Dad Knows™ Camping & Fishing

What's inside

The trips your kids remember aren't the ones where everything went right — they're the ones where the tent leaked, the marshmallow caught fire, and you were there for all of it. Rain, bugs, and empty hooks included: fifteen chapters on where to camp and fish, what to pack, gear that's actually worth it, camp cooking and fire safety, storms and ticks without the scary, the starter fishing rig, and the five fish kids actually catch. The dad who plans the trip, packs the car, and keeps his phone in his pocket at the campfire — that's a dad who knows.

Dad Knows™ Camping & Fishing is built in two parts. Part One — The Trip gets you to the campsite: why the outdoors matters now, where to go, the packing checklist, tents and sleeping bags, camp cooking and the campfire, the storm plan, Leave No Trace, and the safety chapter that isn't scary. Part Two — The Skills gets the line in the water: fishing with little kids, the starter kit, bait and casting basics, fishing spots near you, the fish kids actually catch, licenses and catch-and-release, and the phone-free trip.

22,657 words, 15 chapters, 8 diagrams (9 placements), and a foreword by a dad who once found a wild horse eating the kids' chips out of the back of his car — and laughed about it with three little heads poking out of the tent. Every source is real, with honest "verify at publication" discipline.

• Foreword: The wild horse and the kids' chips — from a dad who has lived it.
• Introduction: You don't have to know what you're doing. You have to show up.
• Part One — The Trip: 1 Why the Outdoors Matters Now · 2 Where to Go: Campgrounds, State Parks, and "Camping Near Me" · 3 The Camping Checklist: What to Bring and What to Leave · 4 Tents, Sleeping Bags, and the Gear That's Worth It · 5 Camp Cooking and the Campfire · 6 Weather, Rain, and the Storm Plan · 7 Leave No Trace: The Rules You Actually Teach Kids · 8 Bugs, Ticks, and Bears: The Safety Chapter That Isn't Scary
• Part Two — The Skills: 9 Fishing With Little Kids: The Setup for Success · 10 The Starter Kit: Rod, Reel, Hooks, and What It Really Takes · 11 Bait, Lures, and Casting Basics · 12 Fishing Spots Near You: Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, and Public Access · 13 How to Catch the Fish Kids Actually Catch · 14 Licenses, Rules, and Catch-and-Release: Doing It Right · 15 The Phone-Free Trip: The Dad's Code
• Plus: Sources & Verification · About Dad Knows™ · 8 diagrams (9 placements)

Rain, bugs, and empty hooks — make it the trip they remember anyway.

Fix it. Calmly.