Fishing Help Needed Please

Legolas

Well-Known Member
I was hoping someone could help me out with a little advice please. A couple of weeks back my young son warmed my heart when he asked that for his upcoming 5th birthday could just he and I go off camping to the Lake district, catch a fish and cook it over an open fire. Obviously who am I to deny such a request!! I'm a keen fly fisherman and also do a little spinning but I figure for the boy a little float set up would be handy. I've never float fished so haven't a clue about the best way to rig up/ what depth to fish etc. I plan to take him out on one of the big lakes in a boat and also maybe a walk up to one of the hill tarns so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have a few telescopic rods and reels with mono that would suffice, I could just use some help on the set up.

I'm not one for knocking wild trout on the head, and also have a more realistic view of my angling ability than my son does so there will be a fish in a cool box heading it's way up north with us for the trip.

Thanks in advance
 
I was taught to fish around that age, and learned using a light spinning set up.

I think of all the different approaches, spinning is actually the easiest for a small kid - especially from a boat. It's the least complex of all the set ups, and doesn't tax patience as much (no sitting quietly staring at a float). From a boat, you don't even need to be able to cast far - you can just drop it, let it sink down with the bale arm open, and then retreive. Or gently row along with the line out, trawling the spinner (which is how I caught my first ever trout).
 
The most memorable day's fishing I had from my childhood was spinning for pike on a local dam.

The fact I was active rather than just sat watching a float, and that I actually caught a couple is what made it memorable.

another +1 for spinning
 
I was taught to fish around that age, and learned using a light spinning set up.

I think of all the different approaches, spinning is actually the easiest for a small kid - especially from a boat. It's the least complex of all the set ups, and doesn't tax patience as much (no sitting quietly staring at a float). From a boat, you don't even need to be able to cast far - you can just drop it, let it sink down with the bale arm open, and then retreive. Or gently row along with the line out, trawling the spinner (which is how I caught my first ever trout).
+1 keep him doing something to keep him keen, take him to raygill your not far away and let him catch a few on fly then take it with you and cook it up there walshy
 
Now that said, I started out float fishing, but as a kid, it's a good method in lakes and ponds with not too abrupt changes in depth. This was all fishing from the bank. The key thing for a child is simplicity and the ability to actually handle the thing with short arms. So if you set up a 7-8ft rod with a fixed spool reel and mono, you need the distance from the float to the hook to be no longer than that, probably shorter. Use very simple floats such as cork ones with a quill or plastic but through the centre to attach it to the line, or those ones that are just a ball that you part-fill with water. You need a hook on the end, and weights of some form. These aren't going to be subtle, tiny floats, so you could get away with three or four equally-spaced large split shot, or even a single bullet-lead on the body of the line. Using quite heavy weights with biggish floats makes casting easier for a child. Then turn over a few rocks for worms and you're off!

Oh, and if he does catch a fish, just drop the thing about wild fish for once and cook it for him: it's the final link in the chain, you have to close the circle. Ethical subtlety will follow later on.
 
Oh, and if he does catch a fish, just drop the thing about wild fish for once and cook it for him: it's the final link in the chain, you have to close the circle. Ethical subtlety will follow later on.[/QUOTE]

+1
 
I didn't mean to be disparaging about Legolas' ethics with the above suggestion. But the approach I would take, which I think makes sense to a child, is that we catch fish to eat them. If we're not going to eat them, we throw them back. We only keep as many as we can eat. That makes sense to a child. The same argument goes for any renewable natural resource, whether you're rockpooling, stalking or picking blackberries. My nephew asked me a couple of years ago, when he was seven, "Why do some people kill animals or fish?". "To eat them", I answered, simplistically, but he immediately went from being opposed through gut feel to killing animals or fish to accepting that it was legitimate. A year later, he came shooting with me and his uncle. We didn't shoot anything, but he was sold on the concept. He was very angry that I missed a woodpigeon though. I think he also expected it to be more like a shoot'em-up video game. The point is that the food argument as a central point works well for kids. And adults! It's a good ethical entry point.
 
I would go for bubble float and fly if its allowed. make up a trace with droppers like you would for a traditional fly set up but on the point have a small bubble float rather than a point fly. cast in gently retrieve and you should get a touch or two. good luck.
 
creeping up and dapping gets the vote from our grandchildren when we go after trout , then make a beancan fire with heather and cook them on a heather twig before we set of a big thing for the kids is to make a cooking foil twist with a little butter and some salt .
 
Depending where you are going in the Lakes it may not be too far for you to go to Malham in Yorkshire Dales. There is a trout fishery there which also has a kids pool where a catch is a certainty using supplied rods and powerbait.. Not ethical (from me, a salmon fishers view) but a great way to ensure a catch and raise the lads enthusiasm.
 
Well depends on where you are fishing, a small brook then a lob worm on a size 10 free lined pref upstream will do the buisness. Down stream then use a clear plastic float, same hook and worm with one BB shot fish at about 75% water depth and hang on/. Use 4-6lb line should be OK. If its a tiny brook then its more like stalking just creep up to the snaggist pool and drop a worm in and hang on. I have caught numerous good wild brownies in brooks you could jump across.

Spinning is ok but depends on how capable your son is at casting. brooks require pin point accuracy, upstream and fast retieve. Mepps no 1 or alike.

If your on a boat no issues and also can retrieve snagged up spinners.

Use a light spinning rod and 6-8lb main line goos swivel and clip.

In a small tain then a slightly bigger mepps or spoon would be better.

If you want to borrow some gear then PM me.

D
 
Google bessy beck trout fishery just off junction 38 m6 three ponds all containing trout. On the smallest one it's catch only no release and believe me you'll 1000% catch them. It's easy and simple. They even have rod hire for about £3 pppd.
the place is about an hour from skipton max. Camp site just up the road with a coule of excellent pubs on walking distance. Very good walks and scenery to.

If you go fish worm as its the best there unles you fly fish. I think they charge about £5.90 per kilo.
They
Have a nice little cafe too and smoke there trout also
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the advice gents. The little lad isn't that accomplisde with the rod yet so I recon a float set up as per Pinemartin's advice will do nicely. I'm grateful of the offer of the loan of kit Cyres - much appreciated, but when it comes to fishing tackle, I'm sure you can never have enough so I'll pick up some bits an pieces. I normally only knock one wild fish on the head a year so if it is of a decent size then it would go in the pot - the reserve fish was more for my ability than anything else!!

Thanks again for the help all.
 
+1 for the bubble float but get the one which you can add water too which makes casting to further distances easier. Used to use these on Scaling dam years ago. Turn the rotting grass cuttings over and get the nice red earthworms as the trout seem to love these.
 
Oh, and if he does catch a fish, just drop the thing about wild fish for once and cook it for him: it's the final link in the chain, you have to close the circle.

+1
And why not teach him to catch them by hand under the banks of the stream while your at it? May be not quite the "done thing" in the grown-up world, but it's the real way to kick off a genuine interest in the natural world around us and the link between wildlife and food on the plate.
(And you'll really enjoy it too - it'll be a proper daddy and boy exciting bonding session!).
 
+1 for the bubble float but get the one which you can add water too which makes casting to further distances easier. Used to use these on Scaling dam years ago. Turn the rotting grass cuttings over and get the nice red earthworms as the trout seem to love these.
brandlings :thumb:as above bubble float or float twelve or 18 inches deep worm on drift it down any stream or beck your good to go keep it simple kids soon get cheesed off if nothings happening,you will have a ball,doug,
 
Last edited:
Worms, upstream, downstream, make sure you hold onto him as much as you do the rod, there maybe a Salmon around!
Have a good time.
Cheers
Richard
 
another great thing you could do is go treading for flounders at arnside , august seems a good time for me , great fun and you can have an onion sack of 'keepers' in an hour or so !, just be VERY AWARE of the tides though .to be fair 5 is probably a bit young in hindsight
 
Back
Top