How to fish with a two year old from shore?

[lizardman]

In all seriousness I am currious as I have purchased a life jacket (one that buckles around him and under his crotch so it won't come off over his head), and some rope and am thinking of tying say 15 feet between us so he is tied off to me. This is so I can go fishing and don't have to worry about him as much, and if he falls in I can haul him back. Where I am fishing is very shallow for a few feet, but we all know that while fishing the attention could be on the pole and not the kid.


Any other ideas in order for me to be able to fish and keep the lad safe? I lost my baby sitter for the week as my mother-in-law went to take care of my nephews this week.


Dave

 

[DYJ]

portable DVD player and his favorite cartoon DVD... that should keep ya fishin for an hour or so.

 

[Trout-tacular!]

I fish with my little guy on my back in his Deuter kid carrier. He's two and half and getting a little heavy but its still doable.

 

[osmosis]

Plunk with a bell and enjoy the time at the river with the kid and have a possible fish be the bonus.

 

[Boombollie]

I fish with my little guy on my back in his Deuter kid carrier. He's two and half and getting a little heavy but its still doable.

I've got a Deuter as well. They're amazing, and my little guy is only about 20 months, so he only weighs about as much a fire pack. He usually just falls asleep in it.

 

[lizardman]

I figured out that if I take his older brother (12 years old) and one of his favorite toys I can put him in a life jacket and tie him off with about 25 feet of rope and he does fine. Both myself and my 12 year old were able to fish as long as we talked with the little guy.


I like your Idea Osmosis, I have a rod that would work great for plunking.

Dave

 

[Trout-tacular!]

I've got a Deuter as well. They're amazing, and my little guy is only about 20 months, so he only weighs about as much a fire pack. He usually just falls asleep in it.

Nothing like a little one napping peacefully while you fish. My guy hasn't down that in his pack for some time, although he is quite entertaining. He sits back there and points out rises..."Papa, fish, fish Papa" (not all are fish but I appreciate his enthusiasm). He also narrates my every cast "Cast, Papa, cast." When I do land a fish he repeatedly greets it "Hi...hi...hi...hi" and then waves and says "bye-bye" when I release it.

One thing I wonder though is if his sunshade is good enough to block a bad cast. I haven't gotten him with a fly yet (another good reason to pinch the barb), I try to roll cast mostly.

 

[Goodtimes]

I've been plunking, and exploring the bank / catching crawdads since my little guy was 5. Good times. But haven't caught fish that way. Now he's 8 and got his own waders, and and throw bobbers and Higgs. I've been wondering about tying Together just for safety. Let me know how it goes.

 

[bass]

I took my kids fishing all the time starting from when they were 2. These trips were for them and not me. If you are looking for advice on how to do "real" fishing with small children then I can't offer any advice. If you want my advice on how to have fun fishing with small children then here are my suggestions:

1. Fishing spot must also have a playground. (Commonwealth pond, Willamette park in West Linn, etc). Each trip is about 1/2 playground, 1/2 fishing.
2. Plunking only (trout or carp). Easy to toss out bait and then focus on making sure your kids are having fun.
3. If they want to reel in every two seconds then so be it. Some days I did not even put a hook on when they wanted to cast.
4. I made my kids wear a life jacket until they could swim. Plus we only went to safe places.
5. I bought a 1/2 tent from Costco that I would set up and we would fish by. The kids loved this. They would bring toys and spend a fair bit of time playing with them in the tent. The especially loved that on rainy days.
6. If you can set up near a path with a lot of dog petting opportunities that was always a plus for my kids.
7. Spend a lot of time pointing out all the small wonders of nature. Bird types, insects, crayfish, minnows, etc. Make the trip about enjoying being outside and not about how many fish you catch. Make catching fish a part of the experience and not a pass/fail criterion.

Have fun!