Eastern Sierra Fishing

“Daddy, do you think we’ll catch lots of trout?” my six-year-old asked me the other day as we prepared for our Eastern Sierra vacation. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the last trout I had managed to hook and fight was a two-pound Rainbow in the Snake River of Idaho, which broke away as I brought it to net. And that was years ago.

Nor was I about to admit that his brother, my eleven-year-old, would probably out fish all of us. What I did tell him was, “It’s going to be fun, and I’m sure we’ll catch as many as we can.”

Experiencing fishing with your children can be one of the most memorable experiences you will have with them. It’s a time to bond with your kids, talk to them, listen to their stories, ask them about their friends and interests, and show them why you enjoy nature and sport fishing.

It also can be one of the busiest days you’ll have outside of a Monday at work. Taking a child fishing requires a little pre-planning, some intensive patience and an understanding that it’s less about catching fish and more about having fun.

The Eastern Sierra offers many advantages for planning a Kid’s Day of fishing. The region has a number of accessible fishing spots all stocked with catch able fish. Additionally, the Eastern Sierra provides breathtaking scenery, the excitement of camping out next to a mountain lake or stream, and the chance to spend some time relaxing and growing closer to the ones you love.

You can manage the success of your trip by doing a little planning before you go. Remember the key element to any fishing trip is having fun and catching fish. And while you can’t always control whether you will catch fish, you can control how you have fun.

First, choose a rod and reel for your child that fits their hand and their size. The rod should be about as tall as your child and the reel should fit comfortably in their hands. Tackle should include some bobbers along with the usual assortment of hooks and sinkers. Bobbers are fun because they bob up and down and they add a little excitement as they go under with the nibble of a hungry trout.

Pack some sunscreen; you don’t want to put up with an uncomfortable lobster (or hear from Mom when you return). And don’t forget the insect spray because the mosquitoes are the size of bears up there.

My kids like to play in the water along the shore. You might want to include a life vest because it’s easy for a kid to fall into deep water. Children love to dip a net in the water and collect insects or small fry. Bring along a kid-sized net for them to collect their prizes and a small coffee can or plastic container for them to bring them home in. Finally, bring along the camera so you can capture some fine memories of your fishing day.

Arrive at the lake in the morning and plan on taking a break after three or four hours. By then it will be close to lunch and your kids will be losing patience with the trip. Hopefully it has been a good day by now, but if not, take a break, fix lunch and give the kids time to run around camp. Besides, the hot afternoon sun will slow you down and likely fishing will slow down too. By late afternoon fishing will pick up and so will the kids. Otherwise, call it a day and head home and savor the memories.

To ensure that you catch fish avoid teaching your first-timers how to use a lure or other fancy baits. The practice of “plunking” is your best bet. Tie on a sinker to the end of your line, tie on a hook, add some bait and cast it into the lake. Make sure your young fisher kid watches the bobber and leaves the line in the water. Nine times out of ten a kid plunking will out fish the entire group who is plying the water with lures, flies and fancy retrieval techniques.

The main thing to remember is you are teaching your kids that it is exciting to be outdoors fishing. If you do one thing on your next trip, make sure you make it fun. If you do this your kids will thank you and carry with them a lifetime of memories of that one day when Dad took them fishing and they caught their first Eastern Sierra trout.

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