Growing up in an outdoors orientated family means fishing is in my blood. Open water and bent rods fill me with joy. But how do you convince a non-fishing person that they should spend their Saturday on the water with you? Whether it's a new girlfriend/boyfriend, work pal, or even your son or daughter who you're introducing to fishing for the first time, here are three tips to improve your odds of a repeat fishing buddy:
1. Comfort is key
If you're a hardcore fisher person, a hard canoe seat, hot sun and hours of boredom between bites is a price you're will to pay in your quest for the next lunker. If you're just starting out, these make fishing miserable. In order to make things more pleasant for a newbie I suggest cold drinks, snacks, good tunes and a comfy seat.
If you already own a nice boat with comfortable seats and a stereo, all you really need is this Yeti cooler filled up with something good to drink and tasty snacks. For my budget setup, which usually consists an aluminum fishing boat or canoe, I like to add a few relatively inexpensive items that will go a long way in adding comfort.
Firstly, if you've got a smartphone with music on it, you'll want to pick up a speaker for between bite entertainment. This water resistant bluetooth speaker is designed for the shower (which makes it a nice multi-function speaker) but the suction cup sticks just as well to the inside wall of an aluminum fishing boat.
A more budget-friendly cooler such as this Igloo Profile will do just fine for keeping drinks cold and you can still harness the power of Yeti technology while minding your budget with this Yeti ice pack. The one I have keeps cold plenty long for the average afternoon on the water.
A final key item for keeping your fishing partner comfy is a nice boat seat. If you're boat or canoe doesn't have padded seats with a back support, I highly recommend a strap-in seat such as this GCI Outdoor SitBacker.
2. Action Jackson!
I'm a walleye fisherman myself. The pursuit of this favored game-fish species has taught me many lessons in patience. But for a first-timer, you'll want to go after something that provides more consistent action. In my neck of the woods, that means panfish such as bluegills and crappie. High bag limits, fast action, and good eating make panfish a huge hit with the uninitiated. I've had great success using small jigs such as the Northland Forage minnow. Tipping the jig with wax worms is probably your best bet for finicky, light biting fish, but warm weather panfish are often pretty aggressive. I've found that soft plastics, for example, these Gulp maggots outfish live bait, not necessarily because fish prefer them to the real thing, but because they often survive 2-3 strikes before they require re-baiting. This saves you time (as you'll likely be baiting your hook and your newbie's hook) and keeps your line in the water longer, which ultimately leads to more fish in the boat.
3. Enjoying the fruits of your labor
I'm a huge believer in catch-and-release when it comes to large spawning females or when you're just fishing for fun. That being said, when you have newcomer to the sport, correlating your success on the water to a delicious meal is key to creating a lifelong fishing partner.
For making quick work of a limit of bluegills, I prefer a smaller more flexible bladed fillet knife than what I'd use on an eating size walleye or the like. This Rapala fillet knife fits the bill nicely. It's a classic and is very similar to the knife my no-bull, depression era, iron-working grandfather had in his tackle box.
Once you've got your fish cleaned and the boat unloaded, all you need is some hot frying oil and cold drinks. Be sure to congratulate your fishing buddy on a job well done, and enjoy the freshly caught fish together!
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