5 Tips for Teaching Kids How to Fly Fish

Photo: Meris McHaney

I have been fly fishing with my dad since I was a little rug rat. When I reflect on my childhood, fishing was everything. If I wasn’t catching fish, I was probably catching snakes or lizards in the backyard. You can’t teach kids the natural desire to roll around in the dirt and try to outsmart critters, but what you can do is make an environment conducive to learning, reduce the barriers to entry, and add the extra entertainment.

My wonderful childhood on the water was cut off—temporarily, thankfully—when I became a teenager. I faded away from the sport a bit. Why? One simple reason: None of my friends were doing it, and I wanted to hangout with my friends. Thank goodness I grew out of that.

Photo: Dylan Schmitz

Fish for Change

When I graduated from college, I helped found an organization called Fish for Change. We take teenagers on international fly fishing trips centered around conservation stewardship, fly-fishing education, and building global citizens. Throughout the course of the summer, we use fishing as a platform for change. Ten teenagers per week join us in Honduras, Bahamas, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colorado. We team up with local conservation partners to plant mangroves, tag fish, study jaguars, eradicate invasive species, and more. We build cultural exchange through dinners with guides, a local scholarship program, local sporting games, traditional dishes, and deeply immersing ourselves in the culture.

Fish for Change programs are all grounded in education. We have students learn their knots and then tie them while they dance to make sure they are practicing under pressure. We draw boats in the sand and act out skits of different scenarios that can happen on the water—landing fish, setting the hook, a fish running under the boat, or a fish running at the angler fast. We make a point to offer only three pieces of advice for a student’s cast per day, as to not overwhelm them. We tie flies with ocean trash we’ve collected.

Most important, we give teenagers from around the globe best friends who fly-fish. With that, they’ve got this sport for life. So parents out there, once your precious fishing kid becomes a teen and forgets that you are cool for a few years, help them find a friend that fishes, too. It will be sure to stick.

Photo: Karly Mathern

Life Lessons

Here are 5 fun tips for getting kids into fishing!

1. Turn Casting Practice into a Game

Casting can be tricky, but the idea is to develop the muscle memory of a wee one. So make a game out of it.

• Imaginary Fishing in the Field: One angler makes up a fun fishing scenario, and the other responds.
• Bocce-Style Casting: Set a target and give each angler three shots. The closest one wins.
• HORSE, but Make It PERMIT: Like the basketball game HORSE, but with creative casts. One angler does something fun—cast with eyes closed, cast lefty, back hand cast with one double-haul, aim at a floating leaf. The second angler must match it or gain a letter. Once they’ve spelled “permit,” they’re out. The last one standing wins.

Pro tip: Use a yarn fly to avoid accidental piercings.

2. Use Kid-Friendly Gear

That fancy nine foot rod you love? Don’t hand that to a 7-year-old unless you want a mess and some frustration. A smaller rod, something in the 71/2-foot to 81/2-foot range, with a lightweight 3- or 4-weight line, is way easier for little hands to manage. Also, keep the rig simple. One fly: Minimal tangles, maximum chance of success.

Here are two great, economical buys to kick off with. An Orvis PractiCaster or a TFO Bug Caster which is  lightweight and made for smaller hands.

Photos courtesy of Fish for Change

3. Fishing is About the Journey 

If the goal is just to catch fish, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Instead, make it about the whole experience. Flip rocks and hunt for bugs. Pack a ridiculous amount of snacks. (Seriously, snacks are critical.) Let the youngster go for a swim, skip rocks, or name the fish they haven’t caught yet. A riverside picnic can sometimes be the highlight of the day. And if they actually catch a fish? That’s just the cherry on top.

4. Set Long-Term Goals 

Having goals to strive for is a fun way to get kids to interact more and initiate the next fishing trip. As skills build, the kids will continue to strive and grow. Here are a few ideas that vary, depending on location:

• Learn 5 knots by the end of summer
• Pursue a “slam” of three target species
• Pick up a bag of trash each day you’re on the river
• Catch every species of fish in your state before you’re 18
• Pursue an IGFA junior-angler world record
• Fish three new places over spring break
• Learn how to row a boat by the end of summer

5. The Kid’s the Guide 

Where should we fish? Which fly should we use? Where do you think the fish are hiding? Let the child take the reins, even if their choices seem questionable. Giving them ownership builds confidence and makes the experience more fun. Hand them the fly box and let them pick, and no second-guessing. Then, talk through their reasoning and encourage their curiosity.

Heather Harkavy is founder and executive director of Fish for Change. A South Florida native, she now lives in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado.