Advice on Getting Toddlers Hooked on Fishing

[Designed2Hunt]

Hi All,

I have been out of the fishing world for a couple decades.
I grew up fishing rivers for stocked trout.
I have a 2.5 year old daughter.
I am located in coastal north county San Diego.
I am look for some advice on getting her interested in fishing.

1. Fishing locations good for toddlers?
2. Fishing Gear for toddlers?
3. Are the colorful kids poles a gimmick?
4. License and Regs to be concerned about?
5. Other stuff that i am not thinking of?

 

[Jawbreaker]

just make sure you make it fun for her, at that age they don't care if they catch anything as long as they have fun doing it.

 

[GUNDOGLOVER49]

Go to a spot where she can catch lots of small fish, that will get her real excited. Kids that age don't care about size, they want quantity.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Hi All,

I have been out of the fishing world for a couple decades.
I grew up fishing rivers for stocked trout.
I have a 2.5 year old daughter.
I am located in coastal north county San Diego.
I am look for some advice on getting her interested in fishing.

1. Fishing locations good for toddlers?
2. Fishing Gear for toddlers?
3. Are the colorful kids poles a gimmick?
4. License and Regs to be concerned about?
5. Other stuff that i am not thinking of?

dm me I have a pond on my property that has plenty of fish and does not get much pressure.

 

[GUNDOGLOVER49]

dm me I have a pond on my property that has plenty of fish and does not get much pressure.

Good man.

 

[Designed2Hunt]

dm me I have a pond on my property that has plenty of fish and does not get much pressure.

Thanks, DM sent!

 

[bubblehide]

I took my nephew and nieces up to the Sierras camping every spring, and fishing high elevation (given accessible). I spent the entire time baiting, casting and handing the rod off to them, and then putting their fish on a stringer. You cannot legally reel their fish in for them unless you are licensed and only take one limit. If you hit the right places, it is literally one fish after another. I never had time for anything except for what I stated above, until they were limited out, but there were 3 of them.

They are adults now with kids of their own, and taking them camping and fishing. Kids are not happy sitting or standing there for long without catching something. So be prepared with other activities to make it memorable for them.

 

[WaterDawg]

I’ve been taking my 3 yr old grandson fishing, hoping he catches the fever for life. Having raised two kids of my own, I know they don’t like being trapped in a small boat for very long, and if they aren’t reeling in a fish their attention will be on something other than their rod tip. So, I’ve been taking him to a few places with docks and catching bluegill and small bass. He wears a life jacket. Drop a piece of worm next to most docks, with a small hook and split shot and you’ll probably catch small fish. Usually he holds the rod for about 15 seconds, hands it to me and is off playing with something else on the dock. I’ll hook a fish and tell him to come over and check to see if we are getting a bite. Then he reels in the fish, thinks he did it all himself, and is pretty excited.

Not sure which lakes in north county SD have fishable docks. Docks in Oceanside harbor might even work.

Good luck hooking your daughter on fishing!

 

[Ofdscooby]

Guajome park in east Oceanside. Loaded with tiny catfish that are voracious. Bring some hooks a bobber and a hot dog. Also bring some bread to feed the ducks. We used to catch about 20 fish a session then when the kids got bored we would feed the ducks after that the playground for a bit and nap time to top it off the kids loved it.

 

[Designed2Hunt]

Guajome park in east Oceanside. Loaded with tiny catfish that are voracious. Bring some hooks a bobber and a hot dog. Also bring some bread to feed the ducks. We used to catch about 20 fish a session then when the kids got bored we would feed the ducks after that the playground for a bit and nap time to top it off the kids loved it.

Thanks, I'll definitely give this a try!

 

[Snake Charmer]

I’ve been taking my 3 yr old grandson fishing, hoping he catches the fever for life. Having raised two kids of my own, I know they don’t like being trapped in a small boat for very long, and if they aren’t reeling in a fish their attention will be on something other than their rod tip. So, I’ve been taking him to a few places with docks and catching bluegill and small bass. He wears a life jacket. Drop a piece of worm next to most docks, with a small hook and split shot and you’ll probably catch small fish. Usually he holds the rod for about 15 seconds, hands it to me and is off playing with something else on the dock. I’ll hook a fish and tell him to come over and check to see if we are getting a bite. Then he reels in the fish, thinks he did it all himself, and is pretty excited.

Not sure which lakes in north county SD have fishable docks. Docks in Oceanside harbor might even work.

Good luck hooking your daughter on fishing!

Bread is very bad for waterfowl, (does not digest well, rather than that give them spinich or other grains like whole wheat or barley

 

[WaterDawg]

Bread is very bad for waterfowl, (does not digest well, rather than that give them spinich or other grains like whole wheat or barley

I think your comment is meant for someone else. I said nothing about feeding bread to ducks.

 

[Snake Charmer]

I think your comment is meant for someone else. I said nothing about feeding bread to ducks.

yep your right c;ocked onthe wrong quote

 

[BudM]

Go to a spot where she can catch lots of small fish, that will get her real excited. Kids that age don't care about size, they want quantity.

Agree. Sometimes the bigger fish scare the kids