Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

My buddy, Jim, bursts with pride over 4-year-old Jacob's casting ability with a "Snoopy" pole. But he bristled when I chided that the time would soon arrive for his boy to pitch that Snoopy toy in the trash so ol' Uncle Ted could give him a cane pole and teach him how to catch fish.

Fishing 101 has absolutely nothing to do with winging a practice plug across a pond or back yard on a rod suitable only for ice-fishing. Young anglers must experience success within 20 minutes, and every five minutes thereafter or they lose interest -- perhaps forever.

A 15-foot cane pole with 13 feet of line, a pencil float, split shot and a hook is without a doubt the best tool for teaching the basics.

Observe the bite.

Take slack out of the line.

Swing the fish up, out of the water and back to the boat or shoreline.

Hey, kid! You caught a crappie!

Although combat with bluegills initiates legions of anglers into the legal addiction of fishing, crappies are better learning tools because you can usually fish above them, out of the brush, and papermouths of slab dimensions provide a quick visual lesson in the need to finesse rather than horse the quarry back to the angler.

Both panfish tend to run in schools, so the next bite will likely be well within that five-minute window required to hold interest. If it doesn't, move on to similar cover nearby. You can always come back.

With this basic and effective gear, it is possible to maintain control over three or even four young anglers ensuring solid, quality training to everyone. Keep the experience positive and tell them it's time to go home when the kids want to keep fishing.

A 15-foot cane pole with 13 feet of line, a pencil float, split shot and a hook is without a doubt the best tool for teaching a kid the basics. Observe the bite. Take slack out of the line. Swing the fish up and out of the water. Hey, kid! You caught a crappie!

Negative experiences can scar a young angler for life. I'm still in recovery from a fishing-related incident more than 50 years ago. A big bass inhaled the crappie minnow on the end of my cane pole. I was screaming for Dad and trying to hang on for dear life. Dad ran over, grabbed the pole, and threw it in the slough! I instantly began crying.