Tips for Fishing with Kids

Fishing can be hard for someone just starting out on the river. Remember, when on fishing outings, keep it simple and keep it light. Take these tips to help fishing with kids the best experience they can have. 

Tip 1 Starting: 

First thing for starting fishing will be getting a pole! Walmart, Target have a great selection for kiddy poles and starter adult poles. Live bait and flies are always available for sale at the local fly shops. Speaking of local fly shops, the guides in the shops truly do know there way around the river and have the best fishing spots that are local to our area. Fishing license is a must when it comes to the waters. It is illegal to fish without one in any state unless you are 16 years old and younger.  

Tip 2 Reading Water: 

Reading the water could be very difficult when first starting out. Reading water is very important as it tells you where the fish are hanging out and where the fish aren’t hanging out in the water. A few terms that fisher use for reading the waters are:  

Eddy: An eddy is an area of the river where structure, such as an indent in the riverbank, a log, or a large boulder, blocks the current flow and influences its direction. Directly downstream of the object, a pocket of swirling water will form opposite the main direction of current flow.  

Riffle: A rocky, shallow area in a stream where water cascading over rocks creates a noticeable surface disturbance. To identify a riffle, look for a choppy surface or whitewater spilling over shallow rocks into deeper water.  

Pool: A pool is the deepest portion of any given section of river with the slowest current. Fish will often retreat to a pool on bright, sunny days or if they feel threatened. In shallow streams, a pool might be the only areas that hold fish, but it is different for larger rivers.  

Tail out: Tail out is a shallow, flat section at the end of a pool before the water spills over into another riffle. Where the water becomes shallow, a natural funnel is formed that brings anything drifting downstream right to the fish.  

Tip 3 Fish:  

Having an idea of what you are fishing for is a must. Also knowing that you can only catch and release or keep certain fish in that location is very important. The Cutthroat trout is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. The Cutthroat is native only to the Green and Colorado River Basins, both which are west of the Continental Divide. Brown trout are relatives of the Atlantic salmon. They were brought to North America from Europe. They have been introduced into 45 of the 50 states and are one of the more popular trout species. Brown trout are frequently dark to golden brown along the back, sometimes with brassy appearance. Their yellow sides are marked with dark brown mixed with orange to red spots often haloed in pale blue.  

Fishing with kids can be a great outdoor activity if done right. Using these few tips will help your child learn the ways of the water and how to read the water and what the rivers have to offer. If you are looking for a little more guidance, book through FlyFishingColorado.net for the best fishing on the water.