Senkosam Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Kids get bored fast when introduced to fishing for the first time and out with a parent who would like to teach them the benefits of artificial lures over live bait. Size matters! Downsizing a particular bait and rigging it on a small jig or hook can result in more fish and more strikes. Though the fish may be small, there is always the chance a decent size fish will bite. I went fishing yesterday and was catching my usual 10" crappie and white perch on a 2 3/4" soft plastic minnow I pour. Once the bite slowed in an area, I downsized to 2" and used a 1/32 oz jig head down from the 1/16 oz. or 1/8 oz. used for the longer lures. The bites increased to 3 fish per minute. Granted the fish were small, but occasionally decent crappie, white and yellow perch and sunfish pretty much hooked themselves on the smaller lures because of the excitement of the school located in one area. Kids like activities they can be successful at and get praised for. Hooking fish one after the other creates memories that last a lifetime. Even a 6" sunfish will seem like a 2 lb bass to a kid reeling that fish in on a light action rod and light line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutSupport.com Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Nailed it brotha, best to keep those kiddos happy and giggling with smaller baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Great post! We have a few spots on our river that are known for big fish, but you may only catch one or 2 in a day. Definitely NOT a good place to take a kid the first time! On the other hand, there are many places where we can catch 1 to 3 pound bass all day long. When I first started teaching my youngest how to fish, it was nothing for him to catch 40 to 50 fish per trip. After doing so, he now has the patience to sit in those larger ponds using big baits to nail that kicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painter1 Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 We took the kids camping and fishing when they were small. They are all adults now, but they still love to fish. Getting them bit, regardless of size was important. As teenagers they knew how to have fun without hanging out with the "party" crowd. Just remember that when they get bored, you need to have plan B. Boat riding, swimming, going for ice cream. Then you can keep them excited and wanting to do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 When my first two boy were young we fished a lot together. They really got hooked when they went down to the lake and the stock truck had just emptied a load nearby. They threw every lure in my tackle box, and must have caught 25 fish each. All catch and release. There is nothing like fast and furious to set the hook in a kid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 I really like simply drop shotting (no jig) 1.5" curly grubs on a #6 or #8 bait holder hook. It catches oodles of bluegill, redear, and small bass, and I have caught bass over 7 lbs on them too. Nice thing about the bait holder hooks is the little barbs hold the grub in place until its caught a few fish and it gets torn up inside a little. Finally, a use for all the old hooks I have from when we used to split shot worms for trout in the Sierra creeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
