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I have been offered the opportunity to teach a group of 15 boys and girls, ages 8 to 15 how to fish on Saturday. We are in Cache Valley, and I haven't had a chance to get out in the last month or so. With luck, some of you fine readers may have some suggestions on where such a group is most likely to catch fish. We will be shore bound, so access is also key.
Any suggestions are welcome, either in this thread or by PM. My primary objective is to help as many as possible to catch a fish, clean it, and cook it for lunch. Any readily available species will be acceptable. Some of the kids may even be hand-lining with survival kits they made last month.
Please provide whatever input you have to share.
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If size is not a concern, perhaps fishing from the beach at Hyrum. Many species available and most are catchable using worms or power-bait. Fish under a bobber, on the bottom, or float worm off bottom with a miniature marshmallow. Nice of you to accept this challenge.
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Good fishing to all. Hue
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Thanks for this, I have never actually fished from the beach. Looking at the weather, it probably won't be crowded with swimmers, which is a plus. [bobhappy]
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You have a great place to take the kids tight in your back yard.
The Wellsville Community Pond would be a great place to do.
Trout are stocked there in the Spring and Fall.
The pond should have been stocked already and ready for the kids.
You can use any trout bait, lure or fly there and should do well.
Hope this helps.
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Great suggestion. I just checked the DWR stocking report and they just put 1000 rainbows of 10inch size on Sept. 6 into the Wellsville Res.
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Good fishing to all. Hue
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Benson marina is sure catching for Bullhead when fishing on the bottom with worms. Both the north and south side of the road is accessible by foot with many spots to spread out and fish. There are a few different species in there, but Bullhead is the most likely catch. A kid could hook into a 10 pound carp and really be in for a wild fight too.
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I second Benson marina. A worm on a sliding sinker (Carolina rig) is a sure thing. I've been skunked at wellsville pond more often than not.
The beach at hyrum would be next on the list. Again with a worm on a sliding sinker rig. The small perch should be somewhat cooperative, but with the cold weather you never know.
Mike
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I think you've gotten some great suggestions so far and I'd put my vote in for Hyrum swim beach as well. Costs a little for access but I expect trout would be more interesting than bullheads and I've watched a lot of fish be caught from that beach. Lots of room to spread kids out and less hazards. To me it's the best bet for what you're trying to do. I think power bait is tough to beat for a beginner especially if you're keeping the fish. Good luck. J
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Just a reminder, children over the age of 12 must have a license in order to fish in Utah. Ages 12-14 must have a $5 license and those over the age of 14 must have a license that costs $16.
If you are the leader of a group that is a 501-3-C non profit you can get a waiver for kids aged 12-14. This is the link to the form.
https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing/pdf/yo...mption.pdf
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Thanks for all the replies, it looks like we are going to Hyrum. I am still pulling for the beach, but we may end up by the dam. We'll keep Wellsville as a backup if there is no catching at Hyrum.
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Thanks for the reminder on licenses and the potential exemption. The group has already been notified of the requirement for licenses, and as a private group, not part of a larger organization, we wouldn't qualify for the exemption yet.
Ultimately, I think we would like to get the kids to a point where the have a desire to fish more often, even on their own. Purchasing a license now should take one more obstacle out of the way. The cost of a 3 day license is the same as a year license for 14-17 year olds, and it's only 5 bucks for 12-13.
Hopefully we'll have enough success that they'll see the value in having a license for the rest of their lives.
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It's hard to say what that day will bring, but I've been in a boat trolling off the beach and watched the guys on shore pulling in two or three fish to my one... So I know it can be good there... Hope it works out well for you... J
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If going for trout and using power bait... you might want to try the power bait eggs as they stay on the hook over and over...
thru numerous strikes...
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Good point on the durability of the eggs. I've been promoting the eggs because they are not messy like the doughbait, and because we can minimize the required tackle by using the same hooks for worms and for eggs.
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We ended up going to Hyrum this morning and fishing by the spillway. From the first cast of the first kid, we were catching almost non-stop. We ended with ~20 people fishing, including 5 parents. Only two of the kids were over 12, with one being my own 14 yo son, who was a great help to others. The catch was split between perch and small bass, with the occasional small rainbow or brown thrown in for good measure. The largest fish though was still only a 10 inch perch, so nothing an experienced fisher might get too excited about. Primarily we just used a piece of worm under a bobber, with the browns coming in on vibrax spinners.
It was a great time and everyone caught multiple fish while learning to bait their own hooks, cast their own rods, take their own fish off the hook, identify the different species, and clean the fish. After catching a lot of fish, we broke out a fry pan and cooked up a shore lunch as a bonus.
Thanks again to everyone who contributed suggestions here or by PM. It was a great day for kids to learn to love the sport.
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Sir, thanks for taking the time to do this.
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Nice job, sounds like you did better than we did. After the Bear Lake blow out we hit Hyrum on the way home and I was looking for you on the beach but now I know why I didn't see ya there. We trolled and got 8 fish in a couple hours but the biggest was only 13-14" and most were 8-10" so we weren't near as lucky as you guys were. Nice job and thanks for your efforts to help others learn to love a great sport. Later J
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Good on ya. Thanks for helping the younger generation learn something that can last a lifetime.
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It was my pleasure. It's always fun to see the excitement and wonder on the face of a kid when they pull that first fish out of the water. When they can repeat the effort like they did on Saturday, I hope it cements a love of the sport.
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Well played sir. Big round of applause!
Hey even little fish can be fun. And for newbie kids - catching anything is exciting. There are SO many baby bass in there, we collected a school under our anchored boat before long.
Think I'll need to take my new boat over for a test run. And some more perch!
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