How to Maximize Youth Fishing Experiences

SEPTEMBER 2020

YOUTH FISHING EXCITEMENT

In the article Take Your Kid Fishing, I described the methods to plan and deliver a successful fishing trip for your child. In this article, I show how you can keep the excitement of fishing top of mind to your child using two simple tools – the Fishing Species Bucket List and the Fishing Necklace. The Fishing Bucket list can be customized and downloaded to track fishing progress. The Fishing Necklace is a valuable fishing tool that can be used by new and seasoned anglers alike.

FISH SPECIES BUCKET LIST

The Fish Species Bucket list, is a fun and useful for both young and seasoned anglers. It can be customized for the most prevalent fish that are in your local lakes, streams as appropriate. You can see both the freshwater and saltwater versions of the fish species bucket list below. If you click on the images you can download the template to your local computer for printing and modification. It is fun to have kids check with your local state fisheries department website and modify the bucket lists for fish that are available in your area.

It is fun an exciting to check fish species off the list and also to keep track of the size and dates of these catches.

FISHING NECKLACE

The fishing necklace is a valuable tool for both lifelong anglers and young anglers just entering the sport. I have been using the fishing necklace for 30+ years and would not leave the dock without it. The fishing necklace is a simple DIY fishing tool that combines a string, with one or more tools that are important for fishing. I often ask my kids, “Do you have your fishing necklace?” as we leave for a fishing trip. Here is how to create your own fishing necklace.

String, Lanyard, or Rope

It is best to have something colorful and comfortable against the skin. You can trim the size of the necklace to fit loosely around the neck and hang down just above the stomach.

Large Nail Clipper

A nail clipper is a cheap, multi-use tool for fishing. The clipper itself can easily trim fishing line close to the hook and is much safer than using a knife. The attached file can be used to sharpen dull hooks. You attach the nail clipper to the lanyard. It might be necessary to drill the hole a bit larger in order to accomodate the string.

Retractable String/Hemostat

The basic fishing necklace can be enhanced by adding a retractable string and a hemostat.A hemostat is an extremely useful fishhook remover.By having a hook remover easily accessible makes releasing fish much easier.

Upgrade to Fishing Line Cutter

While the components above will create a valuable fishing tool, there are always improvements that can be made. The nail clipper can be quite effective for cutting monofilament and fluorocarbon fishing lines, but it is not as great for braided or super lines. If you use a lot of braided lines, it is best to swap the nail clipper with a fishing line snipper. Boomerrang makes the most popular line of fishing line cutters. They have them in various sizes and also some that have LED lights for night fishing. You can find them here on Amazon – fishing line cutters.

Summary

I hope that you have found this information useful and you can now introduce your child to the sport of fishing. It can be something you share with them for a lifetime.

Please send pictures of your fishing necklace or fish bucket list. I will look to publish user submissions in a future article. You can contact me by email [email protected].

Tight lines … Captain P.

Note: Thrillfishing could get compensated for affiliate product links in this article.