Bluegills and kids seem to be made for each other. Pursuing them can be exciting, challenging and rewarding for any youngster, and can lead to a lifetime of fishing enjoyment. My granddaughter Heather and I sat on the boat dock watching her little red bobber floating on the pond. At first the bobber just sat there, moving only gently with the waves.

Then the bobber moved and stopped and then moved again. "Jerk it!" I said. Heather did jerk it, but there was nothing there. She looked at the bare hook and in disgust said, "He got my cricket again!" Her comment expressed not only her disappointment but also her determination to get that fish.

"He is so sneaky!", she said. "He keeps getting my crickets, but I will get him!"

After adding another cricket, she dropped the baited hook back in the same place. Soon the bobber moved again. This time when she jerked her little fishing rod a fat bluegill tugged on the line. She cranked the handle on the reel and, after a good fight, the bluegill was reeled onto the dock. It flopped momentarily; then we unhooked it and dropped it into a bucket of water.

Since that day Heather and her younger sister Alyssa have been some of my regular fishing companions. Their enthusiasm has been matched only by that of Will Edwards, a 5-year-old Wendell boy with boundless enthusiasm and energy. Will's eagerness and his animated expressions liven any fishing trip, and for Will a fish in a bucket is equally as exciting and elusive as one in a pond.

Perhaps the way these youngsters have caught their first fish is similar to the way most kids do. Bluegills are abundant and cooperative at taking baits and lures, and because of this they are usually the first ones young fishing enthusiasts encounter. No special equipment or technique is required and they are available to anybody almost everywhere.

I remember years ago seeing kids using pieces of string with hooks made from bent safety pins with a small piece of an earthworm catching bluegills from the stream in Pullen Park in Raleigh. They were having a great time attempting to catch the little bait-stealing fish. My own memory of early fishing trips is of times with my father and brother William. With my stubby little pole rigged with a short line and hook, I would dangle earthworms around submerged roots and logs to catch bluegills. Each trip was a great adventure filled with excitement, anticipation and the rewards of catching these sunfish.

Bluegills eat such a great variety of foods that finding bait for them is easy. A few earthworms dug from the garden is as good as any. Crickets, grasshoppers and small crawfish also are easily caught and make great baits. In fact, for many youngsters, catching these little wild creatures for bait can be as challenging and rewarding as the fishing trip itself. Other baits, including doughballs are also effective.

Whether you catch your own or buy the readily available worms or crickets at a bait shop, they are easily obtained and easy to use. Bluegills can be caught in any month of the year, but they are most active in warm water, especially in springtime. This is also a great time to be outdoors and what could be better than a fishing trip on a nice spring day.

Making a youngster's first fishing trip a pleasant and successful one is extremely important. Here are suggestions:

1. Select a pleasant day-not too hot or cold or too windy. Most spring days are just right for this.
2. Test fish the pond or lake in advance. Be sure it is a place with cooperative bluegills. Even a few minutes of waiting without action can become boring for a child. Be sure there will be a lot of activity at the selected site for this first fishing experience.
3. Let the child help catch the bait or go with you to buy it. Remember that the bait creatures may be almost as intriguing to the child as the fish will be. Let them see and handle the worms or crickets.
4. Don't overlook safety. You and the child both need life vests, regardless of how shallow the water might be. Teach safety from this first day. Teach them how to handle hooks safely, too.
5. Make the trip a festive occasion. Take along something to eat and drink, and something to sit on. This becomes all the more important if the fishing action is slow. Having a little party helps insure a good trip.
6. Have a bucket of water for "keeping" the fish, even if for only a few minutes. A live fish is too exciting to simply unhook and throw back. Most children will want to watch the fish to see it swim and breathe, and they can do this by watching it in the bucket, and maybe even trying to catch it in the bucket with their hands.
7. Keep the trophy. Remember that for most kids their first fish, even if a five-inch bluegill is a trophy. They will want to somehow keep it to show to others. One way is to carry it home in the bucket of water and later return it to the pond. This can be important in teaching the "Catch and Release" concept at an early age, too.
8. There are other more permanent ways to "keep" the fish short of hiring a taxidermist. A simple and effective way is to carry a piece of cardboard (or a board) about 10 or 12 inches square. Lay the live fish on this piece of cardboard and trace its outline with a pencil. Later sketch in the eye and the position of the gill cover and front fin. This can be labeled, for example: "HEATHER'S FIRST FISH-MAY 12, 1995, LAKE WENDELL" This can be a great remembrance and it is suitable for showing to friends and even taking to school or scout meetings. It can be hung on the wall in the child's room or in the den.
9. Use a camera to take photos of the adventure, especially of the child with the first fish. Even the inexpensive disposable cameras work well for this purpose. Remember that not all of the photos have to be good ones. One good one is sufficient.
10. Rods and reels for children are readily available and inexpensive. Most are of the push-button spin cast type. They serve the purpose well and children as young as 3 or 4 years old can learn to use them quickly with supervision. Remember though, that such rods and reels are not essential, and many youngsters have caught their first fish with a simple stick, piece of line and a hook. So it can be manufactured or homemade equipment, but either will work. One additional, important thought. Every child is fascinated by splashing water. Stones in a bucket that the kids can throw into the water when fishing is slow, can make even a slow fishing trip exciting.

I have heard it said that you can go fishing or you can take a child fishing, but you can't do both at the same time. While that may not be entirely true, it does emphasize that for a child to have a successful trip requires planning, help, patience and encouragement. Doing this may consume your full time, especially on the first trip. In summary, it requires you to consider that having the child catch a fish is more important than catching a fish yourself.

Planning and patience will go a long way toward making a child's first fishing trip one to remember for a lifetime.

Copyright 2003 Eugene Hester All Rights Reserved