Get Them Fishing!

In honor of South Dakota Game, Fish and Park’s Open House weekend I wanted to take a moment to discuss one of the most important investments we can make in our fishing. This is our fishing future. As anglers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts we have an important job. We are solely responsible to make sure our outdoor traditions are carried on for generations to come. No one is going to do this for us, it is our jobs to recruit the next generation of hunters, anglers and conservationists.

Luckily for us, it’s a pretty dang easy job to do this. In fact, it involves going fishing! Tough right? All we need to is bring a new angler with us when we go. Many people think this means kids, but getting anyone new out is great! Today I want to break down my best advice on making this your best fishing trip yet!

Kids

“Kids are our future.” We hear this a lot and they sure are. There are so many distractions in today’s world. Whether it be sports, school, band, video games, whatever it is, we’re up against a lot. It’s hard to escape these and find time to get on the water, but in reality we don’t need much time at all.

Keep trips short.

It’s hard to keep a kid’s attention for long. That’s just fine! Maybe you have an hour or maybe it’s just a local pond for 15-20 minutes after practice. That’s perfect! If you try to get kids to put a full day in on the water, it’s going to be a tough day. Keep it short and keep it positive!

Make fishing an additional activity.

There’s nothing better than swimming on a hot summer day and then being called over to reel a fish in. The fastest land mammal on earth is a kid who hears “quick come reel this in!” Spend a day out at the lake and make fishing just one of the activities. It keeps kids entertained all day long and still gets them involved in the sport.

Focus on action.

Whether it’s bluegill, perch, bullhead or carp, it’s all about the tug on the line for kids! Every fish is a trophy to them, so there is no need to go to your trophy spot in search of one bite. Find an area that you can get bites consistently, regardless what they are. The kids won’t care one little bit.

Adults

Wait what? Adults? Kids are our future right? Adults are as much of our future as kids. When you take a kid out you recruit one new angler. When you take an adult you recruit them, but they’ll take their kids. They’ll take their significant other. You haven’t just got one new angler now, you’ve got a new family.

Adults are even easier to take out on the water too. Maybe it’s a co-worker who is often in awe about your Monday morning fishing stories at work. Maybe it’s a new friend who’s asking about what there is to do in town. Heck maybe it’s a date! There are so many adults out there who are looking to get involved in the sport, they just need someone to guide them.

Make it a social call.

It doesn’t have to be about the fish. Make it a social time with fishing as a bonus! Instead of going to the bar for drinks, go to the lake. Instead of a grill out on the deck, take the portable grill to the lake. Much like with kids, fishing does not have to be the primary activity!

You aren’t giving away your secret spot.

So often I hear “well I’m not giving away my spot” or “no one but me can go to my secret spot”. There’s no need. You have a secret spot you don’t want anyone to know about? Terrific. Again, these new anglers don’t need their first fish to be a 30 inch walleye or 50 inch muskie. Go to somewhere you can catch a ton of fish! The community fishing hole is more than fine!

Be ready to answer questions.

Your first day on the job did you have any questions? Yeah, we all did. New anglers are hungry for information, be ready to give it to them! There are no dumb questions. Be ready to help them out best you can, you may even find as you answer their questions you find yourself learning more about why you do what you do. “Why do you fish on the wind-blown shoreline?” Well….why do you? What may be a simple question may have a complex answer and the more you think about it, the better you’ll become.

Remember

Every fish is a trophy.

There are no dinks. There are no trash fish. Every fish is a trophy when you’re a new angler. Whether it’s a 5 inch bass or a 5 pound bass. Whether it’s a 30 inch walleye or a 10 inch goldeye, every fish is a trophy. Don’t bash. Don’t make fun of. Every fish is a big deal for a new angler, make it a big deal for you.

It ain’t about the catching.

Remember, what might be a “slow” day for you could be someone else’s best day ever. It’s not about the catching. Every day on the water with a new angler is a success!

Pick your days.

How many times do we say “oh it was just awful out there but we managed to scrape out our limit”. It might not be nice out, but we’re launching the boat anyways. Pick your days with new anglers. There’s no need to “suffer and grind” with new anglers. If it’s not good weather, don’t go. It’s a lot easier to have a relaxing day on the water when it’s 70 and sunny as opposed to blowing 70 mph.

It’s not about you.

I leave you with this. It ain’t about you. When you take a new angler, it’s not about the biggest fish you catch. It’s not about going to your favorite lake. It’s about them. You might hit the water 100 days a year, they might hit it once. Give them that one day, you’ll have 99 more. Help rig up, help take fish off, answer questions. You’ll find that your slowest day fishing, may be the best day on the water all year.