By the way. I have 4 children. And none of them liked fishing. That was too boring!! They only like catching, LOL. So I suggest you start off with some bluegill and perch fishing with a worm and bobber for the little guy.

Lots of great advice above. My strongest recommendation would be to spend your money on equipment and not books or DVDs, at least initially. Nothing against books or DVDs, but there is just too much free information about methods/techiques to have to pay for the same info. You should be able to find both articles and a plethora of videos on any technique you decide to try. Watch the free videos, read the free articles, and spend the minimum amount that you believe you can get away with to try a new (to you) technique, and, then, if you have success and/or like the technique, you can confidentally waste tons of money on it.

Regarding advice on this forum, ask more generic type questions to get more information. For example, if you ask about where to fish and what to throw on a specific lake in the next few days, you may not get any responses. But, in my experience, if you ask how to fish certain types of water (deep vs. shallow, clear vs. stained, time of year, types of cover - grass, wood, rocks, etc.), you will get all sorts of helpful information. Of course this takes some scouting ahead of time to know what to ask, but, in my experience most of that can be done online as well. Oh, and don't forget Google Maps. I always look at satellite photos prior to trying a new lake and afterwards and find it very helpful.

If you want to get on the water at a lower cost, you might look into kayak fishing or even tube fishing. There are separate forums with plenty of info. on this site. I own a kayak and love fishing out of it though it's far more limited in range than a powerboat. But it's a lot cheaper, and I have more money left over for trips and equipment. Also, there are plenty of places that you can take a kayak that powerboaters are less likely to go to such as rivers (like the Brazos or Guadalupe), smaller lakes, drought stricken lakes where ramps are out of water, ponds, and lakes/ponds with motor restrictions (for example, Purtis Creek).

When you start taking your son, the key will be patience and gearing the trip towards him. For example, when he's 3, catching one bluegill from a dock on a piece of earth worm may be all he wants or needs and anything else will become a chore to him. If you want to fish more than that, occasionally take your own trips without him until he's older and ready to fish longer. Don't force anything - if he likes to fish, his desire to do so will grow with positive experiences.

Good luck, take your time and enjoy the journey (and not just the results)!

I love fishing with my kids and one of my daughters belongs to the same bass club as I do and fishes club tournaments. A few times she even out fishes me. If you have a question about the where, when, why and hows of bass fishing this forum is a great place to start. Also look into joining a bass club. Good clubs are very helpful and it's members are willing to share information. Sites like You Tube have some good videos and fishhound.com has fishing reports from local guides on lakes you are thinking about fishing. Anytime you have a question you are more then welcome to ask me. I am always willing to help others become better anglers. As a side note about the H2O reels for the money can not be bet. I use them all the time and only had one that broke. I took it back to Academy and they replaced it, No Question Asked. Hope this helps

All,

Thanks for the great feedback - many great tips which I will put to use.

Regards,
Rusty

Thanks you serving!

If you have a boat, learn how to fish deep first.

Thanks!

Not sure if it's been mentioned above, but Gene Jensen will improve your fishing dramatically. He's on the Bass Resource staff which i did see mentioned. On YouTube do a search for "flukemaster", that's his username. His entire channel is chalked full of bass fishing genius. I started seriously bass fishing about a year and a half ago and his videos have probably taught me more than all other sources combined. Best of luck and thanks for serving.

Quit before you are hooked (literally)

a couple things you will need:


forgiveness from your significant other or a good divorce lawyer

Watermellon green plastic worms in all lakes all over south Texas..