Taking your kids saltwater fishing without a boat means fishing from seawalls and accessible shorelines, where there is surprisingly good fishing, no charter cost, and a low-pressure way to get a child hooked on the sport. In this How 2 Tuesday I brought on my friend Mike Larkin, who has done a ton of seawall fishing with his own kids, to share how he does it. Seawalls are everywhere in Florida and many other states, the fishing can be excellent, and for a kid the goal is simple: keep the rod bent and let every weird little fish be the catch of the day.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Absolutely, and seawalls are one of the best ways to do it. Florida and many other states are full of accessible seawalls that hold surprisingly good fishing. Mike Larkin grew up fishing a seawall in Big Pine Key for a week at a time as a kid and called it one of the best vacations he ever had, and he never even went out on the water. You skip the cost of a hotel-plus-charter day, keep things simple, and still put your kid on plenty of fish. For a child, the seawall is often more fun than a boat anyway.
Mike first took his kids at age three, but found that was really more for him than for them. Around five years old is where it starts to click and a kid can actually engage with the fishing. Before that, the attention span and coordination usually are not there yet. Every child is different, but five is a reasonable target for a first real seawall trip where the kid is the one fishing, not just along for the ride.
Seawalls are the go-to. They are everywhere in Florida and plenty of other coastal states, and the fishing along them can be excellent. Docks also hold fish, but Mike is careful there. He always checks with the marina people first, because some owners do not want you fishing right by their boats where you could foul a prop. He focuses on seawalls and keeps his kids away from the docks to avoid that hassle.
All kinds, and that variety is the magic. Mangrove snappers, puffer fish, cowfish, trunk fish, flounder, small jacks, even a little bonnethead shark. Mike's kids lit up over a puffer that blows up in the live well far more than they would over a trophy snook. To a kid, the weirdest, most colorful fish is the greatest catch of all time. The so-called trash fish that adults ignore are exactly what keep a child glued to the rail all day.
Keep the rod bent and celebrate everything. Mike and I both lean into the variety, not the size. I used to give an award at the end of the day for the weirdest fish, sometimes a drawing one of the kids made that went on the refrigerator all week. The point is to make catching anything feel like a win. A four-pound snook means little to a five-year-old, but a tiny puffer or a bonnethead they can tell their friends about is everything.
Take a picture. When I was a kid I caught a bonnethead shark, froze it, and brought it to school for show-and-tell every year for most of my elementary career, defrosting and refreezing this increasingly rank shark. These days you let the fish go and keep the photo instead. Mike loved that idea and said he was going to start doing it. A picture preserves the memory and the moment without keeping a fish your kid is going to brag about for years.
Mike made a point that stuck with me: a vacation day on the water with a guide is wonderful if you can swing it, but between the hotel, rental car, and food, convincing the family to add several hundred dollars for a charter is a tough sell. A seawall costs nothing and can be just as fun for a kid. He grew up fishing one for a week in Big Pine Key and called it one of his best vacations ever. He explains how he picks his spots in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The thing I love about taking kids to a seawall is that the fish adults call trash are the ones that blow a kid's mind. A puffer that inflates in the live well, a cowfish, a trunk fish, a tiny bonnethead they swear is a great white. Mike's kids stare at those for an hour. I used to hand out an award for the weirdest fish of the day. We get into how to lean into that wonder instead of chasing size in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here is the approach Mike and I use to turn a seawall into a great day of fishing for a kid, with no boat required.
I unpack each of these with the details and stories in the episode. Press play in the player above.
The morning after this conversation, what I kept thinking about is how low the barrier really is. You do not need a boat, a guide, or a big budget to turn a kid into a fishing buddy. You need a seawall, a simple rig, and the patience to make a puffer fish feel like the catch of a lifetime.
Take the advice Mike and I share here, go find a seawall, and let your kid catch a bunch of weird little fish. It has been one of the most rewarding parts of fishing for both of us, and I hope your kid turns into your best fishing partner the way ours have.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Mike Larkin · Big Pine Key · Florida Keys · seawall fishing · mangrove snapper · puffer fish · cowfish · trunk fish · bonnethead shark · snook · kids fishing · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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