My kids are finally getting to the age where they don’t need to be watched constantly around water, which means I can take them both fishing—at the same time. But after a few outings, I learned there are many wrong ways to teach them. Don’t be like me.
1. Don’t Lose Your Patience
Sure, this goes for all parenting adventures. But the best way to get kids not to do something is to be an asshole about it. My 12-year-old son really wanted to learn to fly fish. My nine-year-old daughter just wanted to eat Gummy Worms. By the end of the day, he had gone through two leaders and countless flies. impenetrable. My daughter ended up actually fishing with Gummy Worms. Try, try to have fun. Most of all keep your cool. I find my patience in the liquid variety and throw a couple of Miller Lites close to the honey hole.
2. Don’t Bring Gear for Yourself
I do like to fish, and I take the kids to my favorite spots. But that doesn’t mean I get to fish. I’m too busy running from snag to tangle to even think about wetting a line. I tried fishing once alongside them. It only led to frustration. If you go into it without your own gear, then the expectation that you get to fish isn’t there. I might sneak a cast in when they get too “tired” to cast.
3. Don’t Forget the Snacks
Snacks, food, bribes—call them whatever you want. When kids get bored, they say they’re hungry. Fair enough. When we fish, we have a gas station we stop at beforehand for supplies—worms, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, a tallboy. Before the snacks are cracked, though, we have to fish for a little bit. Plus, when they take a break to eat, I get to sneak in a couple of casts.
4. Don’t Fish Hard Water
My favorite water close to home is a blue-ribbon stream known across the Northwest. These fish are swimming around with advanced degrees in entomology, and if you don’t match the hatch just right, you’re screwed. I’ve taken the kids here a couple of times. It’s pretty, but it is unproductive from a fishing standpoint. Now, we seek out stocked ponds or water that is a little tougher to reach. I like fish with a solid middle school education that are willing to hit some crappy, unraveling fly that I tied 20 years ago. The idea is to get kids hooked on that feeling of having a lunker on the other end of that line. If they want to graduate to high-brow water down the road, more power to them.
5. Don’t Forget to Slow Down and Enjoy It
Typically, the older fishermen I see on the water smile when they see me fishing with the kids. Once we get to chatting, they always open up about what they’re using, other nearby holes, and maybe even their secret spot up the creek. Inevitably, I’ll whine about how frustrating it can be to lose $20 worth of lures in an hour or how we haven’t caught anything. Then, they’ll remind me that time with my kids is fleeting—I’m not getting it back. Enjoy it, they say. It doesn’t last as long as you think.
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