Taking kids fishing can be one of life’s pleasurable experiences watching them catch their first fish and seeing the excitement on their face. It can also be the precipice of hell if things don’t go to plan.
Regardless of age kids are going to want to come fishing with you because it either involves a ride in the boat or a visit to the beach, river, creek etc. Kids love water so either way they don’t intend to miss out.
You will probably find if there is a playground on the way to the fishing ground and if the terrors in the backseat witness this through the car window then the next several hours of the best tide in a month will be spent pushing your darling(s) on the swing set until they are dizzy! Alternatively, if you sneak past the playground via a back street you will soon be at your chosen destination.
The author of this is a dedicated family fisho who takes
his kids fishing at every opportunity.
You’ve organised enough baits and fishing rods for everyone and before you can cast your own line out you have to attend to all the others. Once their line is in the water and you begin to bait your own you’ll be peppered with questions of wanting to wind the line in. Obliging, you allow your darlings to wind in the line and immediately find out that they’ve managed to tangle the two lines together.
By the time you untangle the lines you are met with cries of pain that are associated with extreme hunger and the question of food has arisen from your siblings. You are well prepared and unload several large handfuls of snacks. They much away happily while you bait up again and cast out their rods.
They finish eating and attend to their rods however their snack wrappers have blown in the breeze and begin floating away or tumble down the beach. You quickly wind in the rods to avoid further tangles and begin your environmental duty of retrieving the wayward wrappers.
You finally bait the rods again and cast them out only to turn to the occupier of the first rod to see a huge curve develop followed by an excited cry. Thinking a fish has taken the bait the excitement of your sibling catching their first fish overwhelms your expectations of their abilities and you quickly snatch the rod away in an attempt to land the fish.
This action provides many tears along with screams of protest and once in full possession of the rod you realise it is only snagged. You break off the rig which results in more tears because little kids don’t understand the short life span of hooks, sinkers and swivels. As you begin to re-rig you notice a curve in the other rod. It is snagged as well.
The sun is beginning to set and provides a beautifully lit skyline. Just then you hear complaints of itchiness. The mozzies are out and you forgot the repellent. You promise the kids McDonalds on the way home but with the luck you’ve been having you’ve probably forgotten that tonight is roast night and you’ve just filled the kids up on take away.
Take a kid fishing!