U.S. Fishing Photo Gallery

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Planning Where to Go

• Start small. Fish a small lake or stream so you can manage things better. A brook-trout stream is ideal (we call them 'stepacross' streams), but the key is that the fish are easily caught and the children can step in the water when the fishing is over.
  
• Select an easy, brief fishing excursion. Keeping the children interested for more than a couple of hours straight is difficult. And if the hike to the river is strenuous, or the wading is too dangerous or difficult, you'll never get them to try it again.
  
• Involve the kids with the planning.

Gear

• Waders are too expensive to fit little kids for only one trip. When the kids get to be around 10 or 11, they can usually wear that old pair of canvas waders laying around the garage. And you can buy felt soles for an old pair of tennis shoes to improvise your own wading boots.
  
• Raingear. Bring ponchos or rain jackets for each child.
  
• If the kids are big enough, let them carry a daypack or fanny pack with some of the fishing gear—perhaps a flybox or nippers. This makes them feel involved in the activity. Don't let them overload the packs or you'll be carrying the pack back out, but if they can hold their own pocketknife or water bottle or some sort of gee-gaw, they'll have a more complete experience.
  
• Bring along a camera to capture the event. Let them take a pic or two as well.

And Finally...

• Turn it into an adventure. Make the fishing trip part of a larger trip into nature. Help the kids locate animal tracks, collect wildflowers, or swim in the lake. Teach them how to use a compass or read a map. Study mushrooms growing in fallen logs or moss growing on trees and rocks. You might even carry along walkie-talkies and play with those.
  
• Fishing shows the children how we interact with our world and teaches them to develop a love of the outdoors. Foster this.
  
• Make the fishing secondary. This is not a numbers game.