I need to learn to fish, as I'm tired of "Uncle _____" being the go to guy for my sons' fishing adventures and Hell's Kitchen or Masterchef being the guide to cleaning them.

The most fishing I have done was back when Abe Lemons was around to carry me to the tank when he came out.

With young kids I need to be able to make sure they (and my wife) know enough to not get hurt, for those times when I have to be doing work on the farm when they want to fish.

I have access to tanks that have good fish (bass, catfish and perch), and we caught a few the other day when I had 15 minutes to scratch it off the list for my oldest.

If you were teaching a youngster anything about fishing, cleaning fish, and cooking it, what rules and tricks would you tell them?

Any good advice is appreciated. If things go well, I want to read the boys this thread at bedtime as a treat before prayers.

Thanks!

For me, the easiest, most active and enjoyable way to fish in Texas is for bass with either a Texas rigged worm or a simple spinner bait….and I don't eat them. Google around to learn these two methods. Very simple.

This is the best resource all around for fishing. Start with Angling 101, and grow from there!


Bass Resources

Youtube and practice in the yard with a plug or hookless lure. If you are in Texas, TPWD has events that teach folks HERE

Correct. I just would prefer to avoid ER trips due to mishandling of hooks and other preventable injuries with a little proper training.

Effectively the hunters education course for fishing.

For sure.

We used something that had 2 treble hooks on it, popping in the water, that was already rigged up.

Glad it was only a 10" bass we caught or the method my wife wanted to use to get the hook out was going to result in issues.

Sometimes minnows or worms and a bobber is all you need to enjoy the time with your kids. Find a place that has a cleaning station, teach (or remind, if you've already done so) the blade always goes away.

Don't stress about butchering some cleaning. There's more fish to be caught. If you want to really land on fish, check the earlier posts with links. Fishing can be an art, a science, or an excuse to hang out

Be encouraging. My daughter didn't want to bait the hook, didn't want to spend all her time with lures, but I'll never forget those moments. Just have fun. Best advice is above: don't be afraid to not know everything.

Good luck, and may the Lord bless you with smashing daily limits

I caught a lot of fish in stock tanks with a Zebco 33, H&Hs and beetle spins. You can make lots of memories with those and a pocketknife.

JoeAggie1010 said:

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This is the best resource all around for fishing. Start with Angling 101, and grow from there!


Bass Resources

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Bad link.

Is this it? https://www.bassresource.com/

Best way to contact you?

Thanks for the assist.

milkman00 said:

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We used something that had 2 treble hooks on it, popping in the water, that was already rigged up.

Glad it was only a 10" bass we caught or the method my wife wanted to use to get the hook out was going to result in issues.

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Treble hooks = trouble hooks.

milkman00 said:

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Best way to contact you?

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7won3
Ate1niner
6too3to

Where are you located?

There could be some folks close by willing to help.

Got it. Thanks.

Central Texas

I started with a Zebco 33 and a cheap rod. Had a spinner bait called a "piggy boat". That really caught bass. Then I discovered the plastic worm pre-rigged with weedless hooks. That also worked. Then one day my line kept breaking. It turns the top rod guide had a groove worn into it. No more cheap rods. I went ahead and got a 5500C and a better rod. I was in high school by then. I have always preferred bait casters after that. The only problem with minnows for bass fishing is that the fish swallow the bait and hook. It's very hard to remove the hook. Even sunfish will do that with live worms. I used artificials. Early in the morning and just before dark are great times for topwater plugs. I think kids would love that action. I no longer have tanks to fish in, though. I really miss it.

Go with a guide a few times. You'll get the kids hooked on fishing and should learn enough to venture out on your own. There's plenty of guides that are great with kids and wouldn't mind showing you how to properly clean a fish.

With kids starting out, keep it simple and try to keep it so that they're going to be busy catching fish. They won't care what size as long as they're getting bit. It also helps to make it about other lessons in the outdoors. Like just whittling a stick with a pocket knife.

Anyway, no need to go crazy.

Start with Zebco 33 combo.

Get a small package of split shot weights, assorted hooks,and bobbers. Some of the hooks will be lightweight enough that a 5# bass or catfish might straighten the hook but otherwise you'll be fine.

You'll also want some needle nose pliers for hook removal and a cheap pair of small scissors for cutting line. You can also use the scissors to cut up nightcrawlers in to smaller chunks. Lots of Academy locations will have a small fridge in the fishing section that sells nightcrawlers. They might also have crickets or grasshoppers too. Any one of them will work. For catfish you can cut up hot-dogs into chunks maybe a 1/2" thick and then cut that into a half-circle shape.

Learn to a simple clinch knot and you're in business.

Depending on the depth, set the bobber 12-18" above the hook and put a little split shot on the line to get the bait down. If there are any kind of bream in the area you'll know pretty quickly.

I took 2 tykes out yesterday and we had Zebco 33s with bobbers, split shots and perch hooks. Caught mucho bluegills, redears and a turtle. All they talked about the rest of the day was the turtle. We used earthworms and wax worms I bought at Petco.

Mash all the barbs on all the hooks (lures too) w needle nose pliers…it will prevent damaging fish and make it easier to remove from skin should there be an accident.

Worms and minners need a barb to stay on.

Thanks everyone. I'll spend time surfing those sites when I can. Was a long day after Kinder graduation ceremony this morning. Had a good lunch with a bunch of farmers, he got to crawl around some of their half million $ tractors, was given a bucket of sweet corn he shucked with his grandmother while I was prepping the work truck to cut hay tonight, he got to see me kill a 3ft rattler I saw 3 ft from me with a hoe, learned why I always warn people to peek into the barn before stepping inside, and he won a Surefire as a door prize at the flashlight store. And we may have snuck in the exit at Costco 5 min after closing to get him a hot dog for supper and batteries for his walkie talkies.

He loves the fishing pole and tackle box we got him for Christmas, and Mom does a good job getting him stuff for his box.

Can someone tell me when a person would want a double treble hook lure vs the single large hook spinner baits I remember using when I bought me a baitcaster (and realized how good I could make a birds nest)?

What's the best way to get out hooks when dealing with bass vs catfish?

Any good recipes for cooking stuff up? I think I have a fish fry setup we inherited that I would like to use Memorial weekend if we get time with the extended family in town. Bass and catfish.

How do you know how much you should throw back vs harvest in any given tank?

Thanks.

Open water without a lot of cover on a fast moving lure you can use trebles. They are slashing at a fast lure. And no cover to get snagged on. If you are going to be keeping fish to eat.....trebles damage the fish much worse so no worries there.

Slow moving lure or in thick grass and brush use a single hook. If you are going to be releasing fish a single hook does less damage to the fish.

When you get your confidence up singles are fine..... especially in schooling fish so you can unhook faster and easier without poking a lot of holes in your fish.

When you have very clear water in a farm pond the fish the predator/prey balance gets out of whack. You end up with big head skinny bass and giant bream. Need to take out hundreds of fish when it gets like that. Every bass you catch and all the giant bream gotta go.....Need to fertilize the water to initiate an algae bloom.....and that starts the food cycle. Also clouds up the water some so the predator prey relationship is in better balance.

I like to cut the fish up into chicken nugget size chunks. Get some of that red liquid crab boil concentrate. Make a bath of buttermilk and that liquid crab boil concentrate. Let em soak in that for your seasoning. Then roll em in 50/50 with fish fry/flake mashed potatos. Then fry em up and eat as finger food. The crab boil concentrate is a lil sweet lil spicy seasoning.....and the flake mashed potatos gives it the crunch.... kids and adults love it.

Astroag said:

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Mash all the barbs on all the hooks (lures too) w needle nose pliers…it will prevent damaging fish and make it easier to remove from skin should there be an accident.

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This is great advice if you're worried about safety with kids, and not a bad idea even for experienced fishermen. Easier to remove from fish, easier to remove from your own flesh, and easier to remove from clothing. You won't lose too many fish as a result, especially once your kids learn to keep proper pressure on the fish.

Also if you're fishing live bait and wind up gut hooking a bunch of fish that you'd rather not kill, consider using circle hooks. They work REALLY well at solidly hooking fish in the corner of their mouth. I personally think a barbless or crimped barb circle hook actually gives more secure hookups than a barbed J hook or treble. You just need to adjust how you set the hook, just reel up slack until you feel pressure from the fish, don't jerk the rod to set the hook. It violates some people's fishing instincts to set the hook like that, but it's probably easier for a kid to learn this method than a jerking hookset.