amount of books, magazines, videos, seminars, internet
sites such as this one and other sources at hand. Keep
your eyes and ears open for fishing seminars at stores
and sport shows where professional anglers are talking
fishing tips and experiences that has taken them years
to learn. The proprietor of the local bait and tackle
shop is usually a good source of fishing information for
the area you live in. Try calling the local fish and game
commission and ask to talk to the biologist who is in
charge of the waters you want to fish. These people
spend lots of time sampling fish populations and can
give you some key advice.
A really good way to pick up information on learn-
ing fishing is from a licensed guide. When you go to set
up your trip tell the guide exactly what you are looking
for and he or she will surely be a big help.
Getting kids started
Learning the sport of fishing should be a fun event
not only for the children but for adults as well. If the
youngsters are school age, learning knowledge togeth-
er as a father-son, or mother-daughter team can be a
truly rewarding experience. Make sure the first fishing
trip with your youngsters is an enjoyable experience.
Keep the first trip limited to just a few hours so that the
young people don't get fed up and associate fishing as
a boring all day affair. Bring along some beverages and
snacks as well. While it's important to teach children
at an early age not to throw things such as garbage into
the water, when there's a low in the fishing or their
attention span, try something to stimulate their inter-
est such as feeding ducks or gulls that are in the area.
A good friend of mine who regularly takes his kids fish-
ing likes to bring those orange goldfish crackers for not
only a snack for the kids but for the children to feed
the birds as well.
If the kids are at a very young age don't start them
out with sophisticated tackle. You may want to start
them out with live bait before they get into slinging
lures around for their welfare and yours as well. The
best rig to start out kids with is to fish livebait beneath
a colorful bobber with a hook and sinker. A bucket full
of crawfish, crickets, minnows or worms not only gives
them an excellent live bait to use but also shows and
teaches them up close the real food that fish eat.
It might be better to take the kids on their first fish-
ing trip for species such as panfish. If you're an avid
angler it's usually not a good thing to start out kids fish-
ing where you are paying attention only to your fishing
and ignoring the children. Fish such as bluegills, crap-
pies, rock bass and perch not only make a great starter
fish to keep the kid's interest but are also good to eat.
While you're catching loads of fish you can teach the
kids about selective catch and release where it's all
right keep a few fish for dinner but release the rest.
Don't forget to bring along a camera on the kid's
first fishing trip and others as well. Get a good shot of
the child with his or her first fish.
With all the chaos and fast living going on in the
world today I can see where the sport of fishing is due
for a dramatic comeback. It's a great way to get out into
the great outdoors and spend a few hours or all day to
unwind and forget all your problems for a while.
Fishing can be as simple or complicated as you wish.
Herbert Hoover once said, "Fishing is a chance to wash
one's soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or
the shimmer of the sun on the blue water...And it is
discipline in the equality of man for all men are equal
before fish." Amen.
Go&Do Fall/Winter Guide 2005 9
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