With the Fly Fishing festival coming up in a few months, I’m thinking of taking my 4 yr old to check it out. They’re offering a free casting class for kids and I’m wondering if he might too young for it. At what age did you all start your kids fly fishing? I definitely want to expose him to it and let him make his own decision, so I want his experiences to be good ones. Is trying to start him this early a bad idea? Living as close to a trout stream as we do, it might make for a good outlet for some of his energy.
So when did you start your children fly fishing. . .or fishing period?
I would suggest that a 4 year old is a bit young to try fly fishing. I would suggest bait fishing as a first introduction to fishing. At 4 years old you have a few things going against you - unless you have a very advanced 4 year old - attention span and co-ordination. 4 year old don’t process abstract concepts very well and the timing of the cast is somewhat of an abstract concept. Kids don’t like to wait, and you have to wait on the backcast, and 4 year olds, [and even some big 4 year olds that are actually 20+] don’t like to wait. I think your 4 year old will have a lot more fun with a worm and a closed face spinning reel, at least for a few more years.
Glad to see that you are eager to introduce him to fishing and I don’t think that its ever too early for that.
I started at 8 or 9, and would not have been able to do it any earlier, and didn’t really get into it until I was 12 or 13, and in another 30 years have become competent. I really don’t see a 4 year old having a lot of fun with it. I would wait until you hear, “Can I try that?”.
Yes she wanted to start when she was 4 years old. Thing is, we would fish for 20 minutes and throw rocks in the water for hours. As she got older we fished more and threw rocks less.
One thing, when you do start them, (and there is NO definate age) make sure they wear eye protection. I got lucky when she was young, and never had an issue. Now, if any of the Grandkids want to fish they with Pah Pa, they have to have eye wear.
My kids started summers on lake in Ontario when they were 3 and newborn. I was just starting fly fishing at the same time. They had great fun with a closed-face spinning reel and worms (that I put on the hook). My youngest would actually have as much fun sitting in the bottom of the canoe playing with the worms as he did fishing. Fishing for even easily caught perch, the best game/challenge was, “Can you catch 4 fish when you are 4?”, “Can you catch 5 fish when you are 5?”. That about matched their attention span and also marked - for both of us - a time limit. Yes I heard, “Can I try that?” - but that’s what they wanted -to try it, not do it. I agree that maybe about 10 it the right age because by that time they will not only have the muscles and understanding, but they will also be old enough to be left alone on the dock or river without your constant attention.
Good luck with it though, there is nothing better than fishing with your kid. My 4 year-old grandson did catch a perch this summer on spinning gear at the lake. He had a great time retrieving the lures, I did the casting.
When my wife and I were planning to have a family I started researching this top by talking to other parents who were anglers. I also found a couple of books on this topic including an excellent book by the late Phil Genova titled “First Cast: Teaching Kids to Fly-Fish”. Mr. Genova was a fly fishing instructor at Cornell University and developed a Youth Fly Fishing and Environmental Education Program their. The book is still in print. The book contains a lot of basic fly fishing and tying instructional information, most of which you will probably already know, but is great for a parent and child learning together, with a lot of commentary oriented specifically towards then needs of children. As it turned out, we have not been blessed with children but the book has found its way in the hands several parents and helped them work with their children.
Early in the book he address the question “When to start” his answer:
“When they are ready, when their interest is piqued and you’re not forcing them, then start with fly tying” [page 22 of the book]
He goes on to note that fly tying can be done any day, any time, regardless of weather. Some children can start learning to tie as early as age three. Starting with spin casting gear is addressed, even using flies tied by the child.
I know several parents who have started with 4-5 year olds by tying with their child in their lap
The youngest child that I know of who is able to make a relatively presentable and safe cast is 6yrs old but it seems that more seem to pick it up better if they are a bit older. My brother would sit in a boat with his 6 year old in his lap and make the cast and then they would both hold the rod. If a fish was hooked the child could reel it. Before the age of 6 that child wasn’t interested in fishing. That child is now 10 and likes to fish but still prefers spincast gear as do his two youngest children. The youngest became interested at age 3 because he saw dad fishing with his oldest sibling. It seems that with most of the fly angling parents that I know, their children, if they were interested in fishing, really started to become interested in fly fishing around ages 10-14 with some younger, some older, and some not at all. The one thing I learned from my experience as a camp counselor for troubled children is that each child is different in their interests and maturity so there are not hard and fast rules.
I don’t think it’s ever too early to expose a kid to fishing (fly or otherwise), but 4 is a little young to expect much in terms of results. The trick is to get them to the water, then let their interest build as their attention span does. 4 is a great age to get a kid interested in the buggier side-- watching for bugs, learning to identify them and so forth. That and throwing rocks in the water, but if you get them to the water as soon as possible, the rest will come. The most important thing though is not to force it.
I think I started fishing at about age 4 when our parents decided me and my brothers were old enough to give it a try. I still remember the first fish I caught was a shiner on a worm. It wasn’t long before we were bugging our dad to take us fishing at every chance we got. I think my dad was relieved when we finally got old enough so our parents would let us go down to the creek by ourselves.
Took my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter to a local fly show. She loved it. We came home and she sat on my lap and tied flies with me. They had to be pink but, we tied flys. Got her a spinning rig for Christmas.
I fished early with my grandfather, bait rod and worms (and I helped catch the worms too.) I begged and begged and at 11 he finally took pity and taught me to cast his telescopic steel fly rod…with a hard-cover book under my elbow. (I didn’t learn to tie flies until JC and I were married in 1973.) I think attention span and physical ability to “stop the rod” are important. I also recommend Phil’s book - he had given us permission to run the book here on FAOL in chapters not long before his untimely death in the Florida Keys, but it was a verbal permission and we did not receive written proof. I tried to get it from the publisher who told me to forget it. Too bad, I think we could have helped a lot of folks with that.
It continually amazes me how we, as adults, don’t seem to get it that kids learn by example most of the time. They are watching you do something and they want to do the same thing, just like Dad or Grampa (or Mom and Grandma). If you are bait fishing, they will want to do it that way. If you are fly fishing, they will want to do it that way. Kids that age learn by mimicking so let them mimic! It doesn’t take them long to get the hang of casting and who cares if they are perfect at it? As long as they get the fly in the water and catch a fish or two, they will have fun.
I keep a 6 1/2’ Wright McGill Featherweight rod around for the grandkids to “try”. Cheap graphite reel and cheap line. Bright yellow so it isn’t laid down and forgotten and if it is laid down, it’s less likely to get stepped on.
My Grandchildren all fish with me, but I’ve always waited until they have ASKED to go. Then I buy them a spincast outfit of their choice (Spiderman, Cinderella, etc) & I don’t fish as I’m just the “helper”. That being said, Granddaughter Tori (now 7) is “the REST of the story”. She was 2 when she started fishing with Grandpa & we went every week. After awhile, she started insisting that I fish too, so on one trip I made some casts with my good 3wt while she was eating her lunch. Before I knew it, she was trying to fly cast that spincast rod & it was a MESS! I laid my rod down (with some line still laying out). As I was untangling her line, I caught some movement to my left…here’s what I was able to get on film…
She actually made a few more casts that day, stripped line & all & caught some nice 'gills.
Here she is casting the 'boo that Uncle Jack Hise made & sent to her…
Other than the previous stated start, all the others are permitted to reel in fish on the fly rod. I may not be nurturing the next “Castwell”, but we are sure building memories. Here are the 4 of 'em admiring a “catch”…
These trips are not all fishing either. We play with dogs, visit farm animals. It’s all what they want to do.
Mike
I can’t wait for the weather to warm up a bit so that I can take him to the river one afternoon. I’m really hoping that he’ll enjoy the water as much as I do. This summer might turn out to be the summer of woods, streams and lakes if he does. My father-in-law is itching to take him to the deer woods too. Thanks everyone for the replies. We’re going to be at the VA FF Festival in April if anyone else is going to be there. I’m hoping that seeing all the cool ‘stuff’ there will help to pique his interest.
My son was tying extremely well by 6 and has won most of the prizes at the last 6 fly tying competitions we have entered (he has let me take second a few times though) and that would be at 15-17 and competing against seasoned tyers.
He caught his first solo salmon, a silver, at 3 on bait. To this day he much prefers trout. At 15 he learned to cast a two-hander and has gone over to that dark side whenever the option is open. Denny was there when he was taught, IIRC. At about 7 he stopped using anything but a fly rod aside from halibut and lingcod fishing.
I remember explaining the reach cast to him at about 10 and how well he dropped a fly on the back side of a log where an obvious pike hung… He can easily cast an entire flyline in any reasonable setting but he is also well over 6’ with an armspan of nearly 7’ and uses it all. Getting him to come off the river is not easy… he can fish nonstop for days…
art
on one trip I made some casts with my good 3wt while she was eating her lunch. Before I knew it, she was trying to fly cast that spincast rod & it was a MESS! I laid my rod down (with some line still laying out). As I was untangling her line, I caught some movement to my left…here’s what I was able to get on film…
She actually made a few more casts that day, stripped line & all & caught some nice 'gills.
Here she is casting the 'boo that Uncle Jack Hise made & sent to her…
She looks as good as 3/4 of the folks I see on the stream. She wanted you to fish so she could see how it was supposed to be done. Spin fishing might be OK, but it isn’t the way Grampa does it.
Kevin,
Thanks for the kind words. Tori is very much a “visual” learner & a quick learner.
They are having a lot of fun, but that’s the joy of farm ponds. They fish, play with the dogs, visit the horses & cows, & always have big hugs for the pond owners (who all just LOVE 'em!). On the few occasions we keep a few smaller (6-7" ) 'gills for a fish fry, they hand them to me, wash them, then they do all the breading (yes, I clean up!). I think they’re the best Grandkids ever, but then who DOESN’T think that about theirs? For me, fishing with children beats fishing with adults ANY day!
Mike
I starting fishing with my dad just before I was two. (worm bobber stuff). I took my grandson for his first fly fishing lesson when he was around 18 months old.
He sat on my lap and we “dapped” for bluegills. (He scored a little bass here) My hand was on the rod and him at all times. It wasn’t about fishing so much as it was a great way to keep him entertained and enjoying being outdoors on a nice day. He was able to watch the bluegills come up and take the surface fly and watch the wild life on the pond as well.
The following year we did pretty much the same thing. At three we were still doing pretty much the same thing…only this time a big rainbow took the fly. I don’t have a photo of that because he didn’t want to get that close to the fish. lol At four I had him holding the rod on his own. (Use a tether if your smart.) I showed him how to roll cast. I didn’t allow a full basic cast. I modified a rod and reel set up. (Short 2/3wt with some backing and a short section of old fly line). He was doing pretty well with the blue gills. I still removed the fish for him and tie on the flies.
I don’t think 4 is too young to get them started. Just be patient and don’t expect too much. They also have VERY SHORT attentions spans…so if you want to keep him actively fishing…take him somewhere where there a lot of bluegills. If he can see them, then all the better. They don’t have to be big ones.
This is Ben at 4…
I only get to take out fishing once or twice a year. I don’t expect much. I also don’t expect to be out all day. It’s good to plan a short outing or make it varied with other activities…like maybe Geocaching and have lots of little snacks. If your really smart, you’ll take him home while he’s still having a good time. (this makes them eager to go again) Don’t wait until he comes to you saying he’s had enough.
As for letting him try at the show. No harm in that. I’ve watched Joe Humphreys coach a young kids on more than one occation. He had them casting within a couple of minutes. You can always fashion and indoor casting rod out of half of an old rod and some jumbo yarn. They can’t hurt much with that.
