Yard Fishing

Every fishing or boating show likes to include something for the kids. Often this is in the form of a hands-on casting booth where the target may be a giant inflatable fish mouth. These booths always have a long line.

This fun can continue in the yard, where you do not have to stand in line. “Backyard Bass” is a game example consisting of three flat, plastic fish. A rubber casting plug “catches” the fish when the line is retrieved at an angle that snags the plug through a slit near the fish head.

Whether at home or on vacation, chances are you can pair some fishing gear with a hula-hoop, Frisbee, or bucket and create your own casting contest kit.  If you do not have a casting plug, remove the hooks off the split rings of an old lure or clip off a hook, with any remnant safely buried in soft plastic. Pitch, flip, cast overhead, or even set the target under a picnic table (vacant!) and try “skipping,” with a side-arm cast, just as you might have to master for casting under a dock or pier. Then, try the contest again with different reel types. (spin-cast, spinning, bait caster, or fly-fishing)

These games serve as a fun way to learn a variety of casts. Kids will gain the accuracy, timing, and control of lures that will result in time that is more efficient on the water.  With a little practice, the kids may even beat you in yard fishing.

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Andy Whitcomb

Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.