Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Recently, I was surfing on line and happened to come across this young man who was tossing a very small cast net out on the grass. He would pull it back just the same as if it had been thrown on the water, except this was all on dry land. He then carefully went through and captured all the grass hoppers in it!

Talk about clever! I hadn’t in a million years thought of doing that trick, and perhaps you haven’t either. This is particularly beneficial if you are going to take some tykes who would jump at the chance to catch grasshoppers and go fishing. Of course, you will have to have small hooks and floats and such to accommodate fishing for pan fish. The size of the fish will not matter to youngsters who have not been fishing at all, or seldom get to experience this thrill.

Since this is only early September, there is still time. There should be plenty of grasshoppers so if you are as stove up as I am, you aren’t going to mind having some young boys or girls to chase down the bait. You probably will need a special container to keep them in. I don’t think you will have to worry about the fish recognizing your offering, they probably grew up on just this sort of delicacy!

Of course, you will have to have a cast net. I noticed the guy in the video had a very small one, probably only 3 feet in diameter. That is more than adequate, and you can always use it to capture bait in the water off a dock or boat later. If you haven’t had any experience with one, you will find throwing a small cast net is enough challenge and it is more than adequate to capture minnows, mullet, or even shrimp in you happen to be near salt water. When I first saw the dude casting out in the grass, I thought he was practicing. Then I realized he was catching bait! If you have never used one, you will need to practice some first!

Believe me, his method is far superior to the time and effort of digging worms or using a minnow seine to capture bait in a creek. Over the years when I was growing up, we had to do this regularly and I even developed the “Bob Samples’ rule”! It takes an average of two hours of collecting bait, digging worms or seining for minnows, for each hour you fish! Lots of work and almost impossible to get it done with less time and effort.

So, if you have grand kids, even neighborhood kids that you would like to introduce to the thrill of fishing, you might want to give this idea a try.

Several years ago, my Rotary Club decided to treat all the children in an orphans’ home to trip to a ranch that had many different activities for all ages to enjoy. I volunteered to manage the fishing since they had a small lake stocked with fish. I bought six inexpensive rods and closed face reels in preparation for this event assuming there would not be any tackle there.

Well, some of the bigger kids would fish for a while, catch a small catfish and then quit to do something else. But, not little guys, and one in particular, Sam, who was only four or five, he was really into wanting to fish. I baited his hook and tossed in in for him and explained when he felt a fish biting or pulling on his like to jerk the rod and wind the handle to pull it in.

I don’t know if you ever have noticed, but little boys, when they really want to learn something are all ears and will pay close attention. Well, when Sam caught a small catfish, no one could have been more excited. When he realized he had a live fish on his line, he began to yell, “Its Sam’s, Its Sam’s and as he yelled he began to back up, rather than cranking his reel! Its Sam’s! This was his very first and his mother, who was a Rotarian, told me later that was all he could talk about later was that he had caught his first fish all alone! Do you think he will ever forget that? I don’t and it was a thrill for me, too! Just Sayin….RJS

Able Man Loc: North Coast (Cleveland, Ohio)

Thanks for posting that, Mr. Robert! (Kinda gave me "a peaceful feeling"...) {Even though it doesn't sound like Sam was very "peaceful" about it!} [Understandably] It has brought a memory of catching a Perch out of Lake Erie, 50-some-odd years ago!

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

Great ideas and stories Robert, thanks for sharing!

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

Thanks for sharing your story Robert and yes it is a joy to watch the little ones catch their first fish or even if it's their 10th fish the excitement that they show. Here's a picture of my five year old granddaughter earlier this summer

nutz4fish Loc: Colchester, CT

I just know there is a big smile hidden behind that fish! Nice photo. Love seeing kids & fish.

nutz4fish Loc: Colchester, CT

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Wow... what a great idea, cast net for terrestrials. This would have been a big deal to know when I was a kid.
Found a way to avoid chasing hoppers all over, now I go to the pet shop and purchase crickets.They got 'em for food for lizards, small snakes, tarantulas, etc.
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HotKat Loc: Northeast Texas

Love this idea - Thanks for posting.

Blackdog Loc: Round Rock, TX

Good Stuff Robert!

I never figured Grasshoppers for bait!? But now that you have let the cat out of the bag, I know where I'm going to find HUGE grasshoppers......

THX RJS
Hope the move is going well.
Looking forward to hooing up with ya!


BD

Djcarro Loc: NW Indiana

Agreed. Teaching kids how to fish is such a fun experience. I’m nowhere near an expert myself, but seeing their excitement when they catch one by themselves is contagious.

Thanks for sharing the picture, Whitey. This is of my son’s first bass from July. I’m still trying to find a good fishing spot in NW Indiana, so we started small fishing bluegill at a local pond. He helped two older gentlemen fill their buckets for dinner and was hooked. Bluegill quickly became old hat and all he could talk about was how he wanted to catch his own “big mouth” bass.

A couple weeks later we went out to the Hocking Hills, OH area and he got this guy off a sinker and plastic worm on his first cast. He’s hooked for life.

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

Welcome to the stage Djcarro. Yes it is taking young'uns fishing. Hocking Hills is less than an hour from my house we ride our bikes over there quite a bit. Lake Logan's over by there haven't fished it for years. I hear it gets a lot of pressure these days.