Taking Kids Kayak Fishing

I don't think there's anything better than watching your kid catch a fish, and if they're doing it off a kayak, it's even better.

This week's Kayak Fishing Tip: take your kids kayak fishing!
I love to fish, but I don't think there's anything better than watching your kid catch a fish. Matter of fact, both of my kids caught their very fish off a kayak.

I think one of the main things is to make sure, if you're taking your kid fishing, is that that fishing date is about the kid catching fish, not you, because if it's about you going out there and catching a fish, the kid's going to get bored. Make the day about the kid. Make it a short day. If they're a younger kid, they're going to get bored easily, so make it a short day. Make it a day where they're catching fish. Believe me, kid's going to be happier catching 20 mackerel than they are sitting there trying to catch one yellowtail in a day.

Take your kid quantity fishing, not quality fishing, and they're going to have a much better time.

You want to make sure you're geared appropriately for the kid. I've seen it so many times, a guy will hand his big old set-up to a little kid and have them struggling with it. Have kid-sized gear: a small spinning reel, a smaller-sized rod, something that's easy for them to handle, and they're going to have more fun. The same holds true for the kayak, but don't hand them an adult-sized paddle. Give them a kid-sized paddle, something they can handle, and they're going to have more fun.

That's it, it's all about having fun, so they want to go out with you again.

We all got started fishing because somebody took the time to take us, and teach us how to do it. There's nothing more rewarding than watching the smile on a kid's face when he catches his first fish. Take your kid fishing, you won't regret it. So I hope you and your kids send more time on the water together. Until next time, I'm Jim Sammons and that's your Kayak Fishing tip of the week.