Getting kids started

[fenris]

My 7 year old had been asking about fishing so I picked up a 7' rod and reel on Saturday and went to Greystones to try our luck. The lads in Gotcha were great and helped setup the rod and reel so that we didn't lose everything on the first cast and gave some good advice.

We impaled and drowned a fair few lugs and headed off before he got too cold. He was well impressed by a dogfish that some of the lads on the pier caught and spent the rest of the weekend telling anyone who would listen about it.
We came back out on Sunday morning for a while without any luck then headed to the beach in Bray to let him cast into the surf rather than just dropping over a wall off the pier.

The enthusiasm is there and he is eager to go again so I want to try and set him up for success (as much as is possible in January) and let him catch his first fish however small.

Has anyone any tips on getting kids started and with the right habits while maintaining enthusiasm?

Are there any books that you would recommend?

Should I just bring him to a fishery so he can catch something?

Are there any other tips that you think would help?

If I can get him to stick at it then I can get properly stuck in myself, so it is not just about the boy!

[Donnyboy1]

With my daughter she almost prefered the idea of the trip out more than the fishing, she had a little picnic and a thermos of soup etc.
I helped ensure she would catch more fish by using tiny hooks.
Its good if you have a rod aswell, and fish at different distances so all angles are covered.

It can be quite boring to just toss a lug out and leave it there for an evening, so bring a selection of baits and lures and try to get the child involved in selecting and trying to figure out what is the best for any location, they will spend hours trying, and retrying a good selection of gear

[fenris]

Now that you mention it I can see mixing and matching tackle to see what works best becoming a very big deal to your average 7 year old, I have visions of everything from dog food to carrots and pasta!

Up to now we have just used a weight and a 3 hook flapper rig baited with lug, is it worth trying a float or spinning off of a pier? (I fully realise that in years to come I will probably be slagged for asking such basic questions in January )

I had planned to let him off to look up what bait and rig to use for common species and just roll with his suggestions for better or worse but to have an alternative suggestion ready if it looks like despair is setting in.

I will also try the smaller hooks, I am just using whatever was in the packet on the flappers at the moment.

[shamoo0804]

I would suggest small hooks in the range of size 8 upto size 4 at the most, and on a 1 up 1 down, or 2 up paternoster type rig with maybe a 1oz lead.

If your not familiar with the rig, google it and you will get a few diagrams showing them - very easy to make up at home from any old bit of line and a few loose hooks.

A small 7 foot rod will not be designed for casting far, or with heavy weights, so I would suggest just dropping the baited rig down the side of the pier - plenty of small fish to be caught that way, a variety of different species and also the odd bonus bigger fish.

The summer months are probably a bit more productive for this type of fishing, but you'll still catch in the winter/spring.

Baitwise, you want to keep the baits relatively small, get a whole fresh mackerel (or fillets) from your local fishmonger and cut small pieces, say 1cm x 1cm, or maybe strips of 3cm or 4cm x 1cm, bait each hook with 1 piece of the chopped mackerel.

The problem with using lug like this is that it cant really be cut effectively into sections as all the guts will fall out and your losing the benefit of it then, however during the summer months ragworm is readily available and is easy to cut into small sections that will stay alive and moving for quite some time - some of the small fish off the pier will go mad for a small section of riggling ragworm.

Hope this helps.

[bigballs]

The best way to keep kids interested is to make sure they are catching fish mate south beach arklow is always good for catching lots of small fish in close,maybe head there next mate

[shamoo0804]

I will also try the smaller hooks, I am just using whatever was in the packet on the jigglers at the moment.

Not sure what rig you have there, but there is very little point in using a rig that has hooks/bait the size of your arm, if the only fish there have mouths the size of your thumb nail

Agree with bigballs, best way to get them interested, and then keep them interested is keep them catching, plenty of time for messing around with different methods once you have the basics grasped.

They will soon become disinterested otherwise.

I've often taken my mates kids out fishing (6-12 year olds), so take it from someone who has learnt the hard way

The harbours at bray, dun laoghaire and wicklow are also good.

As suggested arklow south beach holds plenty of fish in close (1-20 yards out), however your kid may get bored having to hold the rod all the time(otherwise you'd need a rod rest), atleast if your fishing off the pier you can rest it against the side while they have a wonder around.

[thecatcher]

regarding books fox have a book on sea fishing which has alot of good information about rigs tactics on all aspects of sea fishing,sea angler magazine also worth a look my nephew loves looking at it.best of luck

[razor2]

Float fishing from any pier for coalies at this time of year is great for the kids. No snags simple fishing and you always get a few plus when you tell them watch the float there eyes dont move from the float .when the float goes under they know the fish are about and it keeps them intrested just watching the float. hope this helps its what i do with mine and they seem to enjoy it

[eyesreilly]

Hello Fenris, it was myself and Neil you were talking to on Sunday night, we had the orange suits on Glad to see you found the site, you can now see the shore reports section and also access the wealth of info on here. The lads here are very helpful to newbies,,,,,,as I found out myself Best of luck with the fishing, no doubt we'll meet up somewhere along the line. Hope your shopping didnt thaw out the other night
Dave

[ecleary]

I started sea fishing with my 7 year old kid last winter and couldn't catch anything. A friend suggest that I should try coarse fishing in the winter as its easier for the kids. i can send you a PM with a very easy location for winter roach if you want, although its a 45 min drive north from blanchardstown sc. A few maggots on a size 16 hook will catch you a fish every cast, which isn't much of a challenge for adults but great for kids.

I returned to Sea fishing in the spring and caught some fish

[thekid]

all i can say to you is everything you read on this site is genuine.take time to read for awhile and you will find anything you need to know.if not ask.the lads and lasess here are gold.best of luck...

[eoghanb]

I dont know which side of the liffy u are ,but if ur north try skerries north strand loads of whiting in close,the pier is good too,but if its windy the north strand is nice and sheltered ,u dont want the nipper freezing and getting blown about the pier

[Creep]

When My son was 5 i took him with me during the summer months not to much now winter is in but still if he wants to come I'll let him, like you i had to reduce everything to suit his spinning rod, were as I wpould be using saying a 3 flapper with 1/0 - 2/0 I took him down to a 2 flapper 1/0 short trace and the weight reduced to 1oz, -2oz max, and started him off on simple lob cast now hes doing an Off the ground cast style, I fish with him in Arklow (mainly during the summer,) But if there no On shore wind, and its a warmish day I take him out, the fish on a rising tide are very close to shore also you have an option to fish from the pier if the wind kicks up. the trick i find is keeping thier minds busy while they wait for a bite... hence why i find beach venues great for kids, if they get bored they can play with the sand,
Also good venues are Dun Loaighare Pier (not on weekends though as there can be alot of people around)
Now I've started taken two of my four kids out fishing with me, my son is now 6 and my daughter is now 5 both have thier own rods, though one major downside is if the get bored and your lines are in the water plus theirs and suddenly the fish decided they are hungry and all rods go at the sametime (it has happened to me more then I want to remember!!) Still a day out with the kids is the best!! many Happy fishing trips to you and your son!

[Creep]

Oh forgot to mention the rod rest I have for the kids cost me no more then €2 its the "Y" type easy to carry and seemingly poke your sister with
Ps if you ever want to hook up and we go out with the kids just PM me sometime

(there lots of us daddy anglers here, though alot of us wont admit it cause our kids out fish us!! )

[croppyboy]

arklow south and courtown north we ran kids comps there a couple of years ago and we always caught fish at a young age its about catching no matter how big . wicklow pier is another option size 6 hooks and a pack of rag youll get hammered with small wrasse and other mini species

[croppyboy]

arklow south and courtown north we ran kids comps there a couple of years ago and we always caught fish at a young age its about catching no matter how big . wicklow pier is another option size 6 hooks and a pack of rag youll get hammered with small wrasse and other mini species