Kid Activities If the Fish Aren’t Biting

                Anyone who has taken children fishing can tell you that the success of the outing often depends on the cooperation of the fish.  There is nothing better than hitting the right spot at the right time with the right bait.  These moments will have a lasting effect on the young angler.  On the other hand, most kids will quickly loose interest when the bite is slow, which can turn into a bad experience for both the child and the parent alike.  With a little help from my wife, I have compiled a few tips to make sure your trip is enjoyable for both you and your children.  Maybe I should have said, “A lot of help from my wife”, since she has been the one who has saved a few of our outings.  To me, a fishing trip meant fishing and only fishing, but when children are involved, I soon found out how wrong I was.

                The first step in preparation for your venture is doing your homework.  I check all the fishing reports and talk to all the anglers I can in order to find the fishery where people are consistently catching fish, and what they are catching them on.  Most of the time this works.  The kids and I have had several trips where we caught over 50 fish in a single day, because I did my homework. 

                The second step is to have a “Plan B”, in case the fish aren’t biting.  If you are taking a boat, this is easy.  An inner tube, a set of water skis, and swim trunks will take their mind off of the fish.  If you are fishing from shore, there are a number of activities readily available.  One of our kid’s favorite is a treasure hunt.  This is fun for the whole family, especially when the water level is down at the lake.  You would be surprised how much tackle is hidden amongst the rocks and trees.  You also wouldn’t believe how excited a kid can get when he finds a plastic worm, a hook, or even a bobber.  But the find of all finds is a lure.  Dad also enjoys the discovery of a lure, especially the Rico’s, etc., since I have surely added several to various treasure hunters tackle boxes.

                Another activity that can be done at any waterway is a skipping rocks contest.  Find yourself an area away from fellow fishermen and have at it.  The kids can do this for quite some time before losing interest.  We usually pack a football, horseshoes, or any other sort of recreational toys along as a backup also.

                Whenever you are fishing a lake where trout is the target, it is a good idea to throw a little bacon in the ice chest.  We discovered this on a trip to Woods Canyon some time ago.  We were on a trip in the Payson area when we decided to check out the lake.  The fish were not cooperating, the kids were beginning to complain, and they were ready to leave.  I just wanted to relax and enjoy the day whether the fish were biting or not.  It was at this time when I noticed a family wrapping bacon on the end of a stick, placing it amongst the rocks, and catching crawdads.  Their father, seeing my boys watching their every move, came over with a few strips of bacon.  That was it.  We went on to catch over 100 crawdads in a couple of hours, and a few of them were monsters.  It was nearing dark and the only complaining now was that we were leaving.  The kids still, occasionally talk about that day.

                These were just a few of the things we have done when the fishing turned bad for the kids.  There really are countless activities one could do in this situation.  The important thing is to keep it fun for the children.  Fishing is a great heritage and past time to pass on to our children and their memories should be positive.  Have fun, and take a kid fishing.  Kip Pollay (AZOD)