Whatever It Takes

I love to take my daughter fishing. But she only likes to go… sometimes.

She has both spincast and spinning reels, which she can cast accurately. Already, she is confident landing and handling several fish species.  And she loves to be near water. But, fishing is just not her thing. Yet.

So, when she does decide to go fishing with us, I do what I can to keep it fun for her:

If she wants to play with the bait... Fine.

If she only wants to cast pink lures… We can do that.

If she wants to release every fish… Youbetcha.

Another way to keep her interested is to involve her with the lure decision making process. My daughter loves to accessorize. Sometimes it is choosing the right necklace for the occasion. Other times it is the selection of socks, which don’t match. We do that with her fishing lures too.
 

Various soft baits tip a spinner bait. If the skirt falls off, bare spinner baits can come to life again when tipped with a small grub tail.

Bead color selection for Carolina rigs. These popular largemouth bass rigs have a bead between the sinker and swivel.

Recently at ICAST, I learned about SkinBait for extra crankbait versatility. These reusable, waterproof stickers can dramatically change the look of those old, forgotten crankbaits at the bottom of the tacklebox. Maybe this makes the lures better match the forage for the lake. Or maybe just by believing in the lure again, you cast it just a little longer. Either way, my daughter can select from the designs and apply the stickers herself. And that one extra cast can make all the difference for a successful fishing trip. 

Finally, if my daughter ASKS to go fishing or boating, I drop everything and WE GO. We may not even fish. Our last outing was catching crayfish and skipping rocks. And we had a blast. Whatever it takes.