How to re-interest my oldest in fishing and keep the little one interested?

[TrepMan]

Gang - My oldest, Noah 5 years old, has of late decided he doesn't like fishing. He's OK with boating, especialy if it's summer and we can swim/tube. 4 weeks ago I took both of the boys (Eli's 3) to the river for some trout. We had the BEST catching day in both size and numbers ever. But, Noah did not want to reel in a single fish. Eli want's to go EVERY day, and can't WAIT to head out on Saturday morning for Stripers! Noah was content to just play with his tackle box, having "worm" battles with his lures!



I know not everyone is/will be interested in the same sports, but looking for some tips or ideas to get Noah back into the sport. We always go for "easy" fish when their with me (bream, trout, catfish) so they don't have to wait long for a tug on the line. Noah has realy gotten into science lately, wanting to different kinds of experiments and such. Any suggestions that involve fishing, boating and the water that I can give him "an assignement" that will keep us all in the boat together?



I know this may just be a phase, and I will/would never push my kids into any sport/activity that they are not having fun at.



Let the ideas FLY!!

 

[Steve Stinson]

I had a similar situation. My advice is to let Noah take whatever he wants to play with when he goes with you and let Eli fish. To me the number one goal would be to all be together. You know not to force fishing on Noah or that will surely drive him away. After a few trips if you and Eli are catching and having a good time, Noah may decide he wants to join in. I'm sure that anyone with two or more kids can tell you how amazingly different they can be.

 

[Ken Neeley]

Trep,

Since he is into science and experimentation now, take him with you on every trip and have him be your official "Fish Information Specialist". Have him keep an official logbook of each catch with size, weight, species, lure info, weather conditions, water conditions etc. then you can look for scientific patterns together.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Trep...



Might be a "ploy" for attention... How about fishing trips with only one boy! A few $$$ well spent...trip to Wally World for a more "grown-up" rod and reel...saw new Johnson gear for about $20/combo... Then a plan to use it "on the fish".

 

[Jason _G]

I know how ya feel trep...



My younger brother who is 15 has no interest whatsoever in fishing. My father and I always go out and try to get him to come along but he wont. I hope one day he will get outa the phase and come to his senses. He misses so much by not coming along.

 

[Chad Justice]

My brother (3 years older than me) hates fishing.. He's 28 now, but when we were kids and went on fishing trips, he'd only throw a cast or two if my dad and I started catching fish. Whenever the bite got slow he'd just sit in the boat and eat.



He likes boats, skiing, tubing, swimming, all that jazz.. Just not fishing! He'll tell you today that he just doesn't have the patience to throw a lure over and over and over again when the fish aren't biting.. Even when they are, he doesn't get the same thrill out of it that my dad and I do. He always had ZERO confidence that he'd ever hook a big fish, so he didn't bother with it.



Maybe if he'd hooked a big fish one day, he'd have gotten the fever but it never happened.. For me, all I had/have to do is think about the possibility of hooking a monster and I'm ready to GO!! LOL!

 

[Pierre Voisine]

trepper,



Not sure how to approach this situation but I'll let you in on a little story.... When i was a kid my parent signed me up for hockey like everyone else in these parts (French Canadian. I did not want to play (so they say) or have anything to do with the sport at about that age. My parent pushed, thinking I was a little to young to know what I wanted, but keeping in mind that they were to expose me to all kinds of other things in the process. At a later age they were to let me make a choice to what activity i wanted to follow. I am very thankfull that they pushed me into hockey, to this day i play 3 times a week, and i learned so many "life lessons" through the sport.



Sometimes they want to quit because of superficial; reasons, such as not being good at something or ?? but I think they need to be "pushed" to a point of getting the proper amount of exposure to the activity as to be in a better position to choose what they want to do.



music is the same, kids need to "hang in there" until they make it over that learning hump before they begin to like it. lot's of kids quit before learning to like to play an instrument.



I think Greg is right on, maybe a high tech combo, a new technique something to peak the interest will get him right back into the sport.



Pierre

 

[C C]

Trep, I have run into your situation a couple of times, the first time when my son was almost 5 years old and he decided he didn't care to fish, this broke my heart. So, I did exactly what Greg has suggested here and took my son to Kmart and bought him a new rod, reel and a tackle box, then let him go through my boxes and take what ever he wanted. I then sat him down and had him string his reel. That got a big change of attitude and lasted until I hung up my poles for the next 10 years.



Now at 16 years old when he doesn't seem all that interested in fishing I have a competition between us for who boats the most fish. The winner doesn't have to do the dinner dishes for the next two nights. He likes this one allot and tries hard to beat me, this would be because one of his chores is kitchen clean up. I do let him win once out of every three outings.



The one thing I am grateful for is that he has always jumped at the opportunity to go out on the boat with me, I am happy with that. I know when he goes off to college in the next couple of years I am going to miss having my fishing buddy. Enjoy them while you can they grow up so fast



Cass

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

 

[TrepMan]

Thanks for the input gang and keep it coming.



Steve - I hope your right, but we've done a few trips and he get's less interested each time EVEN when their biting.



Ken - YOU ROCK!! At dinner I told them if weather was good we were still going Striper fishing on Saturday. Eli said YES, gonna get a fish to eat! I told Noah that if he'd like i'd make him a book and he could be our Science Officer on the boat. Told him he could record the date, day, time, water temp (he asked me if I could tell him how to read the depth finder!!), and if we caught fish he could record what kind, where and how heavy and long! He is STOKED!!! The only problem is he told he doesn't know how to read real well yet. I told him i'd make it easy for him with pictures and short words that i'd team him.



I'm working on the book/table in Lotus 123 right now, gonna do it in 8 1/2 X 11 paper folded in half and put in a zip lock to keep dry!.



Greg and Cass - He recently got a new rod-reel (his 3rd since he was 3, he gave his mickey mouse combo to Eli and Daddy lost his stainless steel combo :-( and routinely raids my tackle box. BUT great idea for a trip to BPS and let him pick his own stuff out - Love it!!



CM - He's already had a 2 +lb bass hit his live worm, we'll have to see how he does if we hook a Striper on Saturday.



Jason - One thing as a father that I want to avoid is one kid getting something that the other doesn't if he wants to. My dad is a huge Golfer, still at 70 plays 4 times a week. I played and my brother didn't, I agree I got a LOT of Dad's time and attention playing with him, but I don't want to push too hard and turn him off the sport.



Pierre - That's the balance i'm trying to build with the boys, let them learn and do the things they enjoy and if possible do it together. As others have said if he can do things he likes while he is in the boat that get's him with me and Eli as the Boys time out! I know he wants to take a friend each time, but it is not always possible to get his buddies when i'm available. But I do like the idea of Cass and other to do it just the 2 of us also, will work on that too!



I'll let you all know how it works out, and keep those ideas coming!!!

 

[Staci Matheis]

I didn't read any of the replies, Michael, because I just wanted to put in my 2 cents.....



I feel that it is extremely important that a parent help a child to explore and develope their interests - whether they be in line with those of the parent or not.....



I'm not saying that you should put your interests completely aside if they are not in line with the kids; you need those to keep your sanity! What I am saying is that you might want to make a conscious effort to develope some new interests as well that are inspired by those of your children!



God bless you, my Friend!

me!

 

[Bill McElroy]

They're all good ideas so far,...can't add alot...but I'd tend to agree with several of the posts on this one too...take him along as the "Fisheries Info and Habitat Specialist"....let him collect water samples (buy him a microscope to check out his stuff) and play with bugs and critters along the shore and just let him "be his own man-cub" for awhile.

Don't make him do something he doesn't want to do, but just take him along anyway and let him explore/learn/play on his own and just keep his rod and reel handy incase he just "feels like fishin'" again...who knows,..it may spark a whole new level of interest in him and some day when he's a world remowned fisheries or marine biologist,...he'll tell people he got his start,.."Fishin' with his daddy"...

Nothin' ventured,...nothin' gained!!

Mac

 

[Greg Meyer]

I read through all of these posts...My kids are almost "grown", so my wife has only me to raise.... But, I would have loved a place to ask Treps question and get these answers. Reading this thread gives me some insight about the folks assembled here. I'm no great or astute judge of character but from what has been posted here it is as obvious as the nose on a face that the people assembled here are extremely special. Unique would not be strong enough to describe my impression...thanks for letting me play in your neighborood

 

[TrepMan]

Scott - I do agree with your part of your suggestion. I don't want to push Noah or Eli into anything that does not interest them, but I do want them to be exposed to as many different experiences in life while they grow up to allow them to pick and choose what they are interested. I like Mac and other's suggestions to at least try to find things for him to do in the boat with Eli and I, if he decides he does NOT want to go, i would never force either of my boys into something if they've tried it and don't like.



Like Greg said, this is a great group of folks who I count as friends and family!



By the way, Noah is still very excited to be going fishing tomorrow with his new (I still gotta finish it) Science Officer Log!!!

 

[Bob G.]

Trep,



You need to take your kids on a guided trip with Rob on Champlain so you can catch some "real" fish!! If catching a 3lb smallie doesn't get them interested, fishing is not at the top of their interest level for now.

Every now and then my kids get bored when the fishing is slow and the water is calm, so we do some boat speed checks with the GPS. They will also take a break from fishing and chill out in the boat until I catch one, then their lures are back in the water quicker than I can net the fish!!!

You might just have to give your son some time to figure out what he wants to do. I have a daughter that loves fishing, but is not into hunting. She wants to shoot a deer with her bow without all of the hassle of hunting! I informed her that it didn't work that way! My son fishes and hunts. He enjoys the weekend hunting trips we take without his sister and mother so we can be "guys".

My kids were content catching perch on small jigs a couple of years ago until they saw me catching smallies. They could care less about perch and bluegills now, all they want to fish for is smallies. I'm fortunate to live next to Champlain! Let your kids be kids and it will all work out.



Bob G.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Thanks Bob, that's the nicest thing you've said to trailer trash all week! LOL Trep, you have to remember that catching BIG fish (like you know anything about that! LOL) doesn't mean squat to kids as much as steady action! Young ones would rather sit in a reed bed all day and hammer perch and sunnies than drift for hours and catch 5 or 6 toads. Also, when in the boat, focus on them totally. It's their day out. Teach him to cast, fight fish, tie knots, including the polymar! LOL Kids enjoy it more because they're with dad, NOT because they caught fish. That will come when they get into their teens and want to whoop ya. It's that male macho thing....a young man using his dad as a measuring stick against his own manhood. And frankly if I was you.....I would worry about THAT cause by the time he's eleven he'll measure up to YOU! LOL You didn't think after all the razzin I've been taking this week I could let a serious post like this go by without a little retalliation did you? LOL

 

[Gene B]

Try F.F.F. (Forced Family Fun)Just kidding. My son wasn't much on fishing, but loved driving the boat. I knew that he would go if could drive. He would either bring something to do or just sit there watching. If fish weren't biting he would suggest that we move. If your son is content to come along and just be in the boat with his dad and brother that's great. My son passed away April of 2000 and I treasure the times in the boat talking while I fished. Keeping them involved in the family is more important than getting them involved in fishing.



Gene

 

[Ken Neeley]

Hey Gene,

How is your wife and daughter doing? Please send them my regards. Did your daughter get out fishing with you this year?

 

[TrepMan]

Gene - Thanks for the advice and personal input, I lost my only brother in January of 2001. He was not a fisherman at all, golf and flying private planes were his passions. But he NEVER turned down a trip in my boat when he came to visit.



I just finished up Noah's offical "First Science Officer" book! Borrowed, with Mac's approval, the Scales and Tales cartoon for the cover. Weather right now looks GREAT for tomorrow, looks like upper 60's in the morning and 80 for a high with no clouds or rain! Should leave the house by 10am, get bait (minnows for Stripers and worms for bream) and off we go!



I'll post up after the trip to let everyone know how he liked it. He does LOVE going fast (OK Rob, let me have it) in my boat and likes being in it!

 

[Marke Cicero]

Trep,



We've all been there with the little ones. We have our good days and bad days. Here's some things I like to try to keep them interested:



1.) Let Noah choose the lake. Even if it's not your favorite, he'll want to fish because HE chose the location.

2.) Let him choose the spot. Again, you may know there is no fish, but he'll be excited that he had some input.

3.) Let him choose / purchase his own baits. Devyn can be nailing them on worms, but if Brandyn thinks he can catch them on a helicopter lure then I let him keep trying.

4.)Don't buy live bait. Let the boys catch salamanders or dig up your own worms.

5.) Let them be your helpers. Devyn may get board while fishing but he LOVES netting, releasing, cutting off tag ends with clippers, getting worms, etc...

6.) Buy a book about fish. Let Noah identify the fish then read to him about it's habitat, study it, look at's it's colors and markings. Don't simply catch, release and cast again.

7.) fish from shore once in a while. I know this is hard because we have boats and feel we should use them, but Brandyn will see an island with a huge rock on a point say "Dad, can we go fish from that rock?"

8.) As long as they are smiling, let them do it. My boys will sit on the back deck near my transucer and watch the fish finder. When they see a fish on the screen they plunge the net into the water. Will they catch something? Probably not, but they are having fun.



In sum, let them feel important and let them make some of the decisions. Believe me, I know it's difficult sometimes because we like to catch fish too. It doesn't always have to be about catching fish, it just has to be about being together and having fun.



Marke