Florida Fishing - Fishing with Kids, with Pics and Fishing Videos

Florida fishing is legendary – for both saltwater fishing and for freshwater fishing. Of course, this is no big surprise, considering the number of large lakes and the miles of coastline along the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. The Sunshine State calls to mind the words of Coleridge in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”: “Water, water, everywhere…” In this article, I’m going to focus on saltwater fishing, specifically easy fishing tips and fishing with kids. Our fishing kids cut their teeth on Florida fishing, and yours can, too. Fishing is a great sport to teach kids!

If you’re heading to the beach for a family vacation this year, you’ll find that fishing with kids can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. For one thing, saltwater fishing can be educational – you never know what you might catch. Kids can learn first-hand about a variety of marine species, along with conservation of natural resources. Teach them that if they’re not going to eat what they catch, the fish should be released unharmed.

Fishing with kids can also provide children with a great sense of accomplishment, especially when their catch is cooked and eaten by the family. Prepare some great fish recipes with the kids! There’s something instinctive in humans about wanting to procure our own food – a holdover from the times when we had to in order to survive. Many “city kids” are so far removed from the actual food chain that they really don’t understand where our food comes from, other than those neat packages found in the grocery stores and markets.

Fishing can also teach kids about patience. Most types of angling require at least some patience, and hopefully, once the kids learn the art of patience with fishing, it will carry over to other aspects of life. Watch the fishing videos below to see kids fishing.

Some novices to saltwater fishing never even attempt the sport, even when they’re near a beach. Some might even be experienced freshwater fishermen, but they think that saltwater fishing is just too complicated for them, so they might not even give it a try. Of course, these same people usually consider saltwater fishing much too difficult for kids.

This is totally a misconception! Sure, when you’re talking about deep sea fishing for marlin or sailfish, Florida fishing can be arduous and require special skills, but not all saltwater fishing is like that. There are numerous inshore and nearshore fish species that are very easy to catch, one of which is the Southern kingfish, or whiting.

The Southern kingfish, also called “whiting” or “Southern whiting,” provides extremely easy fishing, even for young children. If you’re fishing with kids at the beach, this is your best target. Not only are the fish easy to catch, but they also taste great, and they’re prolific. From my experience with Florida fishing, there seems to be no shortage of whiting.

Whiting are members of the drum family and usually feed on the bottom. Most of the ones you catch while Florida fishing will average about a pound in weight, although larger whiting weighing up to two pounds are not uncommon. The larger individuals are usually referred to as “bull whiting” here in the South.

These fish have a mild flavor and firm flesh. A nice whiting can be fairly easily filleted into two sections – one from each side. The fillets can be battered and fried, pan broiled, or baked. The fish can also be cooked whole, after removing the head, entrails, and scales. If you’re not going to eat the fish, please release it carefully and quickly back into the water. Watch the fishing videos below to see Florida fishing in the surf.

You won’t need any fancy or expensive fishing gear to catch whiting. Remember – this is easy fishing! A light rod and a spinning reel will do just fine, and it doesn’t even have to be a saltwater outfit. Actually, when I was a kid, I caught lots of whiting in the surf using a cane pole. That’s about as cheap and simple as you can get with fishing gear.

Your reel should be loaded with light line, ranging in the eight to ten-pound category. You won’t need a wire leader, but you will need a sliding weight, like an egg sinker. Whiting have small mouths, so you’ll need a smallish hook. A #6 size hook usually works well. I’ve found that the best bait for whiting is fresh shrimp. Don’t use a whole shrimp. If you do, you’ll just feed the fish instead of catch the fish. Cut or break a small bait shrimp in half, remove the shell, and place it on your hook. Since whiting are bottom feeders, you’ll want to fish right on the bottom, without a float.

Once you’ve made your cast, take in the slack from your line and wait for a bite. Whiting don’t usually bite hard. Instead, you’ll usually see or feel an irregular tapping on your rod. When you think you have a bite, wait a couple of seconds before setting the hook. If you use circle hooks, the fish will usually hook themselves, which makes it even easier for kids to be successful in their angling efforts.

Whiting can be caught from shore, from piers and docks, or while wading into the surf. I’ve caught whiting at several different depths, but one of the most productive spots is where the waves are breaking near the beach. The wave action stirs up food particles on the bottom, so this seems to be a favorite hunting ground for whiting.

Whiting can be caught all year while Florida fishing, even in the northernmost part of the state. You’ll probably catch more fish just before and just after high tide, but I’ve landed whiting at dead low tide plenty of times. Whiting bite at night, too. On many nights, I’ve caught whiting two at the time with fish-finder rigs, which contain two hooks.

Next time you’re packing to go to the beach, throw in a fishing rod or two and introduce your kids to saltwater fishing. Start out with targeting whiting. This will give the beginners a good chance to hone their fishing skills, and because whiting angling is easy fishing, the kids are almost guaranteed success. This will increase their confidence and their enjoyment level, and they might just become lifelong anglers. From whiting, the kids can “graduate” to other saltwater fishing species. See? I told you Florida fishing could be easy fishing!