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Kids & Catching

By Andrew Schrodter

Hey team, back again with a subject that is very close to me, if not a part of me, fishing with my son.

Let's break it down... Super keen! Not so keen! Bored! Over excited! I'm hungry! I'm tired! Do we have to go home? Do we have to stay much longer?

This is just a sample of his emotions when I take Emmett fishing with me.

Coming from a family of avid anglers, I sometimes wonder if Emmett will become as keen as I am to get out on the water fishing. My whole view on the subject (and this goes for any of his other interests) is to just let it be what it is, as I don't believe in pushing in either direction. You get the bug or you don't and the best thing that I can do is equip him with sound knowledge and the gear to get out on the water and enjoy this awesome pastime.

Before we get into it a brief mention. Always make your kids wear PFDs. It's not hard, when you're derigging your boat to launch, to make it a habit to suit your young ones up so that you have a safe day on the water!

Right here we go...

The Gear

We all know that kids can be not so gentle with gear. With Emmett I wanted to get an affordable combo but something that was going to work and suit him for few years, until he picked up how to cast and retrieve lures. The exact setup that I chose for him is an Okuma LRF-S-602L rod and this rod is perfect, being only 6' long, very light and durable to suit him dropping or mishandling it. I matched this rod with an Okuma Aria 20 spinning reel. This combo is very versatile and will suit your bread and butter species, including bream, flathead, squire and whiting. Don't be fooled though, I also run this same setup when he's not in the boat (I'm pretty sure I bought it for him...).

Line class is light, we run 6lb braided mainline and generally 8-12lb leaders. This allows him to be able to put in a good cast but yet stay in touch with everything.

When teaching him how to cast, from when he was young, I used to get a 3/8oz TT Lures HeadlockZ jighead and cut the hook off. As he got into the swing of things I'd leave it whole and add a plastic. The backyard is a great place to start if you're not on the water very much.

Preparation

I guess all kids will be different. I learnt very quickly that I needed to keep him occupied. As I generally only use lures it can become very boring for young kids if the action is slow. Knowing this I always ask him what he'd like to take out with us. I really don't mind if he fills half the boat with toys, etc. A handy tip is to show the kids the lures you think you'll use on the trip or if you're at the tackle store and get them to pick out their favourite colour.

As an example, I always carry a good range of ZMan plastics in the boat. We were on the water one day and I was throwing quite a few different profiles and not catching and then looked at EDog (Emmett) and said mate go in the lure bag and pick something for me. Next minute here comes a ZMan 2.75" Finesse FrogZ. These little lures are awesome and generally more of a topwater lure. I was fishing for squirey snapper in 4-6m of water, so I grabbed it off him, rigged it on a 1/4oz 2/0 HeadlockZ HD jighead and cast it out. No word of a lie... 3 fish in 3 consecutive casts, resulting in 2 nice squire (snapper) and a sweetlip. BOOM! Emmett saw this and thought he was the world's best fisherman and was teaching Dad a lesson.

I guess one of the biggest highs for kids is experimenting, so let them have fun with lure choice and you might just get some tips yourself!

Time on the Water

This can vary from kid to kid as well. I've had days where we are on the water for no more than an hour and sometimes we might be out for most of the day. I think preparing your day and having enough stuff to do can be a key factor.

Skills

As stated above, when we were at home we started by having the combo set up and casting TT jigheads around until he was able to cast a fair distance. The next step was to take this out onto the boat and teach him to work a lure. When on the water, try a heavier jighead that will sink to the bottom quicker and you'll be able to show / help your child to get a feel for the lure touching the bottom, doing hops and slow winds etc.

I always have Emmett's rod set up with a good lure. Most of the time, if it's not his choice, I'll put on a ZMan 3" MinnowZ or a ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ. These are probably the two most successful lures going around and they work with a heap of different retrieves. Being a paddle tail they are perfect! Even when EDog gets a little lazy and drops the lure straight under the boat and wobbles the rod around, they still make an awesome action under the water and will produce the goods!

As Emmett's skills have improved I've moved him onto one of my favorite lures, the TT Lures Switchblade. These are another great lure as you can do a heap of retrieves with them and they look cool to kids.

Photos

We virtually all carry phones these days that have half decent camera/video options. One thing that I try to do is take plenty of photos of the fish with Emmett and video of him fighting / winding in the fish. Kids love it and love being on camera. It might just make your day too. There have been plenty of times that I've filmed him and watched it a thousand times, laughing at his expressions and the struggle of winding in a decent fish. Also it's proof to mum that we did catch fish!

Species

Being more of a lure fisherman in the estuaries and bay, I always try to target what's in season. Flathead are not only a great choice for kids, but for beginners in general. A few lures that are gun go-to options include ZMan 3" MinnowZ, ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ and ZMan 3" Slim SwimZ, rigged on TT Lures HeadlockZ 1/4oz 3/0 jigheads and 1/8oz #2 jigheads for the 2.5" Slimmys.

You can pretty much just cast these out, let them hit the bottom and then hop and pause them back to the boat. If you follow Tackle Tactics TV on YouTube, jump on and look up How to catch flathead and How to catch bream where Justin gives a great rundown on how to use these!

Now another species that are just bang on awesome for kids are winter whiting. I've never taken a kid out that hasn't had fun catching these. There are always plenty biting and non-stop action most the time. The little combo that Emmett has is also perfect for this. Throw on a small sinker, a whiting hook and a bit of worm and you're away. It really is the perfect allround combo for kids.

JACKS, JACKS, JACKS! Although EDog hasn't caught one yet, when I go proper jack fishing I rig him up with the exact same as what I use and I can't wait for one to crunch the lure so that I can see his reaction. Hopefully this coming season he'll get his first.

Species is also another way of making the day fun. Why not choose a target for the day or a few and make it a competition. If your kids a bit cheeky like mine then put a small wager on it, like whoever catches the biggest fish doesn't have to clean the boat, wash the dishes or some chore at home that you both dislike.

The Wrap Up

I guess the whole idea of fishing with your kids is to get them outdoors to enjoy something different and something that you enjoy yourself. You might have a child that is gung-ho and just loves it, a child that kind of likes it or one that's not quite sure. The best advice that I can give you is to mix your day up, have plenty of food and drinks and let them get involved. Let them steer the boat, select lures, try different retrieves, cover the lures in scent until your bottles empty... hmmm. It's really all about spending quality time on the water. One thing that I generally take out with me is a waterproof stereo and if the fishing is quiet I throw some tunes on and chill out. If the fishing is slow you can even pull up on the bank and have a swim. Get on the water and enjoy it. It sure beats being inside all day and on technology!

Attached are a few pics of EDog's captures and just general time on the water.

All the best with your fishing.
Until next time.
Andrew

Gear List

Okuma LRF Spin Rods - Full Grip
Okuma Aria Spinning Reels

TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jigheads
TT Lures Switchblade

ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
ZMan 2.75" Finesse FrogZ
ZMan 3" MinnowZ