PA Weekend Fish Trip Ideas for 5 year old?

[Bamboozle]

...For young kids use a circle hook and a 1/2 of a nightcrawler for bait. They typically don't set the hook. They just start reeling. It's exactly what circle hooks are made for. As for hook size, they are all over the board. Each manufacturer seems to have their own size ideas. Just pick one that looks good to you. If the hook looks a little too big, it's the perfect size.

Ditto on circle hooks for kids...

And adults too!! I've been using them when bait fishing for freshwater fish for a LONG time. I even tie subsurface flies especially for kids on small circle hooks.

Unfortunately for folks without a stockpile (like me 😉), the best circle hook I ever used for freshwater fish is the discontinued Eagle Claw L787G or L787GTFL.

They check all my boxes for freshwater fishing:

Light wire​

Lazar sharpened​

Bait-holder slices​

Nickel plated​

Teflon coated for effortless penetration​

They were available down to a size 12​

And the sizes were close to standard hook sizes so a size 10 or 12 was perfect for panfish​

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If you can't chase down L787G circle hooks (NOS) on the internet, a good alternate is the Eagle Claw L702G which is what I use for flies:

Light wire​

Lazar sharpened​

Black finish​

Available down to a size 12​

And the sizes are close to standard hook sizes so a size 10 or 12 is perfect for panfish​

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They don't have bait-holder slices so the kids may lose their bait more easily, but sloppy "kid" hooksets probably account for more lost bait than the absence of bait-holder slices.

And since no hookset is needed with a circle hook, it may be a moot point.