Make No Mistakes While Getting Kids Involved

The author and his sons take a break from casting for a team photo.

- Dave Olson

You love musky fishing and know the time, effort and techniques needed to put fish in the net. But you want your youngster to enjoy the sport, too ... so how in the world do you help them develop the passion? I made many mistakes with my boys, but there were some things I tried that worked perfectly. Here are a few tips that I think can help.

I was hooked on the sport after catching my first musky, a 42-incher, while fishing with a guide. It was an incredible experience to feel its power and watch it swim away after photos. Previous to that moment I had shore-fished with my kids or had rented boats, and they loved to go. But now my focus was on muskies, so I bought a small boat over the winter and out we went the next spring.

We didn’t see a fish on the first outing, and the next few trips produced the same result. My kids’ attention span was understandably short and their interest level faded with each outing. In hindsight, I should have mixed musky casting with “break” periods of fishing for panfish or bass to keep their interest up.