobber dances. A few calming lessons might also be needed if he is wild with the casting. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickingfrog Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Something else to consider is bucket of some sorts to put a few panfish in. Sometimes that is more entertainment then the fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 The best way is to put down your own rod for a bit and show as much interest in helping him as he has watching you (either have him sit on your lap or stand infront of you, etc). Work with him for a little bit to get the hang of safety on the dock and the rules we have to follow. If you don't follow those simple rules someone will get hurt. Something else to consider is bucket of some sorts to put a few panfish in. Sometimes that is more entertainment then the fishing. Having three young grand kiddies,these two ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Have it down pat. It,s not about you,but about the young one. Good call guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tender52 Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 I gotta agree with all 3 reply's. You wont go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKRISONER Posted July 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 hmmm the idea of the blue gills and sunfish in a bucket sounds very cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limeyangler Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 hmmm the idea of the blue gills and sunfish in a bucket sounds very cool. Definitely the minnow bucket/leeches and crawlers keep my 5 year old amused for hours to my wife's utter disgust and dismay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Yep, dont forget the bucket!! Most important part of the kit when my young lad was that age. A bucket with minnows (or panfish), a box of worms/leeches, a small net for catching critters, and a few snacks and drinks....good for a few hours no problem. The hardest part for my kids was when it was time to leave S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Pinch the barbs down on his hooks till he gets the hang of it. And yes give him the attention he will need. BTW, if I had a 24 year old girlfriend, I wouldn't care if she could cast or not,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyk Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Don't take your rod. Just help him fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancur373 Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I started all my boys out on regular spinning reels. They each got their own rod/reel at 3 years old. I found with a full length rod they could just drop the float and hook in beside the dock without the need to cast. Eventually they figure out the casting. Bucket is a must and we always brought bug nets for minnows and frogs and such. They are now 4,5 and 7 and they do it all form baiting, casting, nice hooksets, retrieving, unhooking, and releasing. It's such a joy to watch. Also, if I were to get up at 5am to go fishing and not wake the 5 and 7 year old, I'd be disowned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKRISONER Posted July 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I started all my boys out on regular spinning reels. They each got their own rod/reel at 3 years old. I found with a full length rod they could just drop the float and hook in beside the dock without the need to cast. Eventually they figure out the casting. Bucket is a must and we always brought bug nets for minnows and frogs and such. They are now 4,5 and 7 and they do it all form baiting, casting, nice hooksets, retrieving, unhooking, and releasing. It's such a joy to watch. Also, if I were to get up at 5am to go fishing and not wake the 5 and 7 year old, I'd be disowned. This is super encouraging to hear, im amazed that the 5 year old can already bait a hook and take fish off, thats bloody awesome. My nephew is a little high strung yet to bait a hook that's for sure. He is a super well behaved kid and always listens etc. He just really gets pumped up when cool things happen, I.E. if he catches a fish hes going to lose his mind ahahhaa I am actually really looking forward to trying this. @imperial angler: Its easy to have 24 year old girlfriends when you are 26 lol I hope his tiny mickey mouse rod can handle a sunfish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crappieperchhunter Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 The bucket for sure With 2 kids of my own and now grandkids the good old white bucket has seen everything....minnows,fish,crawfish,frogs,leeches, big scary water bugs,turtles even a mouse or two. And if there is some wild flowers around picking a few to throw in the bucket to take home to give to mom or grandma is always a nice idea too. I always take Dads cookies too. The ones in 2 per package. Send the nephew into your tackle bag for some cookies to share. Open the 2 pack and have a cookie each while you sit on the river bank and enjoy the day. My whole family knows I always have Dad's cookies in my tackle bag. Enjoy your day and share some pictures if you get any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancur373 Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 This is super encouraging to hear, im amazed that the 5 year old can already bait a hook and take fish off, thats bloody awesome. my 3 year old does as well. it really doesn't take them long to learn. but then again we are fishing every day when we are at the trailer. it's great when they are eating breakfast and you hear "Can we go fishing after breakfast?" guess I'm doing something right. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKRISONER Posted July 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Sounds like a good plan when you now have an excuse for your wife to be fishing all the time "honey i'm doing it for the kids!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancur373 Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Sounds like a good plan when you now have an excuse for your wife to be fishing all the time "honey i'm doing it for the kids!" yup. biggest perk to putting the trailer on a seasonal lot (other than the kids enjoyment) is being able to fish every day. In the boat, I can take my 5 and 7 year olds and not have to do hardly anything for them which leaves a lot of time for me to actually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I agree with all of the above with one thing to add... be sure to bring a camera along to capture and save those memories. HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky or Specks Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 This is super encouraging to hear, im amazed that the 5 year old can already bait a hook and take fish off, thats bloody awesome. My nephew is a little high strung yet to bait a hook that's for sure. He is a super well behaved kid and always listens etc. He just really gets pumped up when cool things happen, I.E. if he catches a fish hes going to lose his mind ahahhaa I am actually really looking forward to trying this. @imperial angler: Its easy to have 24 year old girlfriends when you are 26 lol I hope his tiny mickey mouse rod can handle a sunfish! My son at 4 alreay doing his thing at 5 at 7 with his first musky I started him fishing as soon as he could walk but the key is catching lots of fish and not really fishing yourself. You.ve got to make the experience about them having a good time. As far as flailing hooks around make sure they have a hat and sunglasses on for protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKRISONER Posted July 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 hahah that photo of him at 4 holding the bass...just looking like an old pro. Awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancur373 Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 My son at 4 alreay doing his thing I started him fishing as soon as he could walk but the key is catching lots of fish and not really fishing yourself. You.ve got to make the experience about them having a good time. As far as flailing hooks around make sure they have a hat and sunglasses on for protection. Awsome!!! couldn't agree more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKRISONER Posted August 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 (edited) Success! A small piece of worm covering the hook worked the best, ditched the bobber and jigged away...caught 12 fish, mixture of sunfish, rock bass, perch and blue gills. Now ive got him asking me to go fishing! He is still nervous about touching and holding them so i spent the time taking a lot of fish off. we collected them in a big tupperware container full of lake water and he was mesmerized! His small rod wasnt the best due to the crappy mono with crazy memory on it. Was having a hard time keeping the line tight for hook sets. Now with a little practice on his jigging we will have to get him going for the fall pickerel run! Edited August 5, 2014 by AKRISONER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancur373 Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 Great job man. Here's a pic of my youngest boy with his 'Giant' bass he caught yesterday lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKRISONER Posted August 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 ahaha wow, that fish is as wide as him! Can i ask, what type of set up do you have him using? It would be good to get my nephew something that he can actually learn to fish on now. He can cast and reel etc, he just doesnt have anything that is easy for him to handle for his size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnsled Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 Looks like it all went as planned. A great day on the water for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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