fishing with kids ?

[bushwacker]

planning on participateing in the mentored youth thing the 23rd. my problem is that i only fly fish and rarely spin fish. I don't know much about fishing for stocked trout in a pond with an 8 year old.
i'm guessing bait and float is the way to go. maybe use that play
dough looking power bait stuff?? any insight from the veteran dads would be very helpfull. thanks

 

[Volksnurse]

Actually, try a fly rod with the 8 yr old. My daughter would rather fly fish than spin fish at this point. And Becker had his 5 yr old casting at the newbie jam yesterday...

Just takes a little more patience on the grown-up's part to get them started.

 

[troutbert]

bushwacker wrote:
planning on participateing in the mentored youth thing the 23rd. my problem is that i only fly fish and rarely spin fish. I don't know much about fishing for stocked trout in a pond with an 8 year old.
i'm guessing bait and float is the way to go. maybe use that play
dough looking power bait stuff??

Yes, spin gear, bobber, hook and bait. Worms, salmon eggs, or PowerBait. I recommend worms, because you might get into some bluegills, as well as stocked trout.

After this event is over and the hatchery trout cleaned out, find a good place to fish for bluegills.

The best way to introduce young kids to fishing is a pushbutton Zebco type outfit. Go to the store and if your kid likes the Snoopy outfit, get that. And if it's a girl and she likes one of those pink outfits, get that.

Use 4 pound test line or lighter. Use a bobber, and worms. They can catch a lot of bluegills that way, and have a lot of fun.

All kids should have the experience of fishing for bluegills with bobber and worm, IMHO. Just to see if they like it. Some love it. Some don't. And that's OK too.

 

[jdaddy]

I would suggest a short spinning rod with quality 4lb test and any number of various spinners. These tend to take more fish in my experience. Mike and I have been discussing this event and Tully TU will be helping out at Antietam Lake. Based upon those conversations, and depending upon weather, it could be quite crowded. This fact, combined with the tight cover nature of a lot of these lakes, is not very conducive to beginner fly fishing imo. I think that actively fishing spinners will take more fish, as well as keeping the kids actively involved versus sitting and looking at a bobber.