Growing closer to your kids can be as easy as bait, cast and catch. Fishing together will create bonds span all ages, while you and the children have fun and enjoy the outdoors. Fishing isn't just a great way to connect, it's also an activity that promotes good health, respect for the environmental, patience and persistence. Added bonus: You might even get a fresh meal or two out of it.

Many of us can still remember our first time with a hook, worm and bobber. Luckily, even in this techno-wizbang world, angling can still be simple. In fact, keeping things simple is part of the key to making sure kids enjoy their fishing experience. Use a rod and reel that a child can operate, and bait he or she can prepare on their own. For an investment that costs less than lunch at a nice restaurant, you can purchase the basic gear that makes it possible.

No matter where you live, there's sure to be good fishing near-by. Virtually every state department of natural resources has free maps and guides that pinpoint public fishing areas. If you have your own boat, the options are countless. Want to give it a try? Follow these simple steps to have a fishing adventure of your own – your kids will thank you (and how often does that happen?).

LENNY RUDOWSpinning gear is perfect for kids: it's easy to master, relatively inexpensive, and simple to untangle.THE GEAR

Start with spinning gear. These easy to operate rods and reels can be mastered by the likes of a 6-year-old. Unlike the popular but easily broken spin-casting (push-button) reels, un-tangling snarls in the reel is relatively easy. And any tackle shop or major department store, such as Wal Mart or K-Mart, will have gear ready to use right out of the box.

Make sure you get one with the appropriate size line, which is measured by pound-test (breaking strength). If you're going to target fish up to a pound, eight-pound test is sturdy enough to ensure success. For fish of one to five pounds, 10-pound test is appropriate, and for fish in the five- to 10-pound range, stick with 12- to 20-pound test. Don't worry too much about getting top of the line gear – young anglers are pretty hard on their equipment, so starting with a rod and reel that are more or less disposable is a sound idea.

A word of caution about the rod you choose: generally speaking, when it comes to kids, shorter rods are better. This is a matter of safety, because once they learn how to fling bait through the air, most kids want to cast over and over again. It quickly becomes a game, and they often forget there's a lead weight and hooks swinging through the air as they cast. Choosing a short rod limits the "arc of destruction" created by an ambitious kid who's trying to set a new long-distance casting record with every toss.

As a rule of thumb, look for rods between five and six feet long, but don't hesitate to start kids under five years old with a four- or four-and-a-half-foot rod. To get them started casting safely, let them practice with casting plugs (rubber balls you can tie to the end of the fishing line) in the backyard, or at the marina.

While you're at it, don't forget to learn the one simple knot that will allow you to tie any rig, hook, or lure to the end of your line: the fisherman's knot, also known as the improved clinch.

GEARED UP PUBLICATIONSA) Insert the line through the eye of the hook or lure, and twist five to six times. B) Put the tag end of the line through the hole between the eye and the twisted line; then pass it through the new hole you made while doing so. C) Pull on the main line and the tag end, to cinch the knot down tight. (Saliva works well to lubricate the line during this stage, so savvy anglers will spit on their knot before they tighten it. Kids tend to enjoy this step, sometimes a little too much).THE BAIT

Start off fishing with bait, as opposed to artificial lures. Most artificial lures require some know-how to get them working properly, while bait usually requires nothing more than being put onto a hook and tossed in the water. Plus, bait fishing makes for easy rigging – just tie on the bottom rig or a hook and a weight or bobber, and you're all set.

Trolling a line behind your boat makes using artificials easy, since the boat does all the work, but most of the gear used for trolling is much larger then spinning gear starter outfits. In fact, many kids will find it hard if not impossible to hold onto the large boat rods used by trollers. So save this experience for some time down the road, after your kids are familiar with the fishing basics and have a few scaled critters under their belts.

Let the kids gather the bait. They'll have just as much fun overturning rocks and logs for worms, digging in the sand for clams, or scooping up shrimp with a dip net, as they will catching the fish. Seine nets (long nets with a pole at either end, which you drag through the water and up onto a beach) are also great bait-collection devices. In just about any body of water, kids will pull up all kinds of unexpected critters along with the bait, making the morning a real adventure and a learning experience as well.

You don't want the hassle and mess of digging in the garden or netting in the creek? No problem – no-muss, no-fuss artificial bait is widely available, and the fish love them as much as the real thing. Fishbites artificial squid and worms, for example, are just as effective as natural bait in most situations. They don't make a mess, and they come in re-sealable plastic pouches, which will keep the "bait" fresh for up to a year.

Don't go for lunkers the first time out. Most kids will be thoroughly excited by reeling up six-inch panfish, and focusing on small fish means more action. As you probably already know, that's key when entertaining the little ones – keep them busy.

In freshwater lakes or rivers, suspend your bait two or three feet below a bobber to catch sunfish, trout, and bass. Worms and minnow are staple baits in these waters, and will also work for catfish when cast out and allowed to sit on bottom. Thread worms onto the hook so they cover it up, and bait minnow by putting the hooks in through the lower jaw and out through the upper jaw.

In northern and mid-Atlantic saltwater bays and creeks, use double-hook "bottom rigs" weighted with a one-ounce sinker and baited with Fishbites, shrimp, sand worms or minnow to catch fish like perch, spot, sea bass, croaker, porgy and even striped bass or flounder. Southern anglers can use these same baits to catch pompano, speckled sea trout, grunts and snappers.

Which bait is likely to produce action in any one specific spot? Don't hesitate to ask for advice at a local tackle shop. Most can't compete with big-box stores on prices – so they stay in business by providing customers with advice and information, and are happy to share what they know with you. In fact, a 15-minute visit to a local tackle shop often produces all the knowledge you'll need to have a successful fishing trip.

THE LOCATION

The kids' first fishing experience does not have to be on your boat, where you are also required to steer and navigate.

Consider taking a guided fishing trip on a commercial boat. Although this can be an expensive proposition (figure on spending $600 – $800 for a guided fishing boat that carries up to six people), children will consider it a thrill. In most coastal areas, you can get on a large "head boat," which carries multiple groups aboard and charges $60 to $80 per person. In both cases, gear, bait and instruction is provided. By the time you step ashore, you'll have the basic knowledge you need to repeat the experience aboard your own boat.

For more specific information, a little research may be in order. You can glean a lot of info from fishing sites on the web, which tend to be local or regional in nature. www.thebassbarn.com is a good one for northern anglers to check out, www.tidalfish.com covers most of the mid-Atlantic coast, and www.bigbendsportsman.com is a site Florida anglers will want to read. Also consider getting a good how-to/where-to fishing book, like those produced by Geared Up Publications Some of these focus on how to catch specific species, while others offer charts of specific bodies of water with all the hotspots marked.

Also, check out www.takemefishing.org. This Web site, operated by the non-profit Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, is dedicated to promoting fishing and lists places, methods, and special opportunities for anglers of all ages. There, you can find guides to different species of fish, and when and where to catch them; links to online stores where you can buy fishing licenses state-by-state; basic knot tying and gear guides; even a selection of interactive fishing games and links to web sites that are designed for fishing fans of the next generation.

If you seek the simplest, easiest fishing experience, go to a fish farm or a boat show that features a "trout pool." Fish farms will charge you a fee of $1 to $2 for each fish you catch, but the action is guaranteed. At many large boat and fishing shows there's a $4 to $5 charge for five to 10 minutes with a rod and a spot at the trout pool. The first day of the show is best (the fish sometimes become too scared to eat by the second or third day in the pool). Kids love trout pools, however, because they can watch the fish swimming around and eating the bait.

Before you take Junior out on for the first fishing trip, we want to give you fair warning: you may be exposing yourself and your child to an addicting activity.