While reflecting over my busiest season of guiding anglers on Saganaga Lake it seems the summer has passed by too quickly. Our children are maturing even faster than the seasons and I realize how important it is to make time each week for my family whenever possible—despite a hectic schedule.
This week we were fortunate enough to visit our cabin on Saganaga Lake twice and took the kids out to catch a few walleyes while enjoying the beautiful sunny days that are surely numbered. I love to fish but have never forced my obsession onto my family. It pleases me that given the choice they enthusiastically ask to go fishing when there are so many other fun things to enjoy at the cabin, and they are all becoming such good anglers— especially my wife Rachelle.
Fishing with kids is a challenge I welcome even though they are only 3 and 4 years of age. Their short attention spans will not allow them to enjoy any activity for more than a few hours, so we design our time in the boat to be short and productive. Lucky for them I happen to know some good spots to get fast enough action to keep their restless minds busy enough to stay focused. As soon as they set down their poles and begin playing with the leeches, I know we are almost done and honor them by quitting before they get bored.
In my profession I take a lot of parent/sibling groups fishing and have noticed some important cues to keeping children excited about their time fishing. Walleye fishing requires patience and can quickly become boring, even for me, so it is imperative to remember that it needs to be fun for everyone involved to be successful.
Fast action certainly helps keep youngsters busy in the boat but sometimes is not enough to hold their interest. I keep a couple of toy fishing poles in the boat with hookless practice plugs tied on for them to cast and retrieve whenever they begin to lose interest. Making a contest out of casting seems to excite my competitive little anglers and gives the adults a little added time to produce some dinner fish.
If all else fails, Saganaga Lake hosts a number of cool campsites for them to run around and burn energy before spending a little more time in the boat. Some of my fondest childhood memories were spent on the water with my family and I hope the tradition will continue one day with their children as well.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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