Fighting Stations Aide Youth In Catching Big Fish

As an avid angler with children, you're likely familiar with the challenges posed by big fish to your junior angler. When my children were young, adults would help them hold the rod to reel in big fish. The position often caused discomfort for both the adult and the young angler, making the fishing experience less enjoyable. I got inspired by saltwater anglers using fighting chairs for big fish, so I decided to install one on my boat.

We created a youth fighting station for our boats that can be adapted to any vessel with creativity and custom fabrication. On my Starcraft Freedom, I repurposed an unused rod holder from a down rigger, attaching it to a specialized seat box to create a youth fighting chair. The placement of the rod holder in this setup was straightforward. I positioned it to emulate a saltwater fighting chair when the seat faced aft. This adaptation was specifically designed for trolling for the Great Lakes and inland salmon and trout. My children were actively involved in selecting the rod holder's placement as we staged a mock setup in our garage.

Once installed, we headed to the lake to try it out. I was surprised to see how well the children could handle a big fishing rod with a 6-10 pound fish on the line. The rod holder became crucial for my guided fishing trips, helping kids, the elderly, people with disabilities, and anyone who struggled to fish by themselves.

When taking young anglers fishing, be patient and don't rush to bring the fish into the boat. Let the youth angler do it completely on their own: the rod isn’t going anywhere! You will be surprised how many fish come to the boat and do not escape as the youth angler is able to keep adequate pressure on the fish, and the rod is not out of control keeping the line tight.

As with any piece of equipment or idea, there are limitations. We found that most of the fish we were targeting were prime for this idea. However, when we tested it on king salmon it didn’t work that well unless they were smaller fish.

Once I upgraded my boat from the Starcraft to the Angler Qwest, I had to implement the youth fighting station. I searched around and had thought of using the same design and mounting the rod holder to the rear facing seat of the center console. After carefully looking I realized that this wouldn’t be possible as the live well would have been compromised. After looking at different options I found a rail mount for a traxstech rod holder for the 1” square tubing on the rear of the boat. I found a convenient location for the rod holder placement right above the jump seat on the back of the boat. The jump seat has proved to be perfect as our youth anglers are able to keel on the seat and reach the rod perfectly to catch the big one.

The implementation of this project has been one of the most joyful additions to my boats. Being able to see youth anglers catch big fish on their own without adults draped over them has increased the quality of the fish catching experience for families that fish with us regularly. It always amazes me how the simple additions to your boat can make the biggest difference and impact on youth anglers!