any recommendations for a first fishing outing with my kid

[UphillHabit]

I'm thinking about taking my 5-year-old out to try fishing for the first time. I’ve never been fishing myself, so I’m a bit lost on where to start. I noticed some kids' fishing poles at the store and wondered if those work well for beginners. I just want to keep it simple and fun, but I'm not sure what kind of bait or setup I should be looking at. Any advice for someone new to this?

 

[Cracker57]

You will want to target pan fish, lets not start with the fish of 1000 cast(musky). also its good to go somewhere where there is more to do than just fish, a swimming beach a park with play ground equipment or something for them to do other that fish, they will get bored. a worm and bobber are where you want to start.
Go to a local bait and tackle, take the kid with you and ask what you need and where to go. If the kid is with you the employees will be more willing to give up that info. Fisherman can be very secretive.
Good luck.

 

[JeffG]

Lacking a boat, there are lots of waterfront parks that can be easy fishing access. Bobber fishing with nightcrawlers can lead to some fishing fun. For casual day fishing, check out your local gas stations for hooks, bobbers, sinkers and live bait. Tutorials are many on YouTube if you don't have anyone to show you.



If you have no fishing poles, WalMart, sporting goods stores, have ample stocks of what you need. You can start with"push button" rod and reel combos, and have a lot of fun. Kids specific rod/reel combos are budget friendly, and frustrate little tykes a lot less. You can buy fishing license online, and be ready to go in 15 minutes.



Buy license here...
https://gowild.wi.gov/

 

[CZMark]

I take my young grandchildren to a public park with a pond. They catch tons of stunted bluegills and have a blast.

 

[critterpicker]

Cracker57 had some really good info. When I took my kids,there was a trout stream that ran through a city park. Adults were not allowed to fish there. When I take my grandkids I target pan fish. You want fast action so they keep interested.

 

[Tabby]

I'm probably not a good one to ask this question since I primarily fish Walleye, Northern Pike and Musky. One thing that I learned as a kid living on a lake is that there is no way to predict when fish will bite or exactly where they will be. If one lucks upon a school of panfish or other fish the action may be fast and furious. Panfish are somewhat more predictable than others in that they have specific habitat that they like to frequent. If you know the spots it's a good starting point but hardly guarantees fast action. There are two spots that I know of that are good for panfish. Monona Bay near the channel leading to Mud Lake and Mud Lake which is a small body of water between Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa Here is a video of fishing Lake Monona late September. .