Ernesto Burden E-mail | Web site | Twitter Ernesto Burden is VP Digital for The Telegraph and NH.com. He lives in Manchester, NH with his family.

Your 7-year-old son's voice rings out upstream. "I've got one, Dad, I've got a fish!" You hear the excitement in his voice, the splashing of the leaping fish, the buzz of the reel. You work your way carefully downstream over slick stones and arrive just as he kneels to examine a 10-inch-long, emerald-green smallmouth bass. Your son looks up at you and you look at him and know that he's just made a memory that he'll carry for his whole life. You know this with some certainty, because you remember the same moment in your young life, well more than a quarter of a century ago now, as though it were yesterday.

Not every fishing trip ends with the memory of having landed fish. But they all create beautiful memories of walking along the river together, of a myriad of teaching moments, of the wonderful unforced conversations that come best when nobody's obliged to say anything at all, and the only sounds are the splash of waves, the whir of the reel, the sploosh of a bobber hitting the water.

Fishing is one of the few activities that parents and children can participate in fully together, and where the kids can sometimes stand almost as good a chance at success as the grownups. It offers tremendous opportunities to instruct your kids on conservation and nature, biology, stewardship, patience, and if they are old enough, on the ethics and morality of the sporting tradition and being an omnivore.

It's inexpensive to get started, and you don't have to travel to some exotic location, own a boat, or even hike particularly far, to stand a good chance of catching fish. In fact, there are plenty of easy to access locations throughout New Hampshire where parents and kids can cast together.

GEAR AND LICENSES

Kids under 16 don't need a fishing license (unless they are fishing for broodstock salmon). New Hampshire residents over 16 can pick up a license for $35 directly from the Fish and Game Web site.

You can purchase your child (and yourself!) a serviceable rod and reel for $20 or less. I'd recommend a closed-face reel for the kids, as they are harder to tangle. You can often find inexpensive rod and reel combos that come with a starter selection of tackle (hooks, sinkers, lures, etc.) as well. But for just starting out, it's just as easy to pick up some hooks, sinkers, and bobbers and then get a little tub of worms from a local tackle shop (or even many convenience stores) for $2.50 or $3. These will be perfect for an introduction to trout or warmwater bass, smallmouth and panfish fishing, and provide some early success for your young angler. If you're planning to keep fish, you'll need a cooler with ice, and it also helps to have a pair of hemostats or fishing pliers for affixing splitshot sinkers and for hook removal whether keeping or releasing your catch. Last but not least, don't forget the bug spray!

WHERE TO FISH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Once you've got your gear all that's left is figuring out where to go.

New Hampshire's Fish and Game department makes it especially easy to find place to go with your kids by providing a series of regional directories for family-friendly, shoreline fishing access. You can download pdf versions of NH Regional Fishing Guides here:

• Lakes Region
• Southwestern NH
• Seacoast
• Great North Woods
• Manchester/Nashua Region

These directories also provide guides to fish identification, and some instruction on tying knots and rigging your bait.

In addition to these documents, there are great many other fishing resources including stocking reports and boat and fishing access maps, on the Fish and Game Web Site at: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/fishing.htm.

Fishing seasons vary by species and water type, so remember to check the regulations before you head out, though from now through Oct. 15, most species are fair game. Wild trout ponds and streams close after Labor Day.

And whether you choose to chase wily trout in the cool northern streams or cast for pumpkinseeds and bluegills in the warm southern ponds, it may be worth remembering to take along one last bit of gear: a camera. Because even though your and your child's memories of your expeditions will last indelibly, grandpa and grandma may request photographic evidence documenting your fish stories.

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