COVER STORY: TAKE A KID FISHING

Mark Hocutt rarely says “no” to his son – at least when fishing is concerned.

Four-year-old Graham caught the fishing bug early last year after landing his first 15-inch flounder, just big enough to take home and eat for dinner.

“He was so surprised and excited,” Hocutt says. “He didn’t know there would be anything on the end. He was reeling away and just beamed when the fish came out of the water.”

Now every time the young boy sees anyone fishing, he wants to join in. So dad stays prepared.

The Johns Island father carries in his truck all the equipment needed to spontaneously fish — a rod and reel, a tackle box filled with plastic shrimp and other lures, a landing net and cooler — just in case they decide to pull over.

The father-son pair fish at least once a week, if not more, and have wet a line off most bridges, docks, piers and neighborhood ponds in the Charleston area. For this happy dad, it’s a win-win proposition.

“It gives me an excuse to fish. Plus, I get to spend quality time outside having fun with my son.”

For countless Lowcountry families, taking kids fishing is one of life’s most enjoyable traditions. It’s relatively cheap, easy to do — all in all, great wholesome fun.

“Fishing with a mother, father or grandparent is a memory children will carry with them for a lifetime,” says Michael Willis, communications director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. “I’d say the most important thing is to get out there and do it, go fishing. Get your kids out of the virtual world and into the real world.”

Capt. Fritz von Kolnitz, owner of Adventure Outdoors fishing charters (advoutdoors.com) and one of the Lowcountry’s most well-known charter captains, agrees.

Fishing is a great way for kids to get outside and enjoy the outdoors instead of playing video games or thinking up ways to get into trouble, he says.

“My mother used to always say that an idol mind is the devil’s playground — especially with me.”

Best of all, von Kolnitz says, fishing doesn’t have to be expensive: “It’s not something that you have to continually throw a lot of money at.”

In fact, with just a small investment of time and money — along with a few tips from the pros — almost any parent, uncle, aunt or grandparent can treat a child to an unforgettable day of fishing.

A boat’s nice, but you don’t need one

Though von Kolnitz does most of his fishing from a boat, he says there are plenty of places around Charleston where parents can take kids to fish.

“I can remember going to see my grandmother downtown and fishing in Colonial Lake,” he says.

Hocutt prefers to take Graham fishing at Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston, James Island County Park or The Battery — and in the pond in their neighborhood.

Some of the Lowcountry’s more popular spots for shore-bound anglers include:

The Milton P. Demetre Park on James Island: The 2.5-acre site off Wampler Drive, formerly called Sunrise Park, has a 190-foot fishing pier, two small sandy riverfront beaches, marshes, a covered picnic area and the beginnings of a hiking trail. It’s free and open to the public.

James Island County Park: This 643-acre park off Riverland Drive features a floating dock and raised, covered platform on a small saltwater creek. Admission to the park is $1.

Remley’s Point in Mount Pleasant: Though fishing at crowded boat ramps can be difficult and, at times, ill-advised, this large ramp in Mount Pleasant includes a raised pier that keeps anglers

out of the way of boaters using the ramp. The ramp is free and open to the public, but anglers should take care to not impede boaters.

Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant: The scenic Pickett Bridge Recreation Area begins where Pitt Street ends in old Mount Pleasant. A narrow road allows vehicle access to a small parking area, and a popular fishing pier extends out over the marsh and creek. It’s free and open to the public.

Mount Pleasant Waterfront Park: This $14 million park opened to great fanfare in July and includes a 1,250-foot-long pier built on the pilings of the old Silas Pearman Bridge. There’s no cost to walk the pier, but the daily fishing fee is $5 for Charleston County residents, $8 for nonresidents and $3 for children under 12. There’s also a parking fee.

Edwin S. Taylor Fishing Pier on Folly Beach: The 1,045-foot-long Folly Beach Fishing Pier has ranked as one of the top no-boat fishing destinations for more than a decade. There’s no cost to walk the pier, but the daily fishing fee is $5 for Charleston County residents, $8 for nonresidents and $3 for children under 12. There’s also a parking fee.

Hocutt suggests that wherever parents decide to try fishing, they do a little homework before heading out. Though children younger than 16 don’t need a recreational saltwater fishing license, grown-ups do. And parents should make sure to grab a copy of the DNR’s regulation booklet, which lists size and bag limits for different species of fish. Sometimes kids can have a hard time letting their catches go, no matter how small the fish are.

Hocutt says his son Graham “wants to take everything we catch home and put it in his fish tank,” even if it’s too small to keep. “I have to explain that to him every time we catch something.”

Safety, safety, safety

Capt. Harry Demosthenes, owner of Drum Runner Charters and self-proclaimed “Kids Captain,” spends a lot of time on the water with clients and their children, and sometimes takes his 4-year-old daughter along.

Like many other angling parents, Demosthenes considers safety on the water the top priority. Delivering that message to kids in a fun but firm way can help establish a safe environment while fishing from a boat.

To that end, Demosthenes let his daughter Emilie pick out her own life jacket from the store.

“It gave her ownership of it,” he says. “She’s proud of it. She wants to wear it more.”

Emilie even wears it around the house.

“We’ll play boat, and she’ll put it on.”

Giving children their choice of appropriate life jackets fosters a positive attitude toward always wearing one when it’s time to get started.

“That just the way it’s got to be,” he says. “Some days are better than others, but I’d say 99 percent of the time she’s got it on before she’s on the boat, and she puts it on herself.”

By law, all children younger than 12 in a boat less than 16 feet long must wear a life jacket at all times. And that personal flotation device (PFD) must be Coast-Guard approved and the proper size for the intended wearer (PFDs are categorized by the weight of the wearer).

Though children aren’t required to wear a PFD on larger boats, many captains insist that they do. And the Department of Natural Resources recommends that all people regardless of age wear life jackets while boating, Willis says.

Though wearing PFDs helps lessen the risk of drowning, some other dangers can quickly ruin a child’s fishing trip.

Fish hooks, of course, can be a problem. And the teeth and sharp fins of the fish brought on board can also stick and cut a young child.

“Small kids, especially those lacking fishing experience, need adult help and supervision,” Willis says. “Adults should assist with hooks and baiting hooks, until the kids are proficient and comfortable with it.”

Von Kolnitz, who takes kids out all the time, offers another easy-to-follow tip for keeping youngsters safe while anchored up and fishing.

“Usually when you have kids in the boat, you try to keep them all in front of the console, so that you can see them and you don’t have anyone standing or sitting behind you.”

As a shore-bound angling parent, Hocutt also warns parents to stay vigilant even when their children are fishing from land or a dock. It’s a good idea to make small children wear a life jacket at the water’s edge, in case they trip and fall off a dock or the bank.

“Just keep a really close eye on them,” Hocutt says.

Kid-friendly fishing

The thing to remember, according to both Demosthenes and von Kolnitz, is that most kids don’t care what they catch, as long as they’re catching something. For adults, the goal may be a trophy-size trout or massive redfish on the fly. But many kids would be just as impressed with croaker, whiting, black sea bass or bonnethead sharks.

And don’t get too technical with equipment, von Kolnitz says.

“With kids, pretty much a double bottom rig, with any kind of hook on it … is going to be fine for those type of fish. Sometimes you have to get away from the target species as an adult. Sometimes you might have to abandon your game plan and accommodate the children by going and catching what’s biting.

“Even if the fish are only 2-, 3-, 4-inches long, it’s exciting to the kid to be able to reel it in and be a part of it, instead of sitting there and waiting on a bigger fish to come in that they possibly can’t even reel in — that they’ll just sit back and watch an adult do it anyway.”

One of von Kolnitz’s recent trips proves the point. Chris and Laura Berry and their four sons visit Wild Dunes regularly, and von Kolnitz has shown the older boys and their dad around Charleston waters for the past eight years. Last month, they were able to go out as a whole family for the first time after Luke, their youngest, turned 5.

“The boys had the time of their lives,” says Chris Berry. “We didn’t go out to catch anything specific, just what was biting. It’s just a dad spending time with his kids.”

All told, the group caught anywhere from 70 to 100 fish out at the Charleston Jetties.

“Those kids had a blast and will talk about that for the rest of the year,” von Kolnitz says.

Demosthenes also takes the “whatever’s biting” approach when it comes to taking kids fishing. Like most charter captains and experienced anglers, Demosthenes tends to use the simplest and easiest-to-use rods, reels and tackle when children are onboard.

Spinning reels, as opposed to conventional or baitcasting reels, are much easier for children to get the hang of. Spinning reels also won’t “birdnest” as easily when casting, and the drag settings are easier to manipulate.

A typical inshore spinning setup may be a 2500- to 4500-class spinning reel paired with a light- to medium-action rod 6 to 7 feet long.

“They don’t have to be surf rods or anything,” says Demosthenes. “I use 7-foot rods on the boat. I think any fishing rod will do, just make sure you have fresh line.”

Tackle and fishing techniques also tend to the simple side when kids are involved.

Demosthenes says just any type of bait found at local tackle shops will do — live mud minnows and shrimp, frozen or live mullet, and even frozen squid.

Live bait, he says, is great for a variety of reasons, but with kids he usually sticks with frozen, because it’s easy and fast.

“The best thing in the world for little kids … is little chunks of frozen shrimp, because you’re going to catch croaker, whiting, spots and kingfish.”

Using these simple techniques will catch a lot of smaller fish, Demosthenes says, but it can also lead to some impressive catches sure to leave a lasting impression on a youngster.

On her first time fishing, Demosthenes’ daughter Emilie caught a 30-inch redfish while using live shrimp under a float.

When the going gets tough

Fishing can try an adult’s patience, especially when the bites slow down. For some children, the prospects of waiting and waiting for a bite can become unbearable.

Angling adults have to be patient, Demosthenes says, not only with fish but also with the kids. It often comes down to finding ways to stay busy while waiting for a bite.

“That’s all they like to do, is reel,” he says. “So you’re constantly casting. You can’t tell them not to do that because you don’t want to discourage them in any way.”

When Demosthenes’ daughter gets to that point, the captain will cast out a few baited lines and put those rods in a holder. The he’ll rig another line with a float but no hook.

“I cast it, she reels it in,” he says. “We make a game of it, see what I can hit or see where I can put it — that way she has fun with it. Then she kind of gets over it after a little while and will go play (with baitfish) in the baitwell. … Emilie just loves it. She scoops them up and holds them. That becomes her job. She’ll go back and forth with the bait.”

Von Kolnitz also lets youngsters go to town in the livewell.

“That’s as exciting to little kids sometimes as the actual fish that you’re catching.”

Von Kolnitz also advises getting kids involved in rigging rods or changing out bait if the fishing slows down.

“Have the kids help. Do anything you can do to get them involved and get their minds off the fact the fish aren’t biting.”

If all else fails, he says, go for a boat ride — move around and look at nature.

“You might find some dolphin swimming around. Kids enjoy that. Pull in behind a shrimp boat if it’s calm and you can go out off the beach — there’s usually from 20 to 50 dolphin traveling behind it.

“One of my favorite things to do with kids is to go into Shem Creek with a livewell full of menhaden and let the kids feed the pelicans the menhaden. The pelicans will actually come and land on the boat.”

One thing Demosthenes also points out is that when your child is ready to go home, take him home. He picked this up from his dad, who introduced him to fishing when he was younger.

“Any time we said we were ready to go, we’d leave, and the result was that he didn’t burn us out on it.”

Reach Shannon Brigham at 958-7393 or sbrigham@postandcourier.com.