You don’t need a boat or a camper or a lake house to go fishing. Heck, you don’t even have to leave town! (And if you hit one of our suggested fishing holes, you won’t even need your own fishing pole.) My husband and my six- and seven-year-olds have made fishing their number one daddy-activity this summer. They love it. He loves it. Everybody wins!
The first place my kids ever fished was at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead in south Overland Park. Admission to the park is free but some of the activities, including fishing, will set you back a few bucks. Here you can rent a bamboo fishing pole and a bucket of worms (my daughter and her “BFF” fished last week with chunks of hot dog as their bait – worked like a charm). The pond is stocked veeeerrrrry thick with small fish. You can easily catch 10 fish if you hang around long enough.
Another place that my little fishermen go is to Heritage Park in Olathe. Dad sets them up with bait and fishing rods from Walmart. Then they stand on the bank and practice casting and reeling. Fewer fish caught here – but the ones they do catch are a bit bigger than those at Deanna Rose. The picture above is my daughter at Heritage Park last month.
Many parks around the Kansas City metro have fishing ponds including:
- Kill Creek Park, Olathe, KS
- Shawnee Mission Park, Lenexa, KS
- Antioch Park, Merriam, KS
- South Lake, Overland Park, KS
- Lake Lenexa at Black Hoof Park, Lenexa, KS
- Lake Olathe, Olathe, KS
- Englewood Lake, Kansas City North, MO
- Klapmeyer Lake, south Kansas City, MO
- Lake of the Woods in Swope Park, Kansas City, MO
- Blue Springs Lake, Lee’s Summit, MO
- Lake Jacomo, Blue Springs, MO
- Longview Lake, Kansas City, MO
Catch and release fishing makes for a fun and tiring day for both kids and Dad. You’ll want to makes sure that you comply with all state, county and municipal fishing permit requirements before you head out to the lake. I know that state permits can be obtained online – check with your county and/or city for their specific requirements.
Even if you as the parent don’t fish, give this a try. The kids’ fishing rods are pretty fool-proof – you don’t have to fish yourself. Believe me, you’ll likely be occupied helping the kids out anyway. So, stop by Walmart and pick up a little rod and reel, buy some worms (also available at Walmart, as if you even had a doubt…). And head out to the local lake for some family fun in the sun!
