Fishing From an Airboat With Kids

Well, schools are out and Staycations are in. Over the years, it has been a favorite pastime for kids of all ages to get into fishing, usually at a local pond, riverbank or a stream flowing behind the house. We all must start somewhere, right?

- Captain Jeff Larson

Take a minute and reflect back to when you were a kid, and you caught that first fish. What was it? I bet you remember every detail of that day that got you hooked on fishing. Then it evolves into a hobby, then a passion and heaven forbid you think you are good enough to be a guide. Well, it's all in the mind. Matter of fact, my favorite saying is, "I'm a Legend in my own mind!" I use this one often when kids are on board, so they think I'm a Legendary Fishing and Hunting Guide. They only remember the Legend part which plays up on all guides' egos. June, July, and August are painfully hot in airboats. Ride and slides are start and go events, so all you must do to crank on the air is do a few loopty loos or slide down the river to cool off. However, when airboat fishing, especially with young kiddos you have to be creative. You must keep 'em cool plus entertained. The tricks I use for the little ones are, "Hey that alligator is over there watching us, make some noise." Alligators do like noise, and they get curious. The other one is "We are about to leave, just give me five minutes." Some might read that as lying. Well, when have you ever met a fisherman that doesn't expand their story? Guiding youngsters on the water in this day and time requires extreme measures to compete with technology. Which, brings up another important topic of discussion when taking kids into the outdoors for fishing or hunting. Here we go.