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Teach Your Kids to Fish
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Great Way To Spend Time With Your Kids

You know your kids love to try new things. They have been blessed with the same adventurous spirit that you have. After a long, cold winter, they are tired of the indoors not to mention most likely out of shape. But you are not sure what you can do with them that they have not yet tried? Rafting and fishing offer you a great way to spend time with your children and to create memories that will last a lifetime. You can do several things that will allow you to make the most of your time together.

No matter how young or old your children are, involve them in everything that you do as you embark on your fishing or rafting journey. Your kids want to feel needed and this is the perfect opportunity for them to help you. There is no better way to instill a sense of accomplishment in your kids than to allow them to help you with "grown-up" jobs. Depending on how old they are, assign them certain small things for which they are responsible. Some of these include ensuring that everyone has a personal floatation device and letting them coil a line. Your children will walk away at the end of the day with a renewed sense of confidence in their ability to help Mom and Dad.  This also includes the sense of wonder and accomplishment from actually catching thier own fish.

Keep your children busy while you are fishing. They prefer to stay active. Plan your fishing outing accordingly. Include exciting water activities such as snorkeling, tubing, or looking for various wildlife. Of course, showing them the basics of fishing will forever keep them and you busy! There are enough details involved in the sport of fishing that you will need to take your kids on multiple trips before they are fluent in the language of the angler.

You have an excellent opportunity with natural high rafting and natural high fishing to teach your kids while fishing on a boat. You have the ability to teach them new skills that they will use long after you have caught your last fish. Merely being on the water allows you to teach kids new things about their environment and helps to get them past thier water phobia if they have one. You can also teach them about boating, fishing, and safety skills. Try to incorporate these teachings into fun, intriguing activities.

Introduce them to new and exciting things as they are ready. For example, create a game that teaches nautical terminology. Focus on words like port, starboard, or bow. You should build upon this knowledge. After they know these terms, help your children learn the best way to safely drive a fishing boat or cast a fishing line. Always be an observant teacher. The combination of boating and fishing allows for an enormous amount of learning.

With Natural high rafting and natural high fishing you will be with some the Oregons best river guides.  These Giudes will teach the secrets of rafting and fishing that they have learned throughout thier years of experience and knowledge.  Do not be fooled they are very knowledgable and the things that they can teach you will allow you to teach your kids and friends, which they can then pass on to thiers for years and years.  Just think about it "Remember What Grampa or Dad Taught Us" and so on.

This type of hands-on learning lasts a long time. Your children will benefit in many ways. They will discover things that help them become better fishers and boatmen. Participating in an activity that is thousands of years old teaches them about tradition. They will eventually be able to teach their kids all that you have taught them. This includes many of the elements of responsibility that come with helping adults achieve a goal.


Your children will have unlimited amounts of fun as they encounter new settings, new climates, and new wildlife. Most importantly, fishing and boating with your children will give you the chance to spend quality time with them. This is worth more than all of the fun had and the lessons learned.

 

On the surface, this question seems simple enough. But the importance of this question is rarely understood, even by the parents asking it. After all, it is the first few fishing experiences that will either hook kids for life, or send them running back to their playstations. Get them hooked, and you are raising your life long fishing buddy. Show them a good time, and kids will put the outdoors on top of their list of preferred activities, which is not only good for them, but is also good for society and especially fishing. Kids are our future conservationists, our future activists for ensuring good fishing for years to come. Teach them well in the beginning, and our grandkids will thank you!

So, with the importance understood, follow these steps to insure a successful fishing trip with your kids.

1. Keep it simple!
I’m talking a hook, a split shot, a bobber, and a nighcrawler. It’s a simple combination that kids can understand, and the bobber gives a visual aspect to fishing that will hold their interest longer. The bobber also helps the parents keep track of where the bait is. Parents with little or no fishing experience will find this set up very convenient, and I would recommend that they learn fishing with the same set up. This rig will catch any species of fish on any body of water.

2. Fish for action, not size!
Kids need a quick pace to keep their interest. It is vital that they start out fishing where bites will be easy to come by. Bluegills, sunfish, and small bass are perfect for this type of action, as these fish live shallow most of the year, and are easy find. All of the desert lakes and urban lakes will have these fish readily available. Catfish and trout can also be a good option if they are fished for shortly after stocking. Check with the game and fish department for their stocking schedule, and be there shortly after for some fast action.

3. Kids need praise!
This is where some careful planning and understanding will come in handy. Kids will no doubt make bad casts, fling the hook around like a flying gaff, and probably drop the rod a time or two. That’s okay, if it’s expected! Do yourself a favor, and smash the barb of the hook flat with a pair of pliers. Not only does it make unhooking the fish easier, but it makes unhooking the parents easier as well. You will be unhooking both. Let them know they’re doing a great job, and show excitement when things are going well. Their opinion will be forged as much from your reaction, as their catch success. If they do something wrong, explain it to them, and teach them how to do it right. This is the time to leave the short temper at home.

4. Keep it about the kids!
We all have visions of what the perfect first fishing trip should look like. We’re fishing side by side with our kids, they’re making perfect casts, and the fish are biting like crazy. Although this can be the case, it can also be the complete opposite of what we actually experience. If the kids decide 2 minutes in to the fishing that they’d rather throw rocks, let them throw rocks. If they want to play with the bugs, or splash through the water, let them. This is their outing. In the beginning, it’s all about having fun. Their version of fun, not ours. If the first few trips consist of 3 casts and 2 hours of skipping rocks, then great. They’ll come around.

5. Teach them about conservation!
I know what you’re thinking, boring! I agree, it can be, but I’m not talking about saving the forest or global warming, I’m talking about simple and interesting things about nature and preservation. For instance, when they catch a fish, hold it for them. Show them the fins and how the fish use them to swim. Show them the eyes and how they see through the water. If you don’t know these things, learn them. More importantly, teach them catch and release. Teach them that by releasing the fish, it will be alive to reproduce, and that will create hundreds of more fish for the future. If you bring fish home, teach them to only bring home what they can eat, and releases the rest. This is the time when kids will learn the importance and integrity of conservation. Teach them well.

While there are never any guarantees in fishing, following these simple steps will surely bring success on your next fishing adventure with your kids. Remember the steps, teach them well, and have fun! See you on the River