It’s summer, and the kids are out of school, and a lot of them are no doubt looking for something to do; unfortunately, a lot of that time these days is spent working a keypad. When I think back to those grade school and junior high school days, we didn’t have gadgets with keypads, and all four stations on our TV were black and white. Me and the neighborhood boys would meet in the dirt alley that led to our house and play “pee-gee” ball. What’s that? Well, we used an old broomstick and hit a hollow plastic ball the size of a golf ball. We had nobody to take us fishing back then, so we would often hop on our bikes and ride five miles through the countryside to Pancoast Bottom, where a slow-moving, muddy creek was located. We would perch ourselves on the dry mud bank and fish for suckers with a bobber and a worm that we dug from the edge of the creek. That was my introduction to fishing, but it worked!
Little did I know back then that fishing would actually become a part of what I do for a living, and it’s a major pastime that my family and friends enjoy on a regular basis. It’s certainly a great outdoor activity that I would like to see more of our young people become a part of, and we parents and adults can help make that happen. You don’t have to be an expert angler yourself to take a kid fishing, and it’s best to keep it simple. A good idea might be to take the youngster to a Walmart and buy them one of those cheap little kids’ outfits with fancy colors, making the outing even more exciting. Some appropriately sized hooks, a small bobber, and some worms are enough to get the job done. In fact, gathering bait is also part of the fun, especially for youngsters.
It’s probably a good idea to keep that first experience simple and hopefully productive. For that reason, I would not suggest large streams with moving water but rather a lake or, even better yet, a farm pond. Farm ponds are often loaded with various fish and rarely fished, but of course, you will need permission to go on to a private pond. The good thing about ponds and lakes is the water isn’t moving, and you can park yourself on a bank and often get into some action. Ponds are often blessed with good numbers of bluegills and are often very willing takers of almost any kind of bait. Bluegills are great fighters for their size, and to be honest, I still enjoy taking bluegills, especially on a flyrod. Another added feature is they are great for eating as well.
There’s no guarantee that you will catch fish when you take that youngster out for the first time, but my guess is if some fish are caught, there will be interest in going again, which makes a pond a good first choice. Certainly, lakes can be productive too, but do a little research to find out what lakes would likely be productive. Certainly, taking a boat out if you have access to one may be great as well, but with youngsters, you obviously have to be more cautious. Also, remember that they must always wear a life jacket when on a boat.
It’s great to witness the excitement on a kid’s face when he catches his first fish, and the experience can be equally rewarding for the adult overseeing the whole affair.
