Lets start at Square one...

[southjerzeymom]

About 2 years ago I decieded, my daughter was old enough to fish, when my father mailed me my old fishing pole I used to use when he would take me out. Thing was that was like ten years prior, and it was always fresh water...

I live on the bay, and everyone here goes fishing off the docks and bridges, and there's no permits needed, yet... so two years ago I said screw it can't be that much different, went out got a salt water basic pole, and took her out fishing. Talked to people at the bait shops, got right bait, talked to the other fishers time to time, of what would be in season and what not... but in the past two years all we've caught is about 3-4 eels and a 3 foot sand shark. Which scared the hell out of my daughter using my old barely 4 foot long pole... (she's 7 now)

I want the tradition to live on, and I'm the mom catching frogs and lizards and well I might be in jersey but I'm a bit of a down to earth... hick..... but I realize I dont know what the damn I'm doing out here... and it's new teritory... so lets start at square one, before I bore my daughter with this.

Can anyone tell me where square one is at?? Lol.

[BigFish]

Welcome to S-B! You came at the right time......you can spend the winter learning the ropes right here!

Its tough to keep a child that young interested for more than 10 minutes if they are not catching fish right away! Its difficult to get them to understand that "Good things come to those who Bait"! At that age I would get a proper fishing rod and dead stick some cut bait while enjoying a day at the beach? If you get a fish on that will be great but at least she will not get bored waiting. If you want more active fishing like tossing plugs find a river or estuary...someplace that holds bait and has moving water and toss some artificials. Wood, rubber or tin! Also have you ever considered taking her on a charter of some kind??

[piemma]

Welcome. There is a ton of information on this site. Ask the questions, do some searches on subjects you want answers to and you will get a lot of good info.

[numbskull]

Square one is a bobber/worm/freshwater/sunfish/warm summer day/dangling your feet off the dock/ not stressing what you catch/seeing if she likes it. Square two is scup.

[JohnR]

Welcome to S-B.

Originally Posted by numbskull

Square one is a bobber/worm/freshwater/sunfish/warm summer day/dangling your feet off the dock/ not stressing what you catch/seeing if she likes it. Square two is scup.

Yep. Or square two may be Cunner / Bergals drifting pieces of sea worms off a dock, cofferdam, rock wall.

Easiest and most productive - vital for a kids in that age range - is a bobber & worm for sunfish at the local pond. Hands down.

Liam is 9 and got this over the summer, my goal for this year being his first keeper, but it was a case of good intel, right place / right time. If I dragged him out in conditions where he could catch there would be a lot of skunkings and frustrations along the way.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...stkeeper-2.jpg

[BigFish]

My kids always loved dropping Sabiki rigs off the pier for smelt and tinker macs??

[tysdad115]

The pond/sunfish route is definatley the way to start. My son is 10 now, I started him off that way 5 years ago, gradually worked into saltwater. Start small, worms,small chunks etc..then I went to bottom fishing with him but patience wears thin (on both of us) Once I was comfortable watching his cast/retrieve (trained him at the pond) I got him a 7.5' pole and some light topwater plugs. Teaching the action,retrieve and safety of each style of plug.He casts great,can switch plugs on his own (on breakaway clips) and knows fihermans etiquette. He now has a 9'pole,40 lb braid and outfishes me......careful what you teach them!!!

[BassDawg]

if you are truly looking to learn about the surf part of
surfcasting,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it will take time and learning spots
to make your fishing windows the MOST productive.

also, with the coming Winter i would suggest 4 or 5 books that are primers for chasing Stripers. it's not rocket science, but it dang shore ain't sweetwater fishin', although there ARE parallels~~~

each of the following books has it's own interpretation of this obsessive thang we do, and each one will shed it's unigue light upon the multi-layered facets of surfcasting for stripers.

"On the Run" by David(?) DiBenedetto
"Striper Surf" by Frank Daignault
"A Season on the Edge" by John Skinner
"Surfcasting the Striper Coast" by DJ Muller(JZ boy)
"Striper Tales" by DJ Muller

another EXCELLENT resource is Mike Laptew~~~
his DVD's are without equal, and FULL of knowledge from an underwater perspective.
he doesn't go by FishEye for chits and giggles. 'Stripers Gone Wild" is nothing short of amazing!

not hands on stuff,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yet, in order for you to show her,
it makes sense to me to learn as much as you can this Winter to help you to be a more effective mentor. go to seminars over the next few months as well. DJ is excellent, Steve McKenna, Alberto Knie, Charlie Cinto, Capt White, pick a topic at a Fishing Show and TAKE NOTES,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

lastly, as others have said~~~ search the archives here. there is a TON of info on EVERY surfcasting related topic you could imagine,,,,,,,from A to Z! and ASK questions as you learn and fish, fish and learn. some of us are crustier than others, but to a man ~if you are putting in the time~ this collected bunch of rockhoppers and fiberglassjockies WILL absolutely CRUSH you and your daughter's learing curves,,,,,,,,,,,,,

i began with a wally world set-up and my first keeper was a 36"er, 6 yrs ago on Oct 22, broad daylight, on a Wild Eye STORM p-nut bunker swim shad. start simple to sea if you and she even like the salt,,,,,,,,,,,,,i also chunked bunker, to very good results, for the first season and a half after that. there is no shame in using BAIT and it can be verrrrrry effective at the right SPOT.

GOOD LUCK,,,,,,,,,,,,,and keep at it, you will be GLAD you did!! and so will yer baby girl. there ain't nuthin' better than putting yer child on their first striper, then a keeper, then a 20#'er, then a,,,,,,,,,,,,you get the idea

[jredfly]

Join a local fishing club - a lot of them have programs for junior members. I belong to MSBA up here in Mass and they do a great job with the kids. They will show you how, when and where to fish. Fishing people get a lot of pleasusre teaching kids to fish. Some of the local shops and craftsman donate rods and lures (Thank you Big Fish - I remember). All I can say is my four kids from 8 to 14 love it. The youngest (and the craziest) started when he was 4 and my daughter out fishes us all. Go to your local tackle shop, look around on line or go to a fishing show during the winter and you should be able to find a good club in your area. Main thing is to spend time with your children and to have fun - they will never forget. Good Luck!!!

[scottw]

I've noticed that from my kids perspective, the thing that they like the most about fishing is that they get time set aside exclusively for them with dad...or mom in your case....great thing about fishing is that there are usually more things to do than fish at the fishing locations if it's "boring"...tidal pools, rock hunting etc...step one is dedicating the time, sometimes the hardest....the little ones bait fish off the piers and a small jetty at the end of our street..it's easy and they get a big thrill when there's something more than seaweed at the end of their line and that's all that they require for a successful outing, they'd be psyched about an eel or sand shark...my oldest tags along on the rocks...sometimes we fish with one rod if it's rough conditions but she's become pretty independent and has hooked up enough to know that she can do it herself...the more that you get out and get your bearings and ask for help at your local shop, the the more confidence you will have...takes a while for anyone in new terrritory

[bloocrab]

oooops, double post. Sorry, BigFish, I'm not trying to increase my post count.

[bloocrab]

I love these kinds of threads. Being in a similar yet different situation...I can't wait to get my little guy going. I've already stuck a rod in his hand at 1 & 1/2,,,, ,,,,obviously too early, but it just goes to show how eager I am to get him into the sport. I've also started him on the conservative side....(no hooks on the lure),,,
He's lost his fear for touching eels too......reaches right into the tank trying to grab em', almost flopping into the tank actually.....was funny watching him try to pick one up off the garage floor, chased the dang thing forever. I can't say mom enjoyed that much....,,, can't understand why.

My plan is to definitely start with bait and the tiniest hooks. In my area we'll be targeting choggies/cunner. By far, the easiest thing to catch in my neck of the woods. I don't do fresh, so I don't plan on introducing him to the sissy side of fishing...

I wouldn't call "Square One", snagging bunker and live-lining them for a 50 off a Jersey Pier or reading "Striper Strategies" in hopes of keeping a 7 yr old content. I would keep it simple. ANY tug on the line for a 7 year old should paint a smile that will last the whole day, if not longer.
I would first concentrate my efforts more on having fun with your child, and making "catching" fish,, second. My little man just turned 2 last month, so I'm far from experienced with this, but I'm sure to have fun trying.

Don't turn fishing into a "Success" or "Failure" kind of thing. Don't go home depressed if you don't catch any fish, or at least don't show it. You don't want to pass that type of mentality on to your child. You need to focus on making it a memorable outing, regardless of whether you catch or not. Like stated above, flip some rocks over...catch a worm, crab, starfish. Explain what it is, how it lives and why it's important to the habitat. If you don't know, make that a project. Research it with your child and learn together. At least that's my plan.

As basic as some of these replies may seem, you should really keep it that simple. For starters anyway. Good Luck....and HAVE FUN FIRST!!!


Here's a pic of the little man and his grandpa.

[Liv2Fish]

This is a great thread! I have two girls - 13months and 2.75 - and can't wait to get them out there with me. A trip to the local aquarium sparked a major interest in the ocean and I've been trying to nurture that interest in the older one ever since.

Definitely start on something small like sea worms off the local pier. You'll catch all kinds of interesting things - most of which are part of the of the food chain that that you'll need to learn about, and can be "live-lined" for bass after dark.

Take pictures of what you catch and look them up on line, post pics here and ask for a fish id or ask the local bait stores to learn about their place in the local ecology.

Another suggestion - ask the locals who runs the best/knowledgable tackle shop and stick with one shop. Business and loyalty buys more than bait. Good intel about specific spots it not easily obtained. The better you get to know the "sharpies", the more you'll pick up. Most people that are passionate about fishing will be glad to help get kids into fishing.

Good luck and welcome to the club!!