Rookie Fisherman-Suggestions??

[Realtree]

Hey Team MNO, I am looking for your help and suggestions. After many years of being a Whitetail Deer hunter, I am now looking to get into some fishing with my 6 year old son. I grew up fishing around S Central MN with my folks but don't really feel like I'm "in the game" right now with what is happening in the world of fishing.  ??? I haven't fished at all for about 18-20 years.  :(

We will mainly be fishing from shore or docks at several of the lakes here in our local area, and branching out with friends and family that have boats a couple times this summer hopefully as well.

We have the basics as of our trip to Cabela's this afternoon: rods/reels, weights, bobbers, leaders, a couple northern lures, and a small assortment of Walleye and Panfish hook lures for use with live bait.

What I am looking for from you all is this: What other things besides the above listed would be helpful in making our fishing outings more successful and productive. I want to keep it as simple as possible until we get a good understanding of what we are doing, but I also want to have some success and fun with my son as well. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks all.

[JohnWester]

if you are going to be mainly fishing from shore, i'd stick wioth panfish and northern/bass rigs.
for panfish, you can't go wrong with flu-flus.  also for bobbers go with a basic slipbobber.  I like the "wing-it" slip bobbers.  mister twisters are also a good cast and retrieve all purpose lure.
don't forget a minnow bucket.

[Realtree]

Thanks for the great feedback BFG.

You are correct, I was thinking of mainly sticking with panfish and Bass/Northerns to start out with. I did pick up a Mepps Musky Killer and a 7"  Rapala F18 SFC Balsa lure with the rest of our purchases today as well.

I will grab the minnow bucket when I go back for live bait for our first outing.
Thanks again. I appreciate the feedback.

[Fishahollik]

Can't go wrong with a bobber and hook with a piece of crawler on  it. Especially around docks for sunfish, keeps the kids happy! also gets them interested faster if they are catching fish! Good luck!

[holdemtwice]

well u know.........bobbers ,hooks ,a little weight ,and some LIVE bait lol  any way  waxies are good in the summer for  pan fish  as well as angles. my company is going to do a test market on green angles. so if you would like some free bait to test just let me know . i will need feed back to see if its worth my time
  the folks in texas from the lab tested  green angles and said they caught three to every one regular. not bad.
  i agree with the minnow bucket. crappie minnows from the dock could be a great time for all. if you want to get into crankslet me know. i can meet you and we can toss a few of mine .  anyways  good luck  sounds like you are well on your way

                                                    scott

[fishercz20]

Enjoy your Son. They grow up to Fast!

[JD]

OR, the end of April through the middle to the end of May, you will be able to catch panfish all day long around the docks.  Try to locate some docks to fish around and just drop a line right next to the dock with a piece of crawler,and you will be able to catch 'em all day long, your son will have a blast!

[guythathunts]

If you get burnt out from catching "lil ones" a good way to produce bigger fish from shore is the use of a sucker minnow on the bottom or with a bigger bobber. Also don't be afraid of the rivers. I saw that you are from Owatana. I used to fish about 20 yards down streem from the dam right there in town with sucker minnows and catch 2-5lb Pike all day long. It is a great little treasure right there in town. Have fun and keep your rod tipp up! ~ Greg

[Realtree]

WOW>>>>>>Thanks for all the great advice and suggestions guys. That really helps out alot.

I knew this was the place to be for all things outdoors. The helpfulness and generousity of the members and staff here still continues to amaze me. We have the best outdoorsman (and women) on the planet right here at MNO I believe.

 :rock:

[holdemtwice]

i second that :rock:

[Mayfly]

This summer once things get rolling if you feel like heading up to the cities for some river fishing i'd show you a good time. I grew up fishing the ol' Miss and I have some good shore spots that will surely keep a kid busy. Have him reel in a few 10 lb carp swimming with the current and he'll really be hooked. The fun thing about the river is you never know whats going to be on the end of your line....carp, smallmouth, white bass, catfish, crappies, walleyes, n. pike.....the list goes on :)

[Realtree]

Thanks for the offer Mayfly. I would definitely like to take you up on that sometime this summer. I'll be in touch, or if you are planning any outing and want some company, give me shout or drop me a PM and I'll see if I can make it up there.     

[Lee Borgersen]

Tips for Fishing with Kids

 

Avoid the kid?s stuff
A quality ultra-light spinning or spin cast rod
and reel combo is usually easier for kids to use.

Small hooks = big catches
Avoid hooks larger than size 10 (hook sizes run backwards - size 12 is smaller than size 10).
Fish won?t readily take large hooks unless they are feeding voraciously. Most of the time, a subtle presentation is needed to catch wary fish. Tiny hooks also allow small fish to ?inhale? the bait, rather than nibble the bait of the hook. If a fish swallows the hook and you want to return it to the water, simply cut the line as close to the hook as possible and release the fish.

Lighten up your line
Light line will do the job, preferably 6-pound test line or less. Unless you?re targeting monster catfish or marauding muskies, light line is your best bet.

Bag the big bobbers
Bobbers (or floats) are used to suspend your bait in the water and to alert you when to set the hooks. The harder the bobber is to pull under, the harder it will be to hook a fish. Small floats will help convince the fish to take your tasty bait and run. ?Slip? bobbers work well for kids. Slip bobber rigs cut down on the amount of line needed at the end of the rod and are easier to cast. Small ice fishing bobbers can provide a light touch any time of year.

Sink it with shot
Sinkers help get your line down to the fish. They can also create ?zero buoyancy.? Ideally, you want your bobber to just barely float on the top of the water. Squeeze small BB-sized split shot sinkers onto your line one at a time until your bobber nearly sinks from the weight. Since there is very little resistance when the fish takes the bait, it is more likely to bite the bait and run.


Great big gobs of worms won?t do
There?s no need to use whole whopping-big, writhing night crawlers on your hook. Keep the bait approximately the size of your hook. Live bait such as worms, beemoths or crickets work best. Cut the bait to fit your hook.