Two years ago I wrote a two part series on how you can help your kids get into fly fishing. Although I don’t have a degree in early childhood education and am not a perfect parent, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the ideas I presented back then work. How do I know? They’ve worked on my kids and my friends’ kids. That sample size might not be enormous, but its not like you need a rigorous program with a defended thesis behind it to get a kid to enjoy being outside.
The one thing that I recommended that seems to have resonated the most with the kids in my life is this: Give them their own fly box.
My boys had fly boxes before either of them cast a rod or landed a trout. I bought a cheap box and put a few random flies in it. The next time we went to a fly shop, a big box outdoor store, or an expo show, they each got to pick out a few more bugs. The trips out and the quantity of flies add up. Believe it or not, they accumulate flies at a faster rate than they lose them in trees.
Most of all, they enjoy it. If you need convincing, I’ve got some solid principles as to why this works. Here are five:
- There is no seasonality. You can collect flies year-round. Whether you buy them at a shop or tie them at home, it keeps children engaged with fly fishing rain or shine, summer or winter.
- There is creativity. Children have an imagination that is only eclipsed by their sense of wonder. Put them in front of a few thousand colorful, fuzzy, squiggly things and they’re in heaven.
- There is education. Some of those colorful, fuzzy, squiggly things look great. But a wild trout isn’t going to want anything to do with it. You can share so much about fishing and ecology through collecting and using flies.
- There is choice. Will they use a Crazy Charlie if you live in Minnesota? Not for bonefish. But a bass will eat that thing no questions asked. As long as they aren’t picking the $15 muskie flies, let them get what they want. It will work for something. And they’ll love that it is all their choice.
- There is ownership. They are their flies. They stay in their box. They are what they use to catch fish. All of that leads to some responsibility mingled with the good kind of pride.
Remember, this doesn’t have to be your kids. It could be your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews, or a “mentee” from a program you’re involved in. Whether the kid is a legitimate angling protege or just someone you want to share the outdoors with, giving them a handful of flies to collect isn’t going to hurt. (Well, maybe they should be old/responsible enough to not stick themselves with said hooks. Better make them barbless…)
Want to check out the other ideas for getting the child in your life to give fly fishing a try? Here are part one and part two of the “How to Get Your Kids to Love Fly Fishing” series.