I wrote this column several years ago and I usually rerun it every summer when school is out. Since I’ve heard from several folks with grandkids coming to town for Christmas, I’m putting it back out for December. Here it is once again and hope you like it:
Fishing with kids is the best part of my job as a guide. I’ve always encouraged my customers to bring their children along on a charter, as long as they can walk and wear the mandatory life jackets.
Since most of my fishing is done in waist deep water, I feel totally comfortable doing this and I love being able to introduce them to some of the amazing things that I get to see on a daily basis. I've also raised a girl and boy of my own on the flats off Pine Island over the last several years, so I've definitely got a handle on it at this point. I still go out of my way to get them on the water as often as possible.
At the same time, kids can be tricky and restless on a small boat like my 18-foot Beavertail, so it’s important that they enjoy the experience right off the bat. The most important thing is a no-brainer: catch them something and do it quickly. Kids need bent rods and it really doesn’t matter what species are doing the bending.
A pinfish is as impressive to a five-year old as a blue marlin if it’s the first thing they’ve ever caught. Even the bait stealing blowfish that we adults hate can make a kid go crazy when they puff up on the deck. In other words, don’t waste your time stalking a pod of tarpon on the flats when piles of hardhead catfish are sitting right next to your dock.
Here in the waters around Pine Island, a big school of ladyfish is ideal when I have young, first-time anglers on the boat. I actually think these are the perfect species for kids because they do just about everything you want a fish to do when hooked. Ladyfish will jump, run, pull really hard, and they even poop all over the deck, which is something my son used to find hilarious. On top of all that, since we don’t eat ladyfish, you get a chance to teach them a catch and release lesson.
If you really want to give kids a thrill just cut up a ladyfish (again, something that boys especially love to watch) and toss a hunk out for sharks. When I was guiding in the Keys and had a kid on board, we were almost always sharking. Kids love everything about it, especially seeing that unmistakable shape circling the boat. The species of shark doesn’t matter.
The sluggish nurse sharks are as much fun as anything when the drag is cranked down and they’re thrashing at the surface. Here around Pine Island our most common sharks are the more aggressive bull and blacktips, so that’s an added thrill. Just be sure to keep the fingers away from these guys when you release them. You don't want to become the subject of a viral YouTube video.
If the bite slows and the kids start to get restless there are a few other tactics that will channel their energy. A full baitwell is as fascinating as the touch-tank at the Tampa Aquarium. Kids absolutely love to play in a baitwell. I can't emphasize that enough. It's a total day saver.
I usually keep several dozen live shrimp in mine along with a couple of pinfish and a declawed blue crab or two. I wait until we're out on the flats and then I'll hand them a dip net. After that, almost nothing else will grab their attention. They'll mess around in there for hours. The crabs are always a hit and they usually have names by the end of the trip.
Kids also like to play in a tackle box if they get bored, but you obviously don’t want them handling sharp hooks. I keep a clear Plano box full of dozens of cheap plastic baits on the boat all the time. I let the kids pick out their favorite color if we’re jig fishing and the realistic DOA shrimps are especially fun.
Even after they get everything mixed up in there, they always seem to enjoy putting it all back in order for me before we head home. Who knew fishing tackle could be so much fun and such a great distraction?
My kids always seemed to get incredibly hungry the moment they stepped on the boat. It didn't matter if they had breakfast 20 minutes earlier; they immediately started asking from snacks. This is where I always gave in with the junk food.
Giving my son Oreos and juice boxes first thing in the morning might not win me Father of the Year, but it kept him happy and the sugar crash a few hours later made for a peaceful ride home. I'm a fishing guide, not a pediatrician, so please don't judge me on this one.
Finally, when the kids are ready to quit, we quit. Some can easily handle a full day’s fishing, but most can’t. Forcing them to sit through thirty extra minutes on the boat when they’re already hot and restless will only make them forget all the fun they had at the beginning of the day.
A four-hour trip from start to finish seems to work best and that’s also more than enough sun for most kids. The idea is to send them home tired but not exhausted. And most importantly, send them home wanting to come back for more. If you do that, you’ve got an angler for life and that's always the goal. Hope this helps and best of luck out there.
Capt. Gregg Mckee
Wildfly Fishing Charters
Matlacha, Florida
