So a coworker sends me a linky for Kidfish the other day. I've been thinking about taking my 3 yr old son for a few days.

Is 3 too young an age? The plus(and minus) side of kidfish tomorrow 6/9/12 would be that it's in a constucted tank,like a little above ground pool. The kids could see the fish(in this case channel cat). And fishing would be limited to 5-10 minutes at a time. The downside would be, its at a Chevy dealership. Dad's not going to be in any mood to get sold to on a Sat. morning.

So I put it to you guys and galls: Anyone ever done kidfish with a 3 yr old son or daughter? What was your(and their) experience? Should I skip it and find a local pond(the downside here might be not seeing those channel cats swim around). If your for a pond, any easy ones in NE tarrant county we might catch some quick cats (or perch or LMB for that matter) tomorrow morning? Or is 3 still too young and I should wait another year.

He�s actually 3 and half.

Thanks, Matt

3 ain't too young for sure, my 2 year old can bait his own hook and cast for himself. He caught a turtle a few days ago and he is still talking about his "terdel" that he caught. Take them every chance you can, they are the furture of the sport, and the memories yall make will be the ones you both remember forever. As far as where to go, that's up to you if it was me I'd find a pond or tank and do some perch jerkin'. Heck get out and go now, I'm headed to a pond with all 3 of mine in tow now.

Take a look at the article and video on our website at www.gonefishin.biz . There's a few thoughts concerning Kids, Fishing, Do and Don't, etc.

4 years and younger are normally more about the outing than catching lots of fish. Bottom line is let the Kiddo enjoy the moment and when he/she is ready to quit fishing....quit fishing.

By the way, a Granddad, Dad and 4 1/2 year old are fishing with me tomorrow.

Good Luck!

Thanks guys!

My 7 yr old grandson has been going with me since he was 3. Now he stands on the back deck casting lures and does his own thing and I do mine. He also does the transom saver, plug and boatbuckles. He's better than most partners.

The best thing I did when he was 3 was not fish myself. It was all about him. A bucket of worms and we were good to go. He learned at his own pace and that pace turned out to be pretty darn quick.

In the beginning, don't take him along with you fishing; take him fishing.

Great time and good memories. He's a good looking kid. I know you are a proud grandpa.

Pm sent

I read Royce's article about kids fishing a few years ago..if its the same one it's dead on...

Biggest mistake I see parents make when bringing kids fishing with me , is that they force them to stay out way too long.. As you know kids ,especially very young ones have a very short attention span... When they are done, even of its just ten minutes you need to quit.. Forcing them to keep fishing ruins the good times and leaves a bad taste of boredom.

But to answer the original question, it's never too early...just don't let your expectations be your young uns expectations...like was said above its less about catching and more about the outing and experience with you and child..
Have fun...teach early and have a fishing partner for life !!!!!!!!

Pop1655, that is the best advice anyone can give!

Find the right place to take him, fish as long as his attention span holds up and then go chase grasshoppers or play around......he will enjoy the outing

When my boys were that young I would take them to the lake all the time. They love to explore the area finding bugs, rocks etc. When daddy started catching fish they would come running to real them in. Bring a bucket to but the fish in and they will be entertained. Find a place that does not have a steep drop off and let them have fun walking the shore. Make it more about just being outdoors and catching fish a bonus.

Y'all gonna make me tell a couple of stories now. When he was 5 he asked me if we could go one afternoon. It was a perfectly beautiful day, but not for fishing. January, 65 degrees, bluebird skies, bright sunshine and not an ounce of wind. I told him sure but that I'd be surprised if we caught anything. Sure enough they were no where to be found. I pulled out that old lecture about "it's not about the fish, it's about being together and being outside"....etc., etc..
He looked at me and said "maybe for you Pop, but I'm the fishing machine and I'm here to catch fish". Cracked me up!

He's used that lecture on me a few times since, so I guess it stuck.

We get back to the ramp and come off the water. Another guy is fixing to launch. He walks over to us to ask about the fishing.
Right then my grandson is in the middle of his "routine" pulling the plug and putting on the boatbuckle straps. Without ever looking up at the guy he keeps working on the straps and spouts off "They're not biting today. We caught some nice bass here this summer but the water just turned over and they're just not biting". The guy's jaw dropped. He looks at me with this look on his face as asks "how old is he???"
Priceless!

I must admit my earlier comment about taking him fishing is actually very self-centered. With him I realized that as soon as I quit trying to have fun myself I started having a blast with him.

He's now got a little sister and a little brother who want to come along too. After 20 years of high performance bass boats I recently sold out, bought a fish & ski and couldn't be happier about the whole thing.

I just like my new partners better than my old "T" partners. ;-)

this pretty well sums it up......my granddaughter really looks forward to going down to the pond with me to throw out fish food and watch them feed. Going to start her fishing with me soon and really looking forward to it.