January is a great time to take kids fishing

Fishing clinics, web sites, other resources help get them outside

MADISON – Kids going stir crazy this winter?

Ice fishing may be just the ticket to get them – and you -- out of the house and hooked on a fantastic lifelong recreation.

Now’s a great time to get started: ice fishing clinics for kids are on tap in many communities in coming weeks. They present a great introduction to ice fishing and usually require only that kids and their parents come dressed in warm clothes and ready to have fun, says Matt Coffaro, Department of Natural Resources urban fish biologist.

For ice anglers who have their own equipment, January is also a great time for fishing because the panfish are biting and the ice is typically in the best condition and able to support ice skating, hockey and other activities that can entertain youngsters while they’re waiting for that tip-up flag to fly.

Skip Sommerfeldt, a DNR fish biologist and avid ice angler, started getting his three daughters involved in fishing when they were about 5- to 6-years-old. “I try to get them out as often as I can -- and as often as they like to come along,” he says.

“I don't force my kids to go fishing but let them decide when they want to come along. The main thing is that it gets them away from TV and video games and gets them outside getting exercise and fresh air. It’s just a good outside family activity.”

Sommerfeldt has learned that fishing trips with tip-ups are usually more successful with his daughters than with those spent watching a hole.

“With tip ups, they don't have to sit in one place and watch for a bobber to go down,” he says. “They run around, build forts in the snow, slide on a little hill down to the lake, build snowmen -- and then come running to catch a fish when a flag pops up.”

Find more of Sommerfeldt’s kid-tested tips on the Ice Fishing in Wisconsin pages of the DNR Web site.

DNR has a wealth of information on how to making an ice fishing outing fun and successful for kids, including a video showing kids ice fishing. There’s even a coloring book or a “Junior Angler” handbook with activities that can be downloaded and used inside on really cold days to generate excitement for ice fishing when the weather warms up a little.

Before heading out onto early or newly formed ice, recreational safety specialists recommend that people check with a local bait shop, resort owner, or outdoors store regarding ice thickness or known thin spots.

Hook into a local ice fishing clinic

Check the outdoors listings in your local paper for ice fishing clinics offered by local fishing clubs. In Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, head out to the 17th annual Kids’ Ice Fishing Clinic on Feb. 2 at six park ponds and lagoons in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The clinics are a cooperative effort of the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations, Milwaukee and Waukesha County Parks, the Milwaukee County House of Correction Fish Hatchery, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Volunteers provide instruction on the proper use of equipment and techniques, knot tying, safety and much more. Clinics last about 45 minutes and begin every hour on the hour starting at 9 a.m., with the last one starting at 2 p.m. If the weather and ice conditions allow, kids will be able to fish after receiving the classroom instruction. No pre-registration is necessary. Equipment and snacks will be provided and it’s all free! Just dress warm! For more information and park locations call the DNR Urban Fishing Hotline at (414) 263-8494 or, DNR Urban Fish Biologist, Matt Coffaro at (414) 263-8614.