As a kid some of the fondest memories I have is spending hours fishing at the local ponds near our home.
I was fortunate enough to have an older brother and younger sister, as well as a couple of cousins, who also loved to fish. From where we lived we were able to walk to three or four different ponds, which made it convenient to spend a lot of time during the spring and summer pond fishing.
It was usually the same routine. My dad would help us all get geared up, we would usually have a bucket of worms, grasshoppers, or one of our dad’s favorite artificial baits. 
Then, once we were all ready to go, we would spend the next few hours trying to catch perch, bass, crappie, catfish, or whatever else was willing to snatch on to our bait. We didn’t care, we were just having fun.
Now, even though my wife and I don’t have any children yet, we still like going to local ponds near where we live to enjoy that same fun-filled pond fishing. It is kind of nice now and then not to worry about trying to catch a monster fish and to just go for the fun of it.
I have come up with a few tips of how to get a rookie fisherman, or maybe even a youth fisherman, hooked on pond fishing.
Finding ponds
Obviously the first step is to find places to go. Being from a rural area it is fairly easy to find a local farmer who has multiple ponds on his or her land.
If you simply go knocking on a few doors asking for permission, you will find access to some perfect locations to get started fishing.
A lot farmers will stock their ponds with largemouth bass, sun perch, crappie, or occasionally catfish. Any of these fish will give you an exciting time while reeling in your fishing line.
Another good way to get someone started in fishing is by taking them to a “pay pond.” This is usually one or two ponds that are continually stocked with a lot of fish. Fishermen are charged by the pound for what they catch. By having a high population of fish, it increases the chances of making a catch.
This concept is perfect for newcomers who can easily get discouraged if they don’t catch many the first few times going. By using a pay pond they can learn how to catch, as well as experience, the high adrenaline levels of catching fish.
