Family vacations can be amazing and worth compromising. If you want to include your kids in every activity on a holiday, but still you don’t want to miss all the fun of doing something you really like, you might end up feeling lost and confused. Is it possible to take your children on ice fishing and not to regret it afterwards? Although it does require a large amount of patience, there are few tips that will help you make this experience fulfilling and memorable.
Keep it fun and interesting. The look of your 4 year old daughter when she catches the fish will make your trip worth it. But, does she really care about the size of your catch? For kids, as well as for any angling beginner, the quantity matters more than size. So, opt for fishing some more catching species: Bluegills, Crappies etc. Eventually, your children will graduate to those much more requiring species. It’s also important to keep your kids busy and feeling useful. For example, they can clean ice out of the holes after drilling.
Instructions and rules should be easy to understand and short. If you are constantly nagging and giving long explanations, it will quite soon deter interest. Be realistic when setting time goals. For the first few trips, an hour and a half of actual fishing time is more than enough. With experience and age, the time span will undoubtedly grow. The key to success is to make the first ice fishing trips positive, interesting and memorable in order to inspire them to want to repeat this activity again and again.
Don’t forget the snacks! During a slow period nothing can save an ice fishing trip as kids’ favorite snack. Although experienced anglers seem to be able to fish all day without food, children would probably get hungry and tired.
Safety is very important when it comes to ice fishing, but if you take children with you, you have to be even more careful. They have to understand how dangerous a 10” ice hole can be. A watchful and constant eye is inevitable, since majority of children tend to step in the icy cold water within the first minute of drilling the hole. For really small kids, it’s recommended to bring a life jacket – just in case! Warm clothing and an extra pair of mittens is essential!
