gregsteph

I’m a newbie to THT and fishing, and am looking for guidance. This forum has been tremendously helpful so far – thank you all for your contributions. Some day, I hope I can add something to the conversation. The Carolinas Forum has been especially helpful – so I thought I’d post here.

My boys – 8 and 10 – love to fish, and I’m looking to help them grow their interest and skill. To-date, we’ve mostly fished off our dock, in the creeks and in-shore, catching smaller fish plus the occasional red drum and flounder. They’ve got a keen interest in pursuing larger fish in-shore and close off-shore.

And, I’d like to help them – but I’ve got limited experience. Mostly, I want them to be successful at catching fish – enough so that they enjoy their time (and that will allow all of us to spend more time on the water). We don’t particularly care what type of fish, and we’re not looking to head 40 miles offshore.

So, my questions:

1. What are the next steps in their fishing education?
2. What sort of gear / tackle should we acquire to let them expand their horizons?
3. Any suggestions on good ways to pick up that gear at a reasonable expense?

FYI, we live just north of Wrightsville Beach. We’ve got a 20’ GW now with a larger one on order, with all the safety equipment. I’m reasonably capable of handling the boat, and pretty cautious with the kids on board.

Thanks for any help and guidance. Greg

HOTSPOT

I would add trolling for kings and spanish next. This is a near shore technique that is not hard and it gets you out of the inlet with the potential to catch some nice fish. After you learn the basics of trolling, a new world will open up for you. There is nothing like hearing a clicker scream!

Keep your eye open for any seminars and get a subscription to NC Sportsman Magazine, great tips and articles. There are also some great guides down your way that can teach you some local spots and techniques.

__________________

thubert57

Hot Spot's advise is quite good (as always). I would add, visit some local tackle shops (not the big boxes) they can provide some excellent advise also. Regular visits with the boys and they will get to know you. The more you go the more you will learn. The tackle won't be the cheapest there is but they could save you from buying a bunch of unnecessary stuff.

And as you have mentioned, THT is a wealth of info.

__________________
Albemarle

TunaTeaser1

Shimano TLD 20s or 25 reel would be a good fit for spanish,kings and are pretty affordable, and i think you can get a combo deal with shimano rods at a lot of places. The easiest way to start would be to pick up a couple clark or drone spoons and work on trolling nearshore.