Page 12 - 2020 May/June Outdoor Oklahoma

TRY THESE TIPS FOR TEACHING KIDS TO CAST

The excitement of young girls and boys when they catch their Here’s advice for anyone who wants to teach a child to cast
first fish is so fun to see. Then they want to catch another, and a fishing rod:
another. Soon they’re asking, “Can I hold the rod? Cast the bait • Start with an appropriate size rod. It should be small and
out? Put the worm on the hook? Reel the line in?” light. Small means 36 to 48 inches, or maybe 5 feet if the
The first ‘Fishing 101’ question I usually hear from mentors youngster is older. Use a kid’s fishing rod rather than an
is when to start taking kids fishing. The answer: As soon as adult’s fishing rod, or at least use something that would be
you want, but probably between the ages of 2 to 4, when they light and small for adults.
have good control of their bodies and movements, and can
communicate fairly well. That’s probably closer to age 4, and • Start only with spinning or spincasting gear, the latter
it’s when they have a little more attention, stamina, interest, and being a hands-down favorite for kids because it’s simple
patience. Ask yourself if the child is capable of holding the rod to use.
if he/she catches a moderate-size fish. • Consider starting with an underspin reel on a spinning
That leads to the question about when you can start teach- rod. Several companies make underspin reels, which are
ing a child to cast. Maybe age 4, probably 5, certainly 6. Most spincasting reels that feature a line-release trigger rather
5-year-olds can throw a ball, swing a baseball bat, and do other than a pushbutton line release, and are mounted under a
things requiring motor skills. But abilities and attitudes differ spinning rod handle rather than on top of a spincasting rod
among youths of the same age. Some are bigger, stronger, more handle. I’ve started many kids with such an outfit. It’s easy
coordinated, or simply more determined. Whatever their age, to master.
if they want to do it, get into your extreme-patience mode and • Here’s the most practical way of teaching a kid to cast
show them.
with a fishing rod: practice first on land in an open field,
not while also trying to catch fish on the water. Teaching
WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM a child to cast onshore gives him/her time to develop tim-
ing and coordination, and you can build up to increasing
accuracy by giving them distances to achieve (start short)
and broad target areas to shoot for.
• Set the gear up for left- or right-handed use, whichever is
appropriate. Let them do what comes naturally to them.
• Use practice casting plugs, which are aerodynamic
weight-forward rubber or plastic objects without hooks,
to start and to gain proficiency.
• After they develop some ability, have them practice casting
with something akin to what they’ll be angling with, but
without a hook (like a float rig).
• Make sure that the gear a child uses is in good condition,
especially the line, rod guides, and reel functions. It’s
exasperating and discouraging if the tackle is junk and/or
hampers their efforts.
• Stress safety with constant reminders to look behind them
when they’re about to cast. Eventually it will become sec-
ond nature.
• Once they’re casting on the water, work with them to con-
trol their casting around people on shore or in a boat, near
objects, and in closer quarters. You can’t always just rear
back and fire away, so have them always thinking about
the circumstances.
Finally, most younger anglers don’t need a fishing license.
In Oklahoma, resident youths 16 and younger do not require a
fishing license. If you’re an adult accompanying a youth, you’ll
generally need a license unless exempt.
(Ken Schultz, TakeMeFishing.org)

10 Off the Beaten Path