Ideas for keeping kids interested?

[Misty IV]

Any thoughts on how to keep kids interested in trolling? I had my girlfriend's 10y/o daughter and my 7y/o niece on the boat this weekend. They are used to sitting at a pond with a bobber on the end of their line, watching for it to disappear under the water. They seemed to be interested in all the gear on the boat and the much larger reels than they are used to, but after maybe 10 minutes of trolling for browns, the 10y/o asks "When are we going to start fishing?". I explained to them that this is how it is done on the lake, to which they started entertaining themselves other ways.

Any thoughts on how to keep them interested? When we got back to the house later, I offered to take them down to the creek to fish and they were all smiles. Help!?!?!?!

[GAMBLER]

Two words ....... LAKE TROUT!

[Big Dave]

My son was into magic cards. I hid several packs of them around the boat. When he was getting bored I would have him get something that I knew was near one of the packs of cards and he would find one. The trick is to remember where you hid them all. There probably still is a pack on the old boat. Let them pick out the lures and run them on one of the rods, even if its something you wouldn't have picked yourself. Watch some of Miss-ems vidios. He does a good job with his. Let them steer ( with help if needed) Then you can teach them how to untangle, or swear Fish for stuff with lots of action. They would rather have lots of action say small mouths than fish all day for a couple of kings. Lots of snacks. Make it fun for them than it will be fun for you.

[woody 184]

My 2 girls would go into the cuddy and color and play barbie dolls until we had a fish on then they would come flying out to fight the fish or watch........ The good ole days... Know they don't even want to see the boat.....Woody

[Morgan-E]

I have two daughters who love being on the boat ages 7 and 8. Like was said before let them do different things like pick out lures, have input on depth with selected options, steer the boat, lots of snacks, play games like who can kill the most flies to help feed the bait fish, music for them to do a lucky fish dance to or make up a new one if that one does not work, show them how to net a fish, fight a fish, have them look through binoculars to see what other people are doing (only if they don't get sea sick), etc...

The main thing is make it fun and interactive. I have and still do draw on these a lot. When the fish are cooperating there is no boredom and then each fish provides high energy and buys time for the next fish to hit. The other thing that I found was to start short if the fish are not in the mood and try again another time with them. Just some suggestions from a dad of two active girls. They are my best two fishinig buddies now and are always ready to go out.

Hope this helps.

Best of luck.

Phil

Family Style Fsihing Charters

http://www.familystylefishingcharters.com

This is my oldest with her biggest solo salmon from last year - this year she already beat it with a 12lb 13oz brown.

[Big Dave]

A couple bags of stale popcorn to feed the gulls too!!!

[A-TOM-MIK]

Great topic !!

I've been attempting to occupy the little minds since in the womb if you can believe that, had the ex wife out while 9 months pregnant and its been a worth while chore and very rewarding ever since

A few things to keep in mind and also just to accept the fact that trolling isn't for all, heck after all even adults can love it or hate it

One thing I have learned the hard way is not to burn them out too early, make sure the first trips only last a few hours if that

Also be sure to opt the right times, high sun mid day when its "nice" isnt always the best time, pick times when their biting or like mentioned targeting species that increase the odds of hook-ups

For my son we can kill ours from day break to sunset while chasing perch, but even when the Kings are biting after he has landed a few he is ready to go (now age 13), for my daughter its a different story, she has just ridden along during a few tournaments for 8 hours in very rough seas and loves it ! Funny thing is and most would not believe it but she was the one in the womb on dozens of trips (now age 15).

Letting them drive, help with setting lines, making decisions, taking pictures and videos, letting fish go (for my son) or keeping them (for my daugher) will all help. I've even offered them a dollar for each rod that goes off just to peak interest. But still for my son its a couple hours or he does not want to go next time. Do not burn them out or you will ruin it before it can become enjoyable.

For some of my relatives children its just a matter of giving it no more than a couple hours

Best of luck, you can make some enjoyable times, but it may take some patience

Tom

[shorething]

Beer and cigars !!!

[LongLine]

Having a little guy on the boat means you need 6 eyes & lots of patience.

When my oldest was 3 or 4 ...(long long time ago) I bought a toy tug boat (They were cheap back then). Tied a string on it & let him tow it behind. Of course, he wore a life jacket & was teethered too. 33 yrs later, he still remembers it.

Try letting him steer but give him a target to head for. (Patience Dad!) See if he can follow the compass heading. Also to yell out when something comes across the fish finder.

Let him pick out some of the lures. Also check for seaweed often. Let him reel it in to check. See if he can predict which rod will fire first.

Pretzels make the best snacks.

If you have a canvas top boat, put the canvas up so he sits in the shade.

Make up a travel game between the two of you. (Just like the travel game with horses & cememtaries) First one to spot a cabin cruiser yells "ZIP." 1st one to spot a speed boat/ragboat/freighter/floating log yells "dunk your cruisers." Of course you have to have some "Zips" in order to dunk the other guys cruisers.

Good luck,

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Big Dave]

We still play horses even though the kids are 26 &28

[FISHINMAN]

GREAT POST

Two words ....... LAKE TROUT!

Problem with this is that then your bored and want to go home

Those other ideas are great, will definitely put some of them to use with the grand kids when they get out on the boat.

Have them try to guess which boat Ray K is on (wait he might be in the buff not such a good idea)

[Nemesis]

On my buddies boat we put up 2 white dry erase boards with the intention of writing down what lures were down, the depth, set back etc. Now our kids use them for tic tac toe, and all sorts of other stuff. This keeps them busy from time to time.

[Gill-T]

Pick good weather days. When fishing slows hook them up to tethers and have them jump in the water. Give 'em some snorkels and masks. My two girls need fish every 15 minutes or forget it, so I target small fish in temp with spoons. Don't forget the inner tube for towing, ipods, video games.

[LongLine]

Watch out for letting them jump into the water...that water is COLD!

You may want to work out a compromise with the type of fishing. A fast boat ride, an hour of trolling, another fast boat ride then an hour of worm dunking.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[danno]

Well - I'm not proud, but we usually stop at a pharmacy on the way to the ramp for my 13 year old daughter to buy some teen magazines. Also, we usually put in at Point Grove - the deal is after we fish, we stop at the ice cream shop/mini golf/go karts across route 3 afterwards for my 12 and 13 year old girls. Kind of a tradition now.

I guess I'll do anything to get more than two rods in the water.

[Has Been]

When do we start fishing? Smart kid. I have one who likes trolling & one who could not care less. Was at the bro's Memorial day & watched two young kids 10-12 fishing for about an hr with about zero chance of hooking a fish ,and having a ball. casting , reeling in , putting bait or lure on , is a big part of the experience. They feel like THEY are fishing, more hands on . I have older friends who feel the same way as your kids. Fish how They want to .The bobber & worms might be the way for a few more years. I had my son who likes trolling tape up some of his own spoons the night before or on the boat to look forward to using that day & let HIM set them. One of his creations is still one of our best.

[chowder]

I fish w/ my 3 boys often (13-17). They are not all fishing all the time by a long shot but I try hard not to over do the fishing when the fishing ain't happenin - when things are really 'off', they (and I) start a chorus " Dad sucks, Dad sucks",etc - the focus changes to who ever is running the program. Even when the fishing is on you need to remember you are all sharing each others time and space so I always do the following little things; 1.) XM is key, check out each others music interests (I'm learning stuff about 'dub step' that is very cool!)

2.) We always make lunch on the water (something about cutting boards, smoked goose breast, sour dough bread and ranch dressing balanced here and there just goads reluctant fish into action) 3,) Always keep a good pair of binos on board - my crew is always intrigued by a flesh colored bikini (mind boggling true story from last weekend) or even just some weird looking boat. 4.) Cayuga lake creamery (or some kind of good ice cream) after the fishin is done. 5.) board games & a deck of cards. 5.) Let em pick the spoons n' flashers. 6.) I always grill burgers & make real russet potato fries for dinner after we get home (it's all about identifying fishing with other good stuff!)

[CreditRiverAnglers]

My little ones are 7/9 this year. To keep them entertained in past years I would bring a mix of reading books, colouring books, marbles, cards, some asst small toys and as backup for slow days when the fish are going to turn on soon, the DS. The DS also works great for hunting to keep the kids entertained while your in a blind/stand waiting for Bambi's dad.

Make sure you bring some snacks and drinks too. Nothing ends a trip faster than "I'm hungry".

Getting them to help drive, set/hold rods, choose lures and reel in the big ones always helps too. And so do days when you can't keep a rod down.

Good luck.

John

[Misty IV]

All great ideas and thoughts!! Thanks for all your input so far. I later found out that my niece was really tired, but wasn't showing it. She wanted to go take a nap at the house. My girlfriend's daughter, on the other hand, was interested, but had a hard time adjusting to the change in fishing techniques. I explained to her that trolling is a science (a class she loves in school) and her eyebrows perked-up. Next time we head up to the house, we'll try it again. I'll definitely add some of the ideas and thoughts you've all shared to keep her interested, should the bite be slow. She did steer the boat the last time, which she enjoyed doing, so I'll definitely allow her to continue doing that.

Awesome replies!! Keep them coming!!