Take Your Kid Fishing

If you have kids and you’ve taken them fishing from your boat, we don’t have to tell you how much they love the experience. Boat fishing is fun, fishing with kids is fun, and putting the two together is the best of both worlds. If you have a Lund boat, you even get to have all that fun in comfort and style. But fishing with kids can be a bit different from fishing with adults, and to make the most of the experience, you’ll want to keep a few specifics in mind.

Safety first

First off, safety comes first. Since a Lund delivers quality construction with marine-grade foam floatation (even in models that don’t require it) and a smoother, drier ride than the competition, we’ve got the entire family covered as far as the boat’s safety goes. But you’ll also want to make sure kids have comfortable, properly-fitted life jackets, plenty of hydration, and sun protection in hot weather.

Also make sure the kids understand an established set of rules (such as no running or jumping, staying seated while cruising, keeping away from the hooks, and so on). When kids are aboard it’s also a good idea to put away the lures with treble hooks, which tend to snag clothes and body parts more often than single hooks.

Have fun

Having fun is the next most important thing, and with kids aboard, that does mean keeping a few additional considerations in mind. Kids have a shorter attention span than adults, they’re more easily distracted, and catching “the big one” isn’t nearly as important as making the overall experience enjoyable. Don’t worry so much about loading the cooler or catching “Big Bubba,” because that probably won’t be the kids’ focus, and waiting around for bites can cause boredom—which should be avoided at all costs.

Make sure it’s a fun trip above all else, and you’ll soon be creating new anglers who will be begging to go fishing again at the drop of a hat.

Pro Tips

Hear what Lund pro angler Dave Wasness has to say about making sure the kids have a great time.

·        Bring a lot of snacks. You can never have too many snacks while fishing with kids.

·        Make the day memorable! If it’s really hot, go for a quick swim. If the bite is slow, go for a joy ride and see how fast your Lund boat will go. Or, find a school of sunfish and let the kids do all the catching.

·        Ask them what fish they want to target and how they want to fish, and let them pick out the lure to use.

·        Bring live bait. Every kid I’ve had in my boat loves to play with the minnows and look at the crawlers and leeches.

·        Use rod holders often. My three-year-old daughter can’t hold a long rod and reel at the same time, so I keep the rod in a rod holder pointing up at a 45-degree angle. That way all she needs to do is reel—it works slick.