float this weekend

[CR]

Am planning to take my 4 year old son to float the mainstem this weekend for his first time. I'd like to do a combo of fly fish (me) and spin fish (him).

Any tactical suggestions?

 

[Petergoodman]

Be careful to not be out too long for a 4 year old's attention span, and have a Plan B ready if you reach this limit. Your objective should have less to do with catching fish than having him want to do it again. If he wants to bail, or watch Sponge Bob, bail - you want to avoid a "Dad wants to go fishing again Mom, make him stop!". I took my daughter first when she was 3, and now at 14 she ties her own flies, has her own waders, etc. - but the first time was with worms in a pond for blue gills, and lasted maybe an hour. Bring snacks and drinks, and have a plan for potty breaks - easier with a son, who might get a kick out of doing it over the side of the boat (more of an issue with my daughter - she didn't care, but my wife was horrified when the event was described after...). Try to combine with a side trip that is kid oriented - shirt hike, stop by a hatchery to see the fish, etc. Have fun - going fishing with your kid over the years is a blast.

 

[Kilgour Farms]

Going down the mainstem with a young one requires a lot of planning. Some streches on the river are long and access is limited. Besure you can get out if need be, little ones can be a hand full when bored. Saftey first.

 

[NJpatbee]

Am planning to take my 4 year old son to float the mainstem this weekend for his first time. I'd like to do a combo of fly fish (me) and spin fish (him).

Any tactical suggestions?

Yeah, leave your rod at home. My three daughters never showed much of an interest in fishing, but we did give it a try on different occasions. Fly Fishing takes some attention, but you son will require more.

My 4 year old grandson can't wait to go trout fishing, but standing on the shore of a pond or slow stream just after the stocking truck leaves, or just catching a few blugills with worms will be our first outing. He is fascinated by the fly tying and the fly rod, but maybe for some blugills on the local stream after he catches a few fish.

 

[Petergoodman]

By the way, this is heresy, but if it was good enough for Nick Lyons when he was a kid...when they are little, try a short fly rod in a small stream, but put a small worm on as bait. Not a bad way to understand drift, especially if you attach an indicator (OK, bobber in this case). This is not a bad way for a kid to wander along a stream, and what kid doesn't like to poke around moving water. At some point when they get pretty good at it, show them your flies - my experience is that they look cool enough (and are not yucky like worms) that you can get a transition started. When you catch the fish, they are likely to want to show Mom. Point out that if you take the fish out of the water it will die - so you need to eat it. And if it dies, you can't catch it again, and you can't catch it's babies next year. This ends up being a good object lesson. I have a 14 year old and 11 year old who have never deliberately killed a fish.

 

[JeffK]

I used to be a canoe instructor (and father of three grown kids) and kids have a very little time they are comfortable in a boat. Boats are very confining and kids need to run around to burn off their energy or else they get cranky in my experience. They absolutely love to be in a boat and brag to their friends about their boat trip - it makes them seem like big kids and that is important for little kids. However, within 20 minutes to an hour most kids under 11 will be bored sitting in a boat. Kids are different - they do not enjoy scenery, they do not enjoy peace and quiet (unless they have reached their limit and are cranky), they do not enjoy going without catching a fish for very long, they do not care if they catch a chub or a trout. (big fish actually can scare little kids. When my son was 4 I let him hold the rod trolling while I paddled a canoe. Once he hooked a 4 lbs pickerel and he handed the rod to me as quick as possible because it was too much for him to handle). Stop often and catch crayfish, skip rocks, blow reeds between your thumbs, pick berrys, or whatever presents itself. Do your planning, but a big part of outdoor experience for kids is the excitement of unplanned discoveries.

Don't let your kid get near the boat without a proper fitting life vest. Too big a vest can slide up over a kids face if they get dunked - get one that wouldn't slide around when buckled. Safety first. You should wear one too for the example. My canoeing experience taught me that accidents always happen when you don't expect them and even the strongest of swimmers can get caught unawares.

Absolutely take your son out boating and fishing - it sets up a lifetime love of the outdoors. However, don't burn him out. Keep it short and have other things to keep him busy so that fishing trips are always fun and never a drag.

 

[darthwader]

Hit the lower main. Fish for smallmouth. The fishing will be easier and better. The water will also be warmer, when he has lost his interest, pull over and go for a swim. You can really "stretch out" a float by breaking it up: swimming, looking for snakes, frogs, lunch, etc. Bring a net to "catch critters". Just remember, at this point, your kid is more interested in spending time with you than actually fishing. I guess this ratio flips in teenage years. I will let you know in a decade.