Initiating kids into fishing

It seems I'm going to get a visit from my nearly 4 year old niece in the summer . I told her in Xmas that if she did I would take her fishing and she hasn't forgotten! I was thinking maybe light float fishing (in the sea) would be easy enough for that age to start. What do you think? Should I try a different technique? We'd be targetting mackerel and small pollack from easy and accessible marks. I've found this spinning combo, which even has some pink!

• 5’6”/1.7m – 2 Piece Spinning Rod
• 030 Front Drag Reel with 3 ball bearings and a balanced rotor
• Ambidextrous Handle
• Spooled with 6lb/2.7kg mono



Do you think this will be suitable for a 4 year old?

setup sounds pretty good to me,best thing you can do now is look for a mark that she could get a mackerel from and also that is a bit child friendly and safer then the marks that you normally fish
children get bored very quick if they do not get a fish quick and then like to run around and explore
have a look in lidl they had cheap spinning rods last sat might be one left still,and they were not pink

when the weather gets warmer (if ever!) i plan to make up some ground bait with fish bits and bread ....spoon a bit in at your pier marks and it should attract small fish like gar.. pollack and even mullet..
My small one wants to try float fishing.. so light lines and small hooks should work.....

good man for agreeing to take her out , at that age I think crab fishing would be more exciting , also might keep crabs away from ur own , real odd this because i was just going to ring and see if nephew wanted to go out 2 morrow , (he's 10 )

took my wee lass fishing when she was four, she still wants to go again a year later so when the weather warms up we'll go again, but my advice to you is to keep the excitment level up so they stay focused, therefore float fishing off a pier is best, its an area where small fish and the odd larger ones are always present, the float will give them something to watch, but dont cast it too far, use a light spinning rod so even small fish fell big to them, let them do as much as possible when they catch a fish, but you may end up casting, unhooking and baiting up for them, some ground baiting will do wonders as it will get fish feeding, dont do any fishing yourself as you'll need to watch the kids all the time. As she wont be used to fishing striking may be an issue, probably too late and miss the fish so i got around that problem by using a circle hook below a sliding float, find the right depth and the fish will hook itself in the lip as it pulls against the float, easy for c+r , most of all have fun and enjoy the time.



ps be prepared to be bugged alot to take her again

I would agree with what MC said, kids do need to be catching fish to stay focused otherwise they will get bored and want to have a run around or head home. I bought my son his first rod a few months before his fifth birthday so we could try for some mackerel from our usual rock marks. At that age casting can be difficult and often very tiring as the rod will still be a bit heavy for them. Its also a bit too dangerous to have very small kids on rock marks fishing especially if you want to fish yourself. Float fishing for wrasse or small pollock off piers is about the easiest type of fishing for kids as the float can be lowered down the edge of the pier and the rod left lying on the pier till there is a bite, fishing with a short rod with a light breaking strain would be difficult anywhere there is wave action as the line will get stuck in weed or rock even on the calmest of days. Its best to have them wear a floatation device in case they do fall in. Its also a good idea to bring plenty of food or treats to keep them well fed and happy as they wont have the same interest as ourselves in staying out for a long time. A pair of binoculars and a seashore book is also handy to have so kids can do something while sitting down beside you. It was really the following year before my son got the hang of casting by himself and its best not to put too much pressure on them to cast or to stay fishing all the time as you could put them off very easily. Stocked put and take rainbow trout fisheries are great to introduce young people to fishing as they are a lot easier to fish from and they are almost guaranteed to catch something. Get used to having kids get fish when you don't, my 7 year old son has out fished me 3 times this year already.

I've been through this with my kids & am often roped into it for others' nowadays, and I've found that light gear with small Sabikis for small pollack will usually be enough. When they get a little older and won't drop the rod in at the shock of a mack, you can move up to them, but stick to the small stuff for now.

Thank you all for the replies. I think I may be more excited that her actually! Let's see if she finally comes, it's still a long way away. Now I just need to learn how to float fish (I've never done it before) like what kind of end tackle I need, how to make a rig... Do you know of any good websites?

Inigo,
In any fishing shop you could get the makings of a float rig for about €3 in a packet already all you have to do is follow the instructions until you know how to tie your own. You usually get a rubber band in them but i use the rubber stops you can buy easier to put onto your line. I may use heavier line than the 6lb line that is on the lovely pink set up as if you do get caught into a weed your line can easily break espically if your niece lets it rub off the pier i would use 15lb line just to be on the safe side the float rig may last longer. But i didnt float fish for years because anywhere i fish for mackeral and the likes are always full of Mackie bashers which would cross the line but i did do it last week its great fun and excititment when the float goes under. Enjoy.

i really got into sea fishing when i was about 6 fishing for wrasse on light tackle on a county down peir, a good way to get anyone started.

wicklow harbour is an amazing spot for kids, ( as long as you keep an eye on them)
pleanty of fish to be had down the harbour wall with ragworm being the main bait

Agree with MC, I took the wee buk to a peir last sept. He was 4 then, we used some rag, and he musta pulled in 15-20 small pollack and wrasse in about 40mins. I baited up for him, there was no casting, just drop it down over the edge of the peir, and I had to help him reel most of them up.
After about 40mins he got distracted, and I packed up before he got bored. He has talked all winter about the day he caught all the fish, and reckons that we are the best fishermen and he canrt wait to get out again! I wouldn't even bother with a rod for yourself, cos its a full time job watchin them.

anywhere with a load of small fish is always a good spot to get started.

Last August I and my family were on holidays in Wexford. On the way back from Hook Head lighthouse one afternoon I spotted the wheeling gulls near a small harbour. I had one very light spinnig rod in the car with a dexter wedge. I stopped the car and we headed towards the rocks at the back of the harbour...sure enough the mackerel were hopping. My 5 year old and 3 year old boys were very excited at the start and each had a turn reeling in a mackerel. Within 10 minutes I had ten mackerel but the kids had had enough and that was the end of that. It's amazing how quickly they move on to the next thing, so if your planning on bringing your neice fishing, bring a few toys with you or it will be a short session.