Hi guys!

I am excited about a project that I am about to undertake with some seniors in my area. I have agreed to take them on a fishing trip.

I took a few fishing last year and there were a couple of folks that went fishing for the first time and the look on their faces was priceless and joy-filled.  However, tying every knot, baiting every hook, and undoing every tangled spool becomes very difficult for one person (me) to do for 10-12 persons.

Based on that first experience, I believe it would be a good idea to teach them the basics.  As a result, I want to develop a class course (one-time session is what I envision) to teach them the basics.

I want to teach them the basics such as:

1)   Tying Knots
2)   Placing bait on a hook
3)   How to cast

And anything else you think would benefit them. 

I know that we all love to take our kids fishing but I have realized that we have seniors in our own communities that are just waiting to discover the joys of fishing for the first time or to rekindle their passion for fishing that they had earlier in their lives.  It is people like you and me who can get them there.

So please, share your tips and tricks here, from how you teach casting to tips on knot tying and baiting a hook, whatever you can think of would be appreciated.

BTW, I will be taking them trout fishing at a trout farm. This eliminates the need to have them pay for licenses, and I have the convenience of having the basic amenities for them.  Also, these farms have the rods and reels that I cannot provide on my own.

Thanks ahead of time. My overall goal is the get them "hooked" and hopefully have them start a club or group that goes fishing on a regular basis.

-ib

Thanks for the advice! The KISS philosophy will definitely be incorporated into the class. 

I hope to put together a booklet/handout if I can to assist with the class.

There was one thing on my list of 3 above that I forgot and you guys did too that one person pointed out in another forum...

Getting donations is another sound idea. I will definitely try that out.

4) How to set the hook.  Doh!!  

Give them a lecture showing them various lures and include some facts such as:

1. Baits don't have to be realistic looking to catch fish

Unrealistic looking lures and unnatural colors, even florescent colors, catch fish. Spoons, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, Flat Fish, Spoon Plugs, Sweet Beavers, creature baits (Lew's Hoo Daddy grub or creature bait) and a huge variety of other weird stuff catch fish.

2. Match the hatch means different things to different people

What I mean by that is that some anglers  want to believe that super realistic paint job or lure pattern or lure action give one an edge triggering a bite. They might hit the visual realisitc pattern at times, but sometimes realism is ignored for something strange and new.

3. Instead, take in consideration lure size, color and action  and your retrieve speed and action as things to keep in mind.  If a size of lure works better than all others, stick with it. If a color works better, dark or light colors,stay with it. Tell them a bit about cover types and what fish feed on.

A pool of water would be ideal to demonstrate lure action and retrieves. 2" grubs and hair jigs are simple baits trout might attack.

Just some ideas to consider.

I taught a church group of kids 13-16 and they liked the intro. Once one kid caught a crappie from shore on an artificial, the rest ran over to see what he caught it on.
Instant believers! All were thankful for the outing.

It hasn't happened yet, but it will at the end of May. The first trip will be on June 15.

I have compiled all of the advice and my next step is to get local folks to loan or donate unused rods so that I can teach them to cast (one of the things I will teach) I'm going to teach them to underhand cast too, as subliminal training for bass fishing. 

The Senior Center's Program Coordinator came up with a neat and catchy title for the class, "Anglin' with Alex."  Yee hah! I am excited.

We're going to target trout first because they can fish for them without a license.