Bass Fishing Kids tournament trail great introduction to fishing for children

One of the greatest things about living in South Florida is you can catch bass wherever you can find a freshwater pond, lake or canal, which is pretty much everywhere.

In fact, some of the best bass fishing in the country could be in your backyard.

The easy access to fish-filled waters also makes South Florida an ideal place to get youngsters into fishing. If you have kids, but don’t have much knowledge about fishing, a great way to get them hooked is by signing them up for the Bass Fishing Kids tournament trail.

Founded in 2002 by the late Gary Waingrow and Bob Newland, the organization, in conjunction with the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, has monthly tournaments at three county parks — Quiet Waters in Deerfield Beach, Tradewinds in Coconut Creek and C.B. Smith in Pembroke Pines.

Boys and girls fish from shore and compete in two age divisions — 5-10 and 11-17. They pay a one-time entry fee of $40 (visit www.bassfishingkids.com to register) and the top three anglers in each division win plaques and prizes. The next tournament is Feb. 29 at C.B. Smith. The top anglers in the point standings in each division compete in the season-ending Classic in September.

A former park manager, Newland said the land-based trail came on the heels of the Jr. Bass Trail that he started where youngsters fished from small boats at area parks. Those waters were limited to a maximum of 20 boats, so Bass Fishing Kids was created to allow more anglers to participate.

“We try to set them up for success,” said Newland, who works with tournament director James Snead. “I want to see kids catch that spark and then they’re hooked for the rest of their life.”

For youngsters and parents new to fishing, selecting the proper tackle can be difficult because there are so many choices. Newland tries to help out when he sees a kid fishing with a rod, reel and lure better suited for blue marlin than bass, giving them some of his own gear to improve their chances of catching a fish.

Fishing tackle for beginners doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult to use. Taj Posey of Oakland Park, a Bass Fishing Kids veteran at age 11, recommended using a Zebco Dock Demon spinning rod-and-reel combo, which retails for $15.99.

“Get some bobbers, some live worms — nightcrawlers — some small hooks and get pliers so you’re able to take the hook out of a fish’s mouth,” said Posey, who caught his first fish when he was 1 while fishing with his father, and used to catch snakeheads and bluegills in the canal behind his house when his family lived in Margate.

“It’s been my passion for my whole life. I’m really taking it into consideration as a career.”

Robert Di Nino, 16, is another Bass Fishing Kids veteran who started fishing the tournament trail when he was 8. He learned to fish in the lake behind his family’s house in Pembroke Pines.

“My dream was for my son to play baseball,” said Di Nino’s father, Robert Sr. “I had a vision of having a batting cage in the backyard.”

But his son preferred to go fishing every day, so the batting cage never happened. Instead, Robert Jr. has a 14-foot john boat that he uses to fish the lake.

Di Nino won the Bass Fishing Kids season-opening tournament earlier this month at Quiet Waters. He has been the junior division Angler of the Year for the past three years.

“I just like being outdoors,” Di Nino said. His top advice for anglers fishing their local lakes and canals: Fish around culvert pipes, where water flows in and out, because “they always hold fish.” He also likes to fish where birds are gathered because that usually means that baitfish are present.

“Cast over to the bait and work the lure,” said Di Nino, who likes to throw hard stickbaits as well as soft plastics such as a Bruiser Baits Stick Worm and a Zoom Fluke. “I just try and move it around a lot. I don’t stay too long in one place unless I’m catching fish.”

If you’re new to fishing, Di Nino said using live bait, whether worms or shiners, is “the easiest way to go.”

Once you get the hang of catching fish, you can move up to plastic worms, stick worms and frogs as well as hard baits such as jerkbaits and topwater plugs. As you become a bass fishing kid, tournaments could be the next step in your development as an angler.