Starting a 5yr old fishing.

[magicone]

My grandad started me fishing on the severn and kinver canal way before that I can remember how or when etc.

Now I want to start my 5yr old grandson on his way with the passion.

I have some light poles and lightweight 10ft rods, most of the waters around are day tickets with a wide range of species.

So any advice as how to start him with interest as he tends lose interest with various things after 10mins or so, like any young would do.

I thought of a short pole, fishing in a local reen to start off although there may not be any fish. Just a short step with a pole ?

 

[Peter Jacobs]

A short whip alleviates the potential problems of reel tangles and is a great way for little ones to learn.
Also a venue that has a large head of small fish to keep the interest and avoid boredom.

I taught my two sons like that and interspersed the fishing with bird watching and wild flower identification.

 

[Mark Wintle]

A short whip alleviates the potential problems of reel tangles and is a great way for little ones to learn.
Also a venue that has a large head of small fish to keep the interest and avoid boredom.

I taught my two sons like that and interspersed the fishing with bird watching and wild flower identification.

That is entirely right in every way possible.

A scour through Facebook reveals novice 4/5 year olds with carp of all sizes, big chub, tench, crucians, barbel etc. Quite where a kid progresses from there is anyone's guess.

My own milestones were something like:
Tiddlers aged 6 or 7 through to 11,
Trout and roach of a pound or more at 12,
First tench (1oz) at 13
First chub and perch (1oz) at 14
First rudd at 15 (2oz)
First carp at 18 (1oz)
First barbel at 21 (3lb).

My diaries from when I was 12 reveal incredible tenacity as trip after trip produced a handful of tiddlers with eventual improvement.

 

[Keith M]

I originally taught both my son and my daughter how to fish using Whips; No reels meant no birds nests or winding in too much before trying to swing a fish to hand either.

Keith

 

[Mark Wintle]

Many years ago I took my two nephews fishing for the first (possibly only) time. The younger one was 6, his older brother was 10 (now 30, younger one has passed away), and this is what the somewhat bemused younger one caught first cast:

 

[@Clive]

My early beginings involved sticklebacks and bullheads. If a 5 metre whip had been available back then it would have saved a lot of tangles and heartache.

 

[flightliner]

A garden cane, two matchsticks for a float and simple cotton for a line, a bent pin and a few tiny worms as bait for a few Sticklebacks should be enough for any youngster to enjoy the thrill mystery and wonderment of a days fishing.
It did it for me.

 

[Philip]

Agree about the whip for beginners.

Out of interest I recently found this ...the reel struck me as being super simple for a kid. Its basically a closed face bait caster. Pressing the button at the back releases the line & turning the handle engages it again.…holding the button down traps the line so a kid can cast one handed without having to worry about trapping the line with their finger. Seemed like a good step/transition between using a whip and a proper reel.

...just dont ask me the connection between the Ice queen and angling however ...maybe Elsa pursues Artic Char in her spare time ?