Photo by CC user Florida Fish and Wildlife on Flickr.
If you are after adventure and the promise of a prize catch, saltwater fishing has the potential to be more exciting than freshwater, so the lure of the sport is there for all to see when you think about the waves, wind and big fish that go hand in hand with saltwater fishing.
If you want to get your kids hooked on the sport, you will need to teach them all about things like Aloha lures and everything else that they need to know to enjoy an activity that could become a hobby for life.
Pick a good day to get them started
You might enjoy the challenge of a capturing a prize fish in the driving rain and strong winds, but if that is the first experience of saltwater fishing that your kids get, it might just spoil their appetite for the sport.
If you can pick a day, or at least a good morning, where the weather is going to be good, this can be the perfect opportunity for taking your child out on their first saltwater fishing adventure, allowing them to concentrate on learning the basics, rather than worrying about the weather.
Go where the easy fish might be
The ultimate purpose is obviously to catch a fish, so in an ideal world, you want to take your kids to a venue where you have the best chance of landing a catch.
If you have been fishing for a while, you will almost certainly know of a few spots where you have a better than average chance of landing a fish, even if it is only a small prize.
There will be other days to test their skills and try and land something more substantial, so the main purpose of the first trip is to teach them the basics and give them a good shot at experiencing the feeling of landing a fish, which will definitely get them hooked.
It takes time
You only have to think about some of the other things you may have already taught your kids to do, like riding their bike, to know that you need to show a fair amount of patience and give them time to get things right.
Let them make mistakes and learn from them. Don’t lose your patience, and try to take a positive approach by encouraging then when they get something right, but concentrate on a better way of doing things rather than focusing on what is right or wrong.
Their future fishing fun is in your hands
The majority of kids will definitely have a fun time when they go fishing, provided you make every effort to ensure that they have a positive experience when they first go out with you.
A combination of great weather, plenty of positive encouragement and patience from you, to go along with the helpful instructions, should all combine to allow them to see the lure of saltwater fishing, and keep coming back for more.
Andrew Hope has two boys ages 7 and 10, and as a keen outdoor adventurer Andrew is keen to instil in his kids a passion for nature and the great outdoors. He writes about family activities and teaching kids your own hobby.