Children Fishing Safety Tips

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Fishing with your children is a very relaxing and fun experience, but it could become a horrifying one if you’re not properly prepared for the worst. Being safe should be one of your prime concerns while out on a fishing boat, especially if you’re taking the trip with small children. This article will outline a few tips and precautions that you should take before going on your boating trip.

Basic Rules

It’s important that before you go out onto the water that you let any children know the basic rules that they need to abide by on a boat. These rules include no running, looking around you before you cast, and making sure that you keep your floatation device on. You should especially explain why each of these is important, as kids might not instantly realize that they could hurt someone else if they hit them with their cast. If they refuse to abide by the rules, find some way to lightly punish them that will make them realize the importance of the rules.

Buddy System

During a fishing trip it’s important that you stress the dangers of the water to everyone. It’s not a bad idea to establish a buddy system in which two people are with each other at all times. If you don’t feel comfortable with two children being the buddies in the buddy system simple pair one child with one adult. This will ensure that each child is properly watched by a respective adult.

Supplies

It’s important that you bring any sort of supplies that you feel you may need while on a boat. It will be hard to get back to shore and to the car if there was a medical emergency so make sure that you bring a first aid kit and any medication that you may need. It’s also a good idea to bring more personal items such as sunscreen or insect repellent. The last thing you want to remember about your fishing trip is how you were sunburned and got bitten by mosquitoes the entire time. If the weather is hot it’s important that you bring a sufficient supply of water or other cold drinks so that your family and friends don’t get dehydrated.

Take some time and read over the supplies listed in this article and consider any additional supplies you may need. Bringing children on a fishing trip can be a hassle, but if you develop a few basic rules and remember to bring any supplies you need then you will be sure to have a safe and fun fishing trip.

Photo Credits: XcBiker

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Swatting Bugs: How to Get Rid of Insects at Your Campsite

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Let’s face it. When you head outdoors, you’re likely going to come across one or two unfamiliar creatures that you don’t need pestering you. While some of these creatures can be dangerous, most insects and animals don’t pose an immediate threat. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t pestering you. So how do you minimize the impact of mosquitoes and other insects at your campsite so you can have the best camping experience possible? Let’s take a look.

The first insect on anyone’s mind when they start putting together the campfire is the ever-popular mosquito. The mosquito can be such a pest that even its very name conjures up images of annoyance and discomfort. Summers in the north will particularly see a lot of mosquitoes; so how do you get rid of these pests? Insect repellent on your skin will make a significant difference, but you’ll also want to light some strategically-placed insect repelling candles around your camp area. Make sure they’re in fire-safe areas. Once you have these in place, light your fire; that should be enough to keep a majority of mosquitoes away.

When it comes to larger critters, including everything from chipmunks to snakes, you’ll want to take an alternate route: instead of removing them, you’ll want to keep your distance. You don’t know if a mammal is carrying a disease, and you can’t be sure which snakes are poisonous. It’s better to take the safe route and avoid as many of them as possible. Try to clear out your camp area so that you can tell if anything larger than an insect is around you; this will help you to spot these critters. If necessary, be sure to leave your boots upside down and inspect your sleeping bags before you go to bed.

Sometimes, keeping pests out of your way can be an issue of common sense; simply try to evaluate your situation and come up with a solution that gets rid of the pests most frequently bothering you.

Photo Credits: Mike Burns

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Selecting a Camping Destination that Fits Your Needs

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Since camping is a recreational activity, it sometimes takes some playful reminding to campers that it should remain that way. Camping isn’t about going into the Great Outdoors and slapping at mosquitos until you can’t tolerate it enough to be outside – it’s about enjoying a fresh, earthly experience that many of us with indoor heating and air often ignore.

Of course, if you don’t plan on slapping at mosquitoes all night, it bears mentioning that camping is a more inclusive activity than most, and ill require a larger degree of preparation. This preparation is designed to put all of your work on the front end, so that once you’re out in the wilderness, you can finally enjoy the comforts and amenities you planned for even while living in the woods.

Selecting your camping destination will be an integral part of preparing for your overall camping experience – in fact, it might as well be the first thing you do. The camping destination factors in different variables, such as the people you plan on camping with, the style of camping you prefer, your starting location, and how long you’d like to stay.

The next factor you’ll want to look at is what kind of experience you want to have – and the experience you want to gain. If you’re looking to become a more dedicated camper, go ahead and challenge yourself by finding a more remote place. If you just want a little bit of outdoors experience with none of the loss in comfort, a campgrounds where other people might be camping might be an ideal place.

The most important factors to consider, again, are who’s camping. What would you enjoy? What would your friends enjoy? What would your family enjoy? Start with those questions and narrow down your choices.

If you’ve whittled down your choices, you should be ready to decide if you want to go to a more “civilized” campground or if you simply want to find a spot deep in the woods somewhere. After making this choice, be sure to do some research about different options you have.

When I went camping in the Wisconsin Dells, my friends and I considered three camping sites, and put it to a vote. We had done a little research and ultimately chose a camping site that, while not too rustic, ended up being enjoyable for all of us.

Find a location near to civilization – such as a small town with small shops for supplies and food – and you’ll be set. Finally, run a typical day at this campsite through your mind and see if there’s anything you haven’t considered you might need. This will help you realize if you’ve made the right or wrong choice.

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Keeping Away the Creepy Crawlers While Camping

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

If there’s one thing that can quickly turn a nice camping trip into a miserable one, it’s an overabundance of bugs. Yeah, bugs – you know the ones I’m talking about – those creepy-crawly, overly-juicy, quick-footed insects that can get inside your tent or even your sleeping bag and cause a lot of ruckus with just a little bit of presence.

Part of you knows that heading into the great outdoors is the reason you should expect to see bugs. But you can minimize the experience you have with them if you follow just a few simple tips and tricks.

Create a home base in your tent. If you want a refuge from your bugs, you’re going to need a good home base, where everything is sealed off from nature – except the air, of course. Take some time to put up your tent before a camping trip to make sure that it’s clean, dry, and doesn’t have any holes in it – for now, you can plug up holes with some duct tape in order to seal out bugs. Make sure to clean out the tent to get rid of any already-existing bugs, and always make sure that you close your door right after you use it, so nothing crawls in with you.

Come equipped with bug spray. Mosquitoes are among the worst “bugs” that can really irritate you during a camping trip. They don’t gross many people out, but they can wreak the most havoc on the good time you’re trying to have. So make sure you pack at least a full can of bug spray – you’ll really find that you need it when the sun drops in the sky and the mosquitoes start coming out.

Don’t let the fear of bugs get in the way of having a good time. Realize that many of the bugs you encounter will be harmless, unless you’re in an exotic location in which case you’ll want to do more research and seek more advice on how to beat them. If you do find a bug or two inside your tent, use some tissues and get rid of it. It’s that simple.

Photo Credits: Kevin Saff

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