Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy: How to Fish with Kids

A big thank you to Corey for his second guest post on our site! He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys teaching his sons the joys of nature in Minnesota. Today, this dad teaches us the best way to attempt the often-peaceful-and-quiet activity of fishing with kids. Enjoy!

Catch-and-release fishing is the quickest and easiest way to get your kids close to wild animals in Minnesota. Think about it – what other wild animals in Minnesota can you catch, hold, touch, examine, and study besides fish? I suppose you could say frogs, toads, and turtles, but they’re not as easy to catch. You could even wait until dusk and then lure a wild raccoon to your children with some food, but then you don’t know if it will attack you or if it has rabies.

All children who grow up in Minnesota should at least know the difference between a bluegill sunfish and a pumpkinseed sunfish or a crappie and a rock bass. Now, I know what you’re thinking: the state fish is the walleye. Shouldn’t all kids know what a walleye is? I remember asking my dad when I was a bit older, “Why didn’t you ever take us fishing when we were little for ‘big’ fish like northern and walleye?” I can’t remember what his exact answer was, but it was something to the effect of, “When you kids were young, you didn’t have the patience required to wait the hours it takes to catch those type of fish.” Pan fishing takes just seconds and requires very little skill.

How do we start?

First, you need to find a lake or river. Being this is Minnesota, that one’s easy. If possible, find one with a fishing pier (most metro area lakes have one). I’ll name a few of my favorites in a bit. Second, you need a fishing pole and reel. Third, depending on whether or not you’re a parent who touches live bait, you’ll either need a hook or some kind of small jig/lure. Fourth, you need to be able to tie an angler’s knot. Finally, find yourself an excited kid who wants to go and catch some fish.

Fit for what ages?

All! If you can hold onto a pole, then you can fish. Fishing is something that many Minnesotans will do their entire lifetime. Remember the movie Grumpy Old Men? Who doesn’t dream of retiring, sitting back, and then spending the rest of their years going after that giant (once-in-a-lifetime catch) catfish?  Fishing can be like gambling and is very addictive. When you pan fish, you’re guaranteed a payout almost every time you go, which is awesome for young children. As you get better at it (and a bit older) you want the bigger payouts, requiring the bigger/better equipment and more time on the water. No matter what your age, when a monster fish hits your lure and starts dragging line off your reel, it’s an incredible adrenaline rush!

How much are we talking?

The basic kids combo rod and reel can be as cheap as $12-$15, but when pan fishing, you could literally tie some fishing line to a stick and make that work just as well. Then spend a few bucks on some hooks or jigs and a couple dollars on worms. I’ve always had great luck with Cubby Mini-Mite jigs or bucktail jigs. You can put a small piece of worm on them as well, but you don’t have to as long as you keep the jig moving so that to the fish, it looks like something that is tasty and alive. This is a great tactic for parents that aren’t thrilled about touching worms and re-baiting hooks every 45 seconds. However, this won’t work for those that just want to add a bobber, cast it out, and let it sit until the fish hits it. In that case, you’ll need worms.

Want some tips?

Instead of night crawlers, try wax worms. They’re way less messy and provide similar results. I used them as a kid for years before I realized that they’re actually also alive.

Learn to tie a good fisherman’s knot. A fisherman’s knot is when you basically take the line through the eye of the hook, wrap it back around the line again 6-8 times, insert it through the remaining loop near the eye of the hook and then pull it tight. Check out this instructional video for more detail:

Teach your child how to set the hook once the fish is on. Kids can have trouble with this as it takes some coordination. Sometimes I’ve been known to make sure a fish is hooked before handing the pole over to them.

Show your child how to properly handle a fish. I like to firmly grab the lower jaw with my thumb and index finger. Fish do have teeth, but with pan fish they’re so small it just feels like sandpaper on your thumb. You can also grab the fish with your whole hand, however make sure you grab it sliding your hand from head to tail so that the sharp dorsal fin is lying back.

Bring a needle nose pliers along with you. This can help you unhook those deep set hooks when it can be difficult to get your finger inside the fish’s mouth

Don’t know the differences between the fish I listed earlier? Let me break it down for you…

• Bluegill: A bluegill has the orange “sunfish” belly along with dark vertical stripes and – you guessed it – blue near its gill.
• Pumpkinseed: A pumpkinseed fish is similar to a bluegill but has red around the black spot on its gill, and has white-ish horizontal stripes from its eye and mouth back to the end of its gill.
• Black crappie: A black crappie also in the sunfish family. It has a larger mouth and is silver with black and yellow spots all over it.
• Rock bass: Similar to a crappie, a rock bass is much more uniform in color with a green tint and has red eyes.

Find a lake in your area:

I’m a south metro guy so here are the places I’ve enjoyed fishing with my children:

• Crystal Lake | Burnsville (the pier is on the north side of the lake)
• Schulze Lake | Eagan (you can fish from the beach and they also have canoe rentals here)
• Holland Lake | Eagan (the pier is on the north side of the lake off Cliff Road)
• Fish Lake | Eagan (the pier is on the north side of the lake)
• Orchard Lake | Burnsville (there is no pier, but you can fish off the shore at Orchard)

Thank you to our guest poster, Corey!

Corey resides in the south metro and is dad to two young boys. He enjoys participating in just about any outside activity having to do with nature, and when that’s not an option, watching Wild Kratts.

What does he love most about being a dad? “The fact that my young children are already questioning most of the nonsense stories I tell them and that they’re learning a great lesson about how not everything you’re taught is necessarily true.”