mortalcare

yeah if you start kids out fishing for hard species like bass, you risk them getting frusterated and quitting. (that actually happened to me for about 3 years)

Terasec

kid should be priority
not every outing will be action packed and productive
start targeting finicky fish, kid may lose interest
keep him on the pan fish,
act as if every fish he catches is the biggest you seen
if the small fish are biting high and near, teach him how the bigger fish may be under the school of smaller fish or just outside the school,
maybe have your pole as the second pole targeting the bigger fish, cats, bass etc...
kid will get a joy out of outfishing dad,
tackle, keep it simple, those kits that come with the $12 poles are great, and always good to have the extra storage boxes,
as for the reels, they will foul up , just get used to opening them and undoing the knots, dont get frustrated,
have seen plenty of brand new $12 poles and reels in trash cans near fishing spots, always pull them out re-spool them and work fine for kids

cal516

Keep the pointers coming. I appreciate all the input. I am taking good notes and have made a couple trips to Wal-mart tweaking and adding to my tackle box! The wife and I are going kayaking and fishing this weekend. Should be a blast.

Phil from Maine

I hope you and your wife enjoys your kayak trip. I fish a river here but for mostly different types of fish. I find in a lot of cases if the current is strong the fish will travel closer to the shoreline. I am thinking it is because they can get out of the current behind little points that may stick out from shore. Also any rocks that maybe out in the river has little hiding places for fish to hide in. As Chuck has stated the line and drag are the 2 biggest things you would want to worry about when starting out. Current requires you to play out the bigger fish. They are surely fun to catch in moving water and you need to hang on your rod pretty tightly once you start getting hits. My favorite hook size is a #4 eagle claw. You would also want to add swivels to your line to keep it from twisting up on you.

I also agree with letting the little fellow catch some sunfish when he can. As stated it will give him enjoyment when they are on the bite. I like taking my grandson with me to catch white perch and I enjoy every bit of watching him reel in a fish. Good Luck to you and your family. Enjoy your fishing outages with the young fella..

Chuck7

I reckoned I mis read the original lost..I didn't"t know that kids were involved...

Also, when I introduced my wife to fishing..we were poor..so our number 1 goal was to put fish on the table..my 2 boys had decent fine motor skills at the age of 3,,so they were using the same tackle as mom and dad.itt was fun but we tried our best to get a few meals as well. Here's picture of my 25 year old when he was only 1. I started my other one fishing when he was 10 months...