Take Your Kids Fishing
It’s June, school’s out for summer, and the ”Take your kids fishing” messaging is coming in hot.
There’s plenty of sage wisdom—and actual research—about the benefits of getting kids outdoors and fishing. There are also numerous great tips on how to get kids fishing. I’ve read beautiful pieces of advice since around Mother’s Day from fishy fly-fishing moms, watched pre-Father’s Day videos from fishy fly-fishing dads, and even re-read Hogan Brown’s archived article here in California Fly Fisher discussing why we need to take kids fishing and the importance of getting kids outdoors.
The predominant themes running through all the sage wisdom and great advice include making it fun for the kids, keeping in mind that the day should be about the kid (if they want to swim or throw rocks instead of fish, then swimming and throwing rocks is what you do), recognizing that taking kids fishing is sometimes going to be hard, and most importantly, BRING SNACKS!!! The only things I can add to this list of fishing-with-kids advice are 1) Go where you know they’ll catch fish, and 2) Bring two rods so you can swap in a rigged second rod when your child inevitably tangles the first rod. Untangle and re-rig rod #1 in time to have the now-tangled rod #2 handed back to you. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
I began fishing with my kids when they were little and can attest to the value of all the advice—especially “BRING SNACKS!!!” I can also confirm that taking kids fishing can sometimes be hard work.
Do I have stories from the days when fishing with the kids didn’t go well? You bet! Were there moments I’m not proud of, when my patience frayed well beyond some loose threads at the edges? Regrettably, yes. Was it all worth it to see how much better an angler my daughter has become over the years? Sure! Even when she outfishes me!
My son caught his first fish on a $7 Iron Man rod rigged with a bait-casting bobber and a size 18 hunchback. So, technically, his first fish was on a fly, and Tony Stark was there just for line management. He was so thrilled with his catch that, while it was still hooked, he twirled it overhead like he was trying to helicopter himself off the ground with it. Helicopter Fish Kite!
The thrill wore off several years later, though, when my then-11-year-old son said to me, “I hate fly fishing.” I was dumbfounded—and I queasily tamped down the melancholy disappointment creeping up from my gut. “Can I ask why…?” I ventured, nervous about the reason he might give. His answer:
“I find it stressful catching big fish.”
Everyone I share this with, especially my guide friends, thinks that’s hilarious. As fly anglers, we should all have that problem, right?
My son is 17 now and prefers tossing rocks into any body of water over fishing—which means taking my low-holing, rock-throwing son fishing is currently on hold.
My daughter is the fishy child in the family. She’s 21 now and started fly fishing at 12 years old. She’s part of an annual trip I take to the McCloud and is always willing to pack a rod when we go on family vacations, as I often tell my wife, “just in case we get in a day of fishing.” I’d say my daughter has become a good angler despite my best efforts to get her there. See photographic proof below.
Now that my kids are older and in their emerger-stage young adult years, I couldn’t be prouder of them. Even my low-holing, rock-throwing, fly-fishing-hating son regularly impresses me with how wonderful a person he’s become. He has passions that have nothing to do with fly fishing, and I’m lucky that he allows me to share those with him.
Perhaps that’s the lesson for parents, caregivers, and any adults who take kids fishing: Be pleasantly surprised when those kids turn out to be good, fun people, despite all the trial and error involved in getting them outdoors, disconnecting them from their screens, and taking them fishing.
What if the benefits of getting kids outdoors and fishing are also secretly about the advantages for those of us on the sometimes taller and definitely older side of that relationship with kids? Is the “Take your kids fishing” messaging actually more about providing the adult mentor/caregiver/parent with satisfaction from sharing our wonderful sport and then watching that next generation embrace it and make it their own?
What if the lesson learned from taking your kids fishing is that the adult is the student and the child is the teacher? Could we benefit from viewing our wonderful sport through the eyes of a child? My hunch is yes, we can certainly learn something new about our sport—and maybe even ourselves—from kids participating in it.
There are two free fishing days coming up, offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. On these days, Saturday, July 5, and Saturday, August 30, anyone can fish without a sport fishing license. According to the CDFW, “Free Fishing Days provide a great, low-cost way to give fishing a try.” Terrific! Also, as always here in California, kids 15 and under can fish without a sport fishing license. So there go two excuses not to take your kids (and some friends and family) fishing. Get out there—and let ‘em run!
