We at Kona Fishing Charters welcome children on to our charter boat when they’re accompanied by an adult. We’re excited to share the joy of angling with the younger generation, and it’s important that they’re having as much fun as their parents, especially when game fish are involved. If you’re struggling with getting your children involved in angling, these tips should be able to help you make fishing a fun adventure for any kid!
15 Ways to Make Fishing Fun for Any Kid
Consider the Age of the Child – If your child is younger, try not to make fishing the entire trip, they’ll likely get bored or lose patience. Allow some time to play outdoors, whether that’s swimming in the water, floating leaves, playing hide and seek – try to make it fun for your kid so they’ll want to come again.
Don’t Bring All the Kids – If you have a lot of children, or if your child has a lot of friends, it may be tempting to bring a lot of them out at once. You probably don’t want to do that. Too many children on a fishing trip makes it more likely that accidents will happen. It also lowers the children’s attention span since they’ll be easily distracted by their friends and/or siblings.
Check Your Basic Skills – Make sure you have tackle, make sure the fish is hooked properly. And while you do this, have your child pay attention to what you do. Show them your fishing tackle (and make sure not to bring out any expensive tackle while teaching your child). The simpler the tackle is, the easier it will be for your child.
Bring Along Extra Gear – Bring extra hats, clothing, sunscreen, and snacks/drinks. The snacks and drinks are very important if your child is younger than 10 (water especially). Don’t forget to bring insect repellant as well, you don’t want your child and yourself to be covered in bug bites. A first aid kit is also a good idea.
Teach your Child about the Fishing Laws and Regulation – Make sure you have the proper license and that you’re fishing legally. Take this time to tell your child about in season fishing and size/number limits for species.
Supervise Your Child – Keep an eye on your child or children at all times so they won’t get hurt.
Easy Bait – Use bait that’s easy for a child to use such as crickets or worms. Or artificial bait in case the child is squeamish.
Wear life preservers – Encourage a good habit by making sure to bring and wear life preservers if you’re fishing on a boat. And if your child is small or young, make sure that they’re wearing a life preserver if swimming or wading in the water at any time.
Small Hooks are the Way to Go – Try not to grab hooks that are larger than a size 10. Fish won’t want to grab a bigger hook. And not being able to catch a fish will disappoint your child.
The Lighter the Line the More Fun Your Child Will Have – The line should be light and easy for a child to use. Plus unless you’re going for bigger fish, a light line should work fine.
The Best Rod and Reel Combo – For kids, a light spinning rod and reel combo should work great. It’s a lot easier for kids to use.
Use A Bobber – Bobbers are entertaining for kids. The way the bobber bobs on the surface excites them and helps the child see and feel when a fish is caught on their hook.
Be Prepared to Leave Early – These sessions should be short if your child is young. It’s better to leave a little early, in order to build anticipation for the next time then leave too late.
Don’t forget to bring a camera with you! It’ll be important to look back at these memories one day and your kid(s) will have fun posing with the camera.
We hope that these tips help you and your child have a great time fishing anywhere. But we especially hope this inspires you to take your kid(s) out on the water with us at Kona Fishing Charters for the best Kona Hawaii fishing. There are lots of fish to catch and lots of fun to be had. Even if they don’t want to fish, they’ll be able to enjoy the waters of Hawaii and spy lots of cool animals and fish in the water. Call us at (808) 960-1424 to book your fishing trip with us at Kona Fishing Charters on the Pacific!