Kids on the ice.

[2 dogs]

My buddies and I took our grand daughters (age 7 & 10)  and daughters(age16 & 17)  on the ice Saturday and had a ball. Got some northerns on tip ups, perch jigging, ate burgers and bratts, cokies and cocoa and got stuck in the drifts getting on and off the ice. We all had a great day and kids slept like rocks on the drive home from the lake. We had the tent up and heater going so eventhough was 4 inches of slush and  a foot of snow and kids got wet nobody got cold or wanted to go home. We see very few guys out with their daughters and wonder why as our girls love it and we enjoy having them along.  Take your girls fishing, you won't be sorry.

[Icenutter]

I took my daughter and son  fishing last year.  I made the mistake and went on a cold windy day.  My daughter froze her tail off and my son never gets cold.  I bought a shelter and a buddy heater for them this year.  My son still goes no matter what the weather, but my daughter still won't return to the frozen tundra even with the heater and shelter.  She must not trust me that she will stay warm.  Hopefully when she gets a little older she will understand.  

[grumpymoe]

took my 2 oldest grandsons out just after boxing day. the oldest, doesn't generally enjoy fishing summer or winter. i kept the shack temperature up over 30c and lots of snacks, and whatever they wanted to eat. and yes, they caught more fish than me as well. earlier in the day, they stripped their tops off and sprawled out on the bunks with rods in hand. by the time we had to leave, their first question was "when can we come out again". keeping the snacks coming and keeping them warm is half the fun and battle to keep their interest. and of course, catching a few fish doesn't hurt either. grumpymoe

[billditrite]

i have 2 daughters 16 & 7 they are both excellent anglers and neither one will let me go fishing without them.they have both been fishing since they were three

[BJ]

I fish with the guys on saturday and fish sunday with my daughter. She loves it as much as I do! Having a heated shanty always helps when the weather gets cold. It means a lot to me that my daughter and I can spend quality time enjoying something that I have enjoyed since I was a kid.

[Colorado_Ice]

2 dogs,

Thanks for this post.

I have a 13 year old niece that camps out, plays softball and basketball and is very sharp. With the right clothing and boots I think she would have a blast. 

[BASSandICE65]

Great way to pass on a great sport can't wait to take my niece and nephew sure they will love it

[sbfPA_Mike]

A picture is worth a thousand words!!!

[BOOB]

My two daughters 25 and 20 now always went with me since they were 4.  Have some great times And the old lady to. Now the oldest one has two of her own 2 and 3. She says to me the other day we got to take them Dad and show them how to fish and respect what we love and how to care for it. Like Mom and you did for us . So in the next couple of weeks were gonna do just that. We also go on 4 wheeler camping trips in the summer pack up and leave from our doorsteps on wheelers. My girls have never been in trouble and i beleive its the way they were taught to respect other people and thier rights and views. there that was long winded!

[baginwal]

My daughter (12 yrs) is my primary ice fishing buddy!      Seriously, I have been taking her (and sometimes my son (8 yrs) when he feels like going ) ice fishing for the last 4 years.  She absolutely loves it.  I even taught her how to pull the sled

[Duskallunge]

yea, ive been ice fishining now for a good 3-4 years with my step dad and mom. Im 16 now and love it. Ive brought friends along with me but they didnt last even in the car. Ive even fished with my step dads friends daughter who is 12 and she loves it as long as its a nice day, but thank god for those shanties.

[PAcatchreleaseman]

i've been taking my gals 2 boys with me for the past 3 years.  this year is the 1st they havent gotten totally soaked and bored within an hour

like baginwal said- i made it look like draggin the frabill was FUN!!  now, once we get to the ice all i carry is the hand auger

kids are fun to fish with!  maybe its just my kids but every fish is a whopper to them!!!!



the guys caught this perch today on a  /shiner combo..   ...mysteriously ended up back in the drink  after this pic.....i was in the shanty when i heard "well, i dont want him to DIE!"  SKLOOOOSH!    8)

-PA-

[fozsey]

I take my son and daughter out all the time. My son (age 6) and my daughter (age 14) both love to go, but my son gets cold easy mainly because he gets wet playing around. My daughter loves it out there. I try to take them whenever I can. Its difficult buying clothes for them because they don't make clothing for kids that is as warm as what I have. Its the same with boots. There have been several times that I fished when it was 20 to 30 below zero with a strong wind and my shack didn't work worth a $h!t in the wind so I just went back to my bucket cuz I wanted to catch fish and never had any problems staying warm, but my kids would never be able to handle that. I usually opt to take them when it is warmer and sunny. BTW my son reads this forum and totally enjoys reading about catching fish.

[acsacmboy]

i take out my son, hes 15..... wait thats me . i take out my Dad who has never gone before. so i drag him out there and i still catch more. ive been fishing since 2. hardcore since 10. hunting since 12. ice fishing since 8 and last 3 years heavily icefishing. ive pretty much shown my dad what to do. but he still loves it. cant seperate us

[PERCH_INC.]

Had my two boys on the ice at age 4 or 5 thay loved it! Until thay both found out about "GIRLS"!! I  just have to wait for the grand kids I guess!!! But both still fish but not as much.

[FullTmeDad]

This is my daughter Helene's first year ice fishing. I think I have a new fishing partner. Now if I can only get her to learn how to use the auger.
FTD

[BuckShotJon]

I took my girls last year on a warm day towards the end of the season. They had a great time catching gills! I get yelled at each time I come home now that they did not go with me, even on the subzero days!

Jon

[baginwal]

A few pics of the kids from this weekend's fishing.






Bait:  $14.00............Derby fees:  $11.00...........ice fishing buddies for life.....Priceless!

[Mudbug]

i thoroughly enjoy reading all of the posts about everyone taking their daughters, and sons ice fishing. i have never had children of my own, and many times when i'm out on the ice, i truly long for maybe a son or daughter to be fishing next to me. like me and my Father did a lotta years ago. as i get older, i get more sentimental i guess.

[billditrite]

Had my two boys on the ice at age 4 or 5 thay loved it! Until thay both found out about "GIRLS"!! I  just have to wait for the grand kids I guess!!! But both still fish but not as much.

just wiat till they get married...they'll  fish then

[STRIKEMASTERS]

As you can see by the picture under my call sign my girls 4 & 10 have been fishing with me since they could hold a rod.  the older one has been more interested in hanging with the friends this winter but the 4 yr old gets mad if I don't take her.  When she gets home and tells her stories tto mom she always cought more than me and bigger ones than me!  Like Duskallunge said every fish is huge to them.. DADDY, DADDY, DADDY I got a huge one!  Hurry get it off I saw more down there.  When we site fish its better than any TV on earth, she is glued to the hole until I have to ask to go home!

[Lottie]

My son is 24 and goes with me when our schedules match up he is off on Mon and Tues. So i normally slide out of work early on those days. However, I went on this past Sat. wi to other member from this site. Around 10 am 2 youngsters and a father came out onto the ice from a cabin overlooking the lake. the boys migrated our way and started to ask questions. the one boy was a friend of the father and son. After talking to them I found out the one boy was from Philadelphia and had never been on a frozen lake before.  I guess the boys reminded me of my son when he was younger so I let them jig  for awhile and run after some flags. the kids were full of questions. when Dad said it was time to go sking the boys slowly left.  I think that someday we may have two new members to our sport and if they do go to the outdoors it will keep them out of trouble in the city. 
when I think about it, I had a great day fishing. I hooked 2 kids and no fish.       

[camet5]

My three girls (5,6 & 9) love to go fishing with me. Be it open water or hard water. And I enjoy them coming along with me great quality time! We have invited other kids to join us also. Just have to keep in mind that when they are ready to go home it's time to go. We are still working on mom!

[waterbeater]

I've got 2 girls (4 and 2). I can't get out the door without my 4 yr old spotting my fishing attire and grabbing her coveralls. She is crazy about any fishing or camping. Last week we went out for 4 hrs. I was cold and she never said a word about being cold. We were in a flip up and I had her feet of the ice when she finally gave in and said " Dad my feet hurt." when I pulled her boots off her toes felt like ice cubes. After getting them rubbed over the heater and warmed up we moved to the less mobile permanent house and she did "NOT" want to go home when it was time to leave. Does any one know of a decent pair of boots for kids. It seems like all you can buy a kid is Chinese Junk. They just have no insulation and forget about any wicking. Were I have another little one coming up, paying more for a boot doesn't bother me because they can be handed down but I can't seem to find one that works. So like they are saying have a warm house handy and lots of snacks.(an underwater camera doesn't hurt.)

[bugman-Greg]

Now taking things the other direction, I am 34 with now children, but just this year my uncle and I were able to introduce my father and my best friend to the great world of hard water fishing, not sure what dad thinks of it but he said he will give it another try. By the way my uncle was the one who introduced me to this great world, THANKS UNCLE BEN 

[grumpymoe]

the bottom line and best part of all these happy fishing days, it that you teach a child to fish, and they generally will fish for life; AND stay out of trouble....not all, but most. grumpy

[Thor]

Waterbeater,

Cabela's and Gander Mountain both carry Sorel Youth Glacier pac boots that are rated to "-100".  I don't put much stock in these temp ratings, but the point is that these kids' boots are made with the same materials as the adult models.

They have a removable 13mm felt liner, plus a 13mm insole, which provides good insulation from the cold ground.  They are pricey at $70 per pair, but I've seen them on sale for $55 a pair.

[trapperjon]

This one's important! take the kids even if it means a short day bye you're standards, both my kids literally grew up on a boat, fishin' Now when I go, i gotta go through you said!, look what ya' got and did'nt take me!, my brother got to go!
Take um' yup they're gonna get cold on certain days but it's well worth it in the long run
PS mine are 15 & 18 now and it's the same ol' story
trapperjon

[waterbeater]

Thor,
Thanks for the info on kids boots. I'll check them out.
Les

[billditrite]

i  think when you teach a kid to fish and or hunt and  basically to respect mother nature and all of her creations it cant help but to flow into other aspects of life.all they do is learn,so teach