Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2014 - 34

with the Next
Generation --

Nurturing Your Future Angler
from the Cradle to Canoe
by James Smedley
photos by the author

Before children, my wife and I spent just about every weekend
exploring lakes and rivers by boat or canoe. Simply satisfying
our angling habit had been demanding enough, but launching
onto the stormy seas of parenthood created the sort of change
and challenge that can really rock the boat. Thirteen-hour days
on the water were no longer an option.
Adjustments were made, and we did our best at instilling
a life-long passion for a multifaceted activity that can be
enjoyed as a family for years to come. Our girls are now in their
mid-teens with infinitely more important distractions than
fishing, but we still manage to spend time together in a canoe or
boat, catching fish and having fun. As parents, we can't really ask
for much more. Here are some tips from parents for nurturing
anglers from the cradle to the boat.

Never too young

As long as they are wearing a life jacket and are safe and
comfortable, a child can't be too young to start acclimatising
to being on the water. "I was about 2 years old when I started
fishing with my dad," said Gord Ellis, an outdoor writer and
father of two. "My boys were barely walking when they'd join us
in the boat. They didn't do much fishing at first, but being on the
water became second nature to them."

Warm and dry

Weather doesn't always cooperate, and an uncomfortable
child will not be particularly receptive to the joys of angling.
On the flipside, kids are surprisingly ambivalent to foul weather
when they're prepared for it. First on the list for Jamie Robinson
is warm clothing and quality raingear for his son and daughter.
"Thinking back, I'm surprised at some of the miserable weather
we've been out in," said Robinson. Adding that when the kids are

34

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2014

warm and dry, there is no complaining. Robinson errs on the
side of warmth, packing hats, mittens and winter jackets even
in summer. "It's nothing to see us in July in snowsuits in the
boat," said Robinson.

Their own rod

A small spinning reel and a 3-foot rod is a great starting
unit. Beware of commercial "kids" rod and reel combos that
are more flash than function and can be frustrating to use.
Hand-me-down spinning reels matched with ice fishing rods
were a solution for my girls. We learned the hard way that
preschoolers simply let go of their fishing rods when they are
distracted. During the early stages of rod wielding, tying a
string from the boat to the rod is a wise precaution. Gord Ellis
also experienced a few rods commissioned to the depths but
knows that children have a better experience with gear that
works and can recognize quality. "At around age 6, the boys
started eyeing up my best jigging rods," said Ellis.

Choose your weapon

Like any adult, I was reluctant to let my daughters choose
their own lures, because I felt more qualified to select a
presentation that would help them catch fish. I was quickly
cured of this conceit when my 3-year-old insisted on hooking
her jig with the strangest looking soft plastic bait in my tackle
box. While my wife and I used live minnows, my daughter
worked a monstrosity called a "twin tailed skirted grub." After
she caught three Walleyes to our zero, I vowed never to doubt
my daughters' angling instincts. I still make general suggestions,
but I let my girls choose their own lure from my tackle box.
Often, I'm surprised and enlightened as to what works.

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