Fishing with Kids (tips to make it fun for all)

Hi I’m Andrea (also known as Rofomom). I’m a stay at home mother of 3 living in Royersford!

On my blog, REAL life in Rofo, I connect with my community by sharing about healthy living, parenting and daily life.

Last May I completed my first Half-marathon and plan to complete my first full marathon in November!

This summer my family has been busy doing it all. One of the things we enjoy doing as a family is going fishing. It is a relatively inexpensive hobby and in this area there are several different fishing holes to try without driving very far.

My 6 year old, Kyle, waiting for a fish to bite!

Over the years, my husband and I have found that WE enjoy fishing a lot more when our children have something to hold their attention as well! At the ages of 2,6 and 9, they aren’t as patient as we would like them to be when it comes to casting the line and waiting for a fish to bite!

Here are a few ideas to help pass the time while parents AND kids enjoy this fun sport:

Bring a BUCKET – add water to this and you have some instant fun, especially once you catch something. The children enjoy watching the fish swim around in the bucket and observing the different characteristics of each fish. They may even be courageous enough to touch one! We always release what we catch and the kids enjoy pouring the fish back when we are ready to go home.

A Little Frog

Some BIG Tadpoles



My 2 year old is HOLDING a fish! My 6 year old is trying to get one, too! My 9 year old is reading a book!



Bring a NET (or 2!) – One with a shorter handle and one with a long handle (if possible). When the kids get bored of casting and reeling in their lines, they have fun catching frogs, tadpoles, and smaller fish with their nets. (This is another reason the BUCKET is useful!)

We used duct tape and a broom handle to extend the handle for one of our nets!

SWIM SHOES or( water shoes) – footwear is important. We find that “croc-style” shoes or standard swimming shoes are nice to have along water’s edge. It makes exploring so much more fun!

A POLE for Everyone – even our little guy, Andrew needed to have his own pole. He was watching everyone else cast their line and wanted to cast his, too! This year we made him a pole from a stick, fishing line, bobber, and a hook (made from a swivel). He needed something we could add “bait” to.

Swivels

CANNED CORN – we have found this to be an excellent bait! It’s easy to store, cheap and the children are very comfortable handling it. Give it a try! We caught every fish in this post with canned corn!

We divide the corn into baggies and give everyone their own bag.

A Trout, 3 Catfish and a Sunny!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas and that your next “family” fishing adventure is a fun one for all!

Happy Fishing!

For more EXPERT advice and musings on fishing in our area visit Troutrageous!

Please visit REAL life in Rofo for more “real life” adventures in parenting, healthy living, and other things!