Bluegill Fishing With Your Children

You need to do a little research and find a suitable place to take your child fishing. Look for a small pond or slow stream that has a shoreline with open spots to try bluegill fishing.

You want to find some near shoreline cover such as a log or weed bed in the water where fish can hide. A weed bed or downed tree is a great place to catch big bluegill.

If there are any other fisherman around, ask them if they have been catching anything. Most people when approached politely will be more than happy to share some advice with you and the children.

Make sure that the banks of your location are safe for your children to be near. Sharp declining banks should be avoided.

Let the children be included in the planning and packing. Make sure you check the weather before you schedule this trip. If there is any chance rain could spoil your trip just reschedule now. The last thing you want to do is disappoint the children on their first trip.

Let the kids help dig some worms, catch some grasshoppers, or crickets for bait. Its important to get them involved in the adventure as much as you can. If the children are not afraid try using some small leeches, grub worms or wax worms for bait.

Once you have found a suitable place to fish your next step is to get the proper fishing gear for the kids size. You may already have some fishing poles and tackle that can be used for this adventure. The best rod and reel to teach a young child with is a simple casting rod with a closed reel. All they need to do is push the button down and release to cast. I like size #6 long shank hooks for catching bluegill. The simple red and white small round floats will be fine for bluegill fishing. You can sometimes find these in packs of two or three. I would purchase a small tackle box for the gear if the interest is high after your trip to be given for the next trip. Some other things to consider are needle nose pliers, kids snacks, small hand towel, and your most important part is your camera to save the memories. Oh yes, do not forget something to drink for the kids.

Keep it simple as possible so the children can complete the task of setting up their own rod and reel with your assistance. They should be taught to attach a hook, split shot and float to the line. This can be a very special time spent with the children.

A few things to remember on the big day is the number one priority is for your child to have a good time. This does not necessarily always mean catching lots of fish. Some parents get caught trying to hard to get a fish on the end of the line. Not only can this ruin a fishing trip but this can also spoil your child's attitude.

Keep your first outing shorter unless the fish are really biting well. If your child starts to lose interest you should consider stopping for the day. They should be having fun and if they want to catch frogs or chase a butterfly instead of fishing then let them do it. They need to have a good time so they want to come out and do it again.

This is a little trick you may want to use after baiting and removing fish on these trips. Purchase a bottle of fly rod fishing pork rind from your local bait and tackle shop. Bluegill seem to be strongly attracted to the color red. Take a piece of the red and cut more slits into each tailing piece. This you attach to the hook as bait in the hole provided. You may be tired from removing so many fish without having to bait again.