Get them kids on the water

If you want your kids to love fishing then get them on the water early and at a young age. Both of my daughters have been fishing since a very young age. Let them get tangled up, tie their own nots and lip their own fish. A hook in the finger won't kill them. My oldest daughter stuck with it and is now an avid angler and my greatest fishing partner. She even paints her own lures too. My youngest took the path of digging through the water, turning rocks and catching frogs and bait fish with the net. All while wearing the glam and having her nails done! I would take them out on the boat and fish, or wade through the crick and river hunting for crayfish to find new designs for me to paint. I started them off right away with real fishing gear! No mickey mouse toys. My 14 yr old now fishes better with a bait-caster then most guys. I taught them to fish and not catch. We would spend hours on the boat or kayaks and not catch a thing. But I made sure they learned something from each trip out to take home with them. Sophie is an angler and will fish all day without a bite. Lucie is a catcher. No fish first cast, see ya later and take her home! She wants the net and wants to cruise the banks and catch creatures. No matter what just get them some tackle boxes and rod set ups and get them out as much as possible. #gethooked #louslures #takeakidfishing

My daughter the angler

I could not ask for a better fishing partner. My daughter comes out in 20 degrees and fishes in the winter or 100 degrees in the summer. She never complains about the trip or wants to leave early. She is up at 4am and will fish all day. To see her tackle this sport with the passion that I have and see the love for it when she is fighting a fish is PRICELESS. As a family we spend a ton of time fishing and camping and she goes from jet boat to kayak to bank angling. She will rough it all and kicks butt and taking names. Get your kids out there as much as possible and let them enjoy this awesome way of life. They will have lifelong memories. #girldad #gethooked #louslures #lifelongfishingfamily

Where should you start tournament fishing?

Tournament fishing is a great way to interact with anglers of the same mindset. In my case, I started with club opens (20-30 boats with 50$ entry fees). You can usually find a huge list of clubs you can join if you like online in your area. In Michigan, the DNR posts all public and private tournaments on their website, you can get the name of directors/contact info there too. Then, you can usually make a presence in the local community and just expand from local tournaments, to 70+ boat tournaments on the bigger waters.

#gethooked #louslures