On Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 75 (How 2 Tuesday #27), I answer a question I get all the time: how do you teach a kid to fish and turn them into a fishing buddy for life? In this solo How 2 Tuesday I share the approach that worked with my own children. The short version is to go slow, make the day about the kid instead of the fish, follow their lead, and stack small responsibilities one at a time. Get those things right and a young angler can end up loving the water as much as you do, maybe more.
Listen now: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · or press play in the player above.
Take it very slowly and make the whole outing about the child, not about catching fish. Let them do whatever keeps them excited on the boat, whether that is playing in the bait well, swimming, or driving the boat in circles. The more you push, the more most kids push back, so follow their lead and let the fishing come to them.
Build it through a stair-step process where each small skill earns a little more responsibility. A child starts by holding the rod, then takes the fish off the hook, then learns to handle a fillet knife, tie up the boat, or run the trolling motor. Stacking these small successes over the years is what turns a kid into a lifelong fishing partner.
Remember that you are out there for the child, not for yourself. A tournament day or a day with your buddies is a different day. When it is the kid's day, it is their day, and that mindset is what keeps them wanting to come back.
Let the day shift to whatever holds their attention, because keeping them excited sometimes means not fishing. That might be turning over rocks to find salamanders, looking at the bugs underneath, taking a hike, or swinging on a rope swing. Discovery and new experiences keep them connected to the water, and the fishing tends to come around on its own.
It is much shorter than yours, and when it is over, it is over. Once they get tired and the day starts going downhill, head back to the dock. Over the years that attention span gets longer and longer, until one day they are the ones asking to stay out while you ask to go in.
Follow their lead and reward whatever sparks their curiosity. If a kid gets excited about catching bait, hand them a tiny cast net instead of forcing them to cast a rod. Show them a good time, keep it light, and go slow, and there is a good chance they will end up wanting to fish as much as you, maybe more.
Here is the approach I used to turn my own kids into fishing partners for life.
I walk through each of these, with the stories behind them, in the episode. Press play in the player above.
When I had kids, getting them started in fishing felt incredibly important to me, because I wanted them to fish with me for the rest of my life. The boat became a place to spend real one-on-one time with them, away from computers, phones, and even their friends. I have come to believe that the process of learning small things on the water, and building on those small successes, has shaped my kids and shaped me in ways that reach far beyond fishing. I lay out why that matters so much in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The single biggest mistake I see is pushing too hard. The more you push a kid to go, the less they want to go; the more you push them to cast and catch once they are out there, the more they push back. That has been my experience with my own children and with plenty of other people's kids I have taken on the boat. The fix is almost counterintuitive: sit back, let them choose, and let the excitement build on its own. I explain how I learned this the hard way in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Some of the best days I have had with kids on the water involved very little fishing. Keeping them excited might mean turning over rocks in a creek to look for salamanders, studying the bugs underneath, taking a hike, or putting the rods away so a child can drive the boat in circles. What I am really doing is getting them involved in the process, and for a young kid the process is often discovery, not the catch. I share more of these moments in the episode, so press play in the player above.
When you take a kid fishing, you are out there for that child, not for yourself. That is a different day than a tournament or a trip with your buddies, and remembering it changes everything about how the day goes.
Kids have short attention spans, so when it is over, it is over. Head back to the dock, end on a high note, and trust that the attention span gets longer every year. One day you will be the one asking to go in while they ask to stay out. If you have your own tips for getting a kid hooked on fishing, I would love to hear them. Press play in the player above.
Gene Jensen · the ring game · teaching kids to fish · freshwater fishing · saltwater fishing · fly fishing · cast net · trolling motor · How 2 Tuesday
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.
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 and mindset that make a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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