Many adults can remember their first fishing trip. They can probably tell you who they went with, where they fished, and if they caught anything. But if you asked them how they got started in fishing, most would mention a particular person instead of the details about the trip. With much attention these days focused on trying to recruit more kids for fishing, let's not forget about what happens on those first few trips to the local lake, pond, or stream.

Too many times we adults have high expectations of what the results of the trip should be. We focus so much attention on the catch, the gear, and the techniques involved, we forget the fun and enjoyment kids have just being around the water. A fishing trip with kids can include many activities in addition to fishing.

Some general strategies I learned from my father I now use with my own kids. Here are a few tips that may be useful when just starting out with children:

• To start, get them outdoors. This sounds odd, but we must allow our children to discover that they can have fun without TV, computers, and malls.
• Choose a site that offers a chance to explore, but still be safe.
• Be flexible. If the kids want to go fishing when they first get there, assist them. If they don't, let them explore other options first (within reason).
• Show them some other things to do in and around water that might be fun, and do it with them. Examples include rolling rocks to look for critters (kids especially like trying to catch crayfish), stone-skipping contests, and "boat" races with sticks/leaves (moving water).
• When someone catches a fish, allow everyone to see and touch it before releasing it (if you're not going to keep it to eat).
  

For some adults this advice is not new. Others may have to revise their plans of what the "goals" of the fishing trip should be. One simple solution is that there may not be any goals.

As my dad used to say to us, "Let's take a ride over to the lake, and we'll bring along our fishing rods in case we want to go fishing, too!"

For more info on Minnesota's fishing opener, check out http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/seasons.html