Age to start learning to cast, fish and tie?

[David]

And don't foget tying too. Both my girls tie flies with me. My oldest (6) even has one on display at Hoey's fly shop...It is fine motor skill therapy for my youngest (3) from her Erb's Palsy surgery...but it gets both of them motivated to want to catch fish on their own flies.
Just let them have fun and learn at their own pace. Start em fishin for bluegills so they get the feel of it. My oldest landed her first steelhead at age 4. She she cast and hooked (although didn't land) her first this past fall.
So get them out whenever they want to.

 

[govtmule]

Skiltonian,
i almost pi$$ed myself with your post, too funny man. I got a 13mos old old and may screw around for some gills with him this summer. Kinda just want to be outside with him.

 

[skiltonian]

govmule,
I see you live in collegeville. I'm in royersford.
Perhaps we should take the kids out together.
My little guy is walking pretty good now and i'm tempted to take him to the skippy for some stocked fish in the spring. I just know once we get there he's going to make one of those big stinky running poops. You know the ones that go up the back and down the leg and kind of goes like this:

I start to smell somethin' funky
And his pants are feelin chunky,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

I feel a big sag
And the fisherman next to us wants to gag,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

Then I'll feel something runny
And I don't think it's funny
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

So then i can tell by the smell
that he ain't feelin' well,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

It looks like he's felling better
but his pants keep getting wetter,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

Now I realize his stomach’s feeling sick
and his turds are fast and slick:
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

So then I'll put him in the dirt,
and hear something squirt,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

So then I stick him in the tree
and it trickles to is knees,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

So then I stick him in the river
and his buns begin to quiver,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

Then he starts doing this little dance,
and it gets gooey in his pants,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

He's looking like a fool
cause his pants are full of stool,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

Then the fisherman next to us goes I smell a hog
cause he did a liquid log,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

So then we'll ride back to town,
and I see something brown,
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

of course we'll be riding in my pito,
and I hear something hit the window.
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

when we finally get home and put him in the bath,
I hear something splash.
Diarrhea! Diarrhea!

 

[govtmule]

most definitely!!!....that is the stairway to heaven of crap songs and my wife and i are belly laughing.....pm on the way

jeff

 

[wetnet]

I've got 20 more verses to your song. I have boys.

As far as too young, I don't see that any child is too young as long as the parent is a parent. Nothing wrong with a 2 year old wrapping yarn around a hook type object. Not a hook! Nothing wrong with tying a string to the end of a line on a stick with a fly fuzzy thing to play with bluegills at 2 or 3 or 4 even but do not take your rod. A child can drowned quite quietly while you're focused on that bluegill that just won't bite, when you should be fishing with your child.

It is so easy to get so involved with your childs life and your hopes and dreams for them. You hear me on this site, saying my son does this or thinks this. I am very proud of him. I think he picked up a fly rod at 14. He didn't do too much with it until he was 16 and between 14 and 16 pretty much was on his own. At 17 and 18 he was on the USA Youth Fly Fishing Team. I didn't know anything and now he teaches me something I love so much.

I don't love it because he does and he didn't love it because we dragged him to fly fishing practice. I supported what he loved and got a bonus. The truth should be told that I love that my sons have passion for something. Piano, baseball, computers, hunting, fishing. I just have to remember that I am truly only a spectator to that passion. I can give them the tools, the support and the love but their passion is their own. I just try to keep them safe and respectful.

 

[skiltonian]

written like a great Dad. Thanks for the insight to your experience.

 

[wetnet]

Thanks for the compliment, but I'm Mom! A Mom not trying to make the soccer Mom Hall of Shame! Still a work in progress!

 

[oncorhynchusmykiss]

I started fly fishing at age 3 and was doing well by myself by age 4. I started with a 4wt rod. I started tying at around 7 though, it all varies depending on your son/daughter's interest level. If they really enjoy it I'd say this is the perfect time.


Tight Lines!

 

[ryanh]

"fly fishing practice"

They actually have that?

I bet that beats the hell out of the quartermile sprints, pushups and wedgies I got in football practice as a kid....