Kids and fishing

[stiff tip]

wow; george that was way way deep .....but so true ....all my dad ever gave me was his name and the love of hunting and fishing,its all i ever needed. as i see it now, the harded or more you wanted it, the more fun it was .great post

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

having a son and daughter who are both in their early 20's,that still like to fish and ski,i have to say that the key is to get them to enjoy the enviorment that the sports are taking place in.at an early age get them to enjoy being on the beach,climbing on rocks,being on the boat.the same for snow sports,get them to enjoy the out doors.then there won't be a disappointment in not catching.one of my son a few years ago

[Piscator]

Great post. I think everyone's first thoughts when they have kids are "Will they like the same things I do” “What will their passions in life be” etc, etc. Obviously in a perfect world you would want your child to love the things you do so you can spend time together doing what you both love. My Dad is not an avid fisherman but does really like to fish. He brought me fishing for the first time when I was 5 and I was hooked for life. I was the one always asking him if we could go (which he always said yes). He still fishes with me now but we have to pick our days as he gets sea sick pretty easily.
His true passion is old cars and has built 2 Hot Rods over the years. Although I like cars and tagged along with him to shows and meets. I never really got into it with the passion he did and that is perfectly fine with him (although I still enjoy taking them for a cruise) . My Dad introduced me to many things and let me decide what I really liked (fishing, cars, golf, hockey, baseball, football etc). He took me golfing at a young age and he had never golfed in his life (still doesn’t) but he introduced me to it and opened the door and I still love to golf today.
I have a daughter 3 ½, a daughter 2 and a 2 week old son. It would be great if they had a passion for fishing but all I can do is introduce them to it, spend time with them, and have fun. I’ve taken my oldest daughter fishing a few times and she loved it. She asked me a bunch of times this winter when we could go again. I know that as she gets older her interest level will most likely drop but as long as she wants to go, I will bring her. I will be as supportive to them with whatever their passion is just as my Dad was (and still is) to me………….
In the end, it is what makes THEM happy, not what you THINK makes them happy.
Thanks again for the great post.

PS. Bobby Orr’s sons loved soccer (go figure)

[tysdad115]

I agree, alot of you guys have met Tyler. I bring him because he wants to come. He's genuinely excited everytime we go. If he decides to pick up other things later in life so be it, but he will have the basic fundamentals down. Nothing comes easy, anything worth doing takes thought and some extent of planning. It's completely up to him but to me the quality time we spend together is invaluable to me. I grew up without a dad or real sense of family and made alot of bad choices. Bringing him out with me now gives him a choice and alternatives to the other not so pleasant side of life. That is all I can hope for, to be there for him.

[zimmy]

Great post. I grew up in a rec. fishing family that dates back at least to my great grandparents. As a kid, we vacationed in OBX, Chesapeake, and nantucket. I was always interested in fishing and enjoyed catching sunnies, bass, blues, etc. My teenage years I still liked fishing, but we (the kids) were often not in bed yet when the adults were heading out for fishing sunrise. It wasn't until after college that I had the time and lack of constant social opportunities getting in the way to become really sucked in. I don't anything is more true than to give kids a fun time without any expectations. There are 1000's of other things for young people to do while growing up. That all changes after the days of organized team sports and chasing tail become more of a thing of the past.

[DMenace]

I have two step-daughters, 21 and 16, that I consider my own because I've been in their life for such a long time, and also a 15 month old boy. They both love to go out and do stuff with me and fishing is one of our favorite things to hang out and do. It's not quite the swim out to a rock in a wetsuit type that you guys do, it's more like flipping some casts out hoping for a bite. But at the same time it's the most well spent time I can think of to catch up on things with them. I spent one night with each of them this past summer fishing down in Wellfleet and it made my Summer. All we did was shoot the S*%t,tell stories and talk about the things that are on their minds that they don't always get around to talking about. My son, on the other hand is hooked on hockey at 15 months. Bruins v Habs last night he ran in the next room like he was on fire, grabbed his stick, ran back out to the tv waving it around, then sat down to watch some of the game. He's a blast, but as I type this he's taken the pin out of the bottom hinge on the front door, I just heard him drop it. Any advice on how to prevent this from happening again, short of removing the front door?

[Rockfish9]

Great post George.... I have two children, one is 28 ( Daughter) and a son that is 31... they both loved fishing ( so I thought ... my son, when he can get leave ( navy seal) takes his two oldest girls fishing in the local pond for sunnies...it's more of a family bonding event...

both kids, fished with me from the time they could walk... first for sunnies, then trout then onto bass ( striper) fishing... both spent many hours in the bow of the boat, some sleeping, some fishing, my son had a knack for waking up just ast the fish turned on...My Daughter, often brought her best friend she once did a report about striper fishing in the Merrimack river, including pictures when she was 9 years old.... that project still graces the wall of my office at work...... I dont think she has picked up a rod since high school...she has since married and moved to the mid west... she'll probbaly never fish again....back in the days of the Merrimack valley striper club, they both won the Jr. division many times, and as George so aptly put it, teaching them advanced techniques and putting them on , what for most people would be fish of a life time, may have spoiled their love for it and fun in the end... a few years back, Joe Jr.. came north for a week end of bass fising with Dad... to this day, it sticks in my mind, what he said as we boated our third double of the night " i wish i had paid closer attention, you made it look easy, I never realized what we had until I grew up"...

[HugeDinghy]

My kids (girls) love to go fishing and get into the competition side of it, as is with everything else...I'll keep trying to get them to make it a lifelong hobby...
but in all honesty, it isnt very high on my wish list...I'll take motivated, well-adjusted and successfull...fishing might not make the top 100, but it sure would be nice...

[Bazza]

Very interesting thread. My son is 17 and he has no interest fishing. He has done some fresh water ,sunnies, perch ,bass.. He does like trying new ponds/lakes for kayaking. I always bring a rod, but it is not really a fishing outing. In the last few years, he has had an interest in Hiking. We have done quite a few hikes in NH and ME. and some overnights. It gets us together, and him away from the TV,computer,video games. My daughter is 12 she likes fresh water fishing with minnows for bass, only if there is some action. She is also more into sports, so her team stuff takes up alot of time. She will go scup fishing at the Cape,but that is a short outing.

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[striprman]

Now they are grown, my oldest has his own son, my wife is now my x wife. I'm glad they all went fishing with me all the many times I went, where ever I went. Only good memories. I will take my grandson kibbie fishing this year. That should be fun for me.