[boo who?]

Every year, I try to come up with a unique idea for distributing the treats. Last year, it was a Plinko game. The year before- a spinning prize wheel. This year, I'd like to attach glow bracelets to my treat bags and have the kids hook their treats with a fishing rod. I'll probably have to Scotch tape the bracelet closures to keep them from coming apart.

The bags are 5" x 9" paper bags. I expect around 70-90 TOTs. I am going to have to make the fishing rod. I DO have an old fishing rod- but I think I'd have to shorten it... and it might still be too heavy for little ones. So I think it's just going to have to be a wooden or plastic pole.

Any suggestions for the hook? It has to be easy enough, large enough, and safe enough for little kids to manage. At the same time, it must be strong enough to survive the night- including that one kid that you KNOW thinks he has to cast!

 

[Frankie's Girl]

I'd suggest you go get some wooden dowel rods from the hardware store for the poles. I bought several for a prop build this year and they were cheap (under a dollar) and had all sorts of thicknesses and are a good length for a kid fishing pole. Pretty easy to tie the line on the end, and then attach the hook.

Check out some of the lightweight plastic shower hangers that look like hooks (so they won't cause any injury if flung around):

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Carnation...urtain-Hooks-In-Light-Blue-Set-Of-12/37390284
Sort of, but not quite... might work tho?

http://www.target.com/p/re-shower-h...odSlot=medium_1_11&term=plastic+curtain+hooks
Better, but might still need to see how well they work.

 

[PoCoHauntGal]

Does this mean you'll have the bags spread out in a play pool or something like that and the kids will try to hook them?
Or will someone be sitting behind a prop fish bowl and will place the bags onto the hook?

I guess it depends how you're going to set it up. For really young kids, you could use a small net? It could be an actual small fishing net or
just one of those butterfly type nets that toy stores sell.

 

[boo who?]

I'm thinking of placing a lot of treat bags (very much like the ones pictured) in an old galvanized tub. That way, my mom can sit comfortably next to it, help the very little ones, and reload as necessary. The tub will hold around 20-30 bags. I like the hook idea because it will stop TOTs from over-handling the bags in the attempt to find just the "right" one.

 

[Palladino]

How about using hanging plant hooks? They come in all sizes and different finishes but are strong enough to hold a heavy water soaked plant so they can surely stand up to a night of fishing for treats!

 

[JCO]

4 foot X 1/4-inch dowel rods are under a buck at Lowes. Form a big hook out of rolled up duct tape or use 2 or 3 pipe cleaners braided together.

Don't forget to set the bags on fire before they start, there should be a time limit.

 

[Ugly Joe]

A different take on your hook might be to use a magnet, and tape a washer to the side of the bag - perhaps use the glow necklace to circle the washer, giving the kids a target to hit. Or, perhaps make the handle of the bag out of a length of galvanized wire, so the magnet could grab that.

Neodymium magnets (rare earth magnets) are very strong, which means a smaller magnet could hold a bag with goodies, so there wouldn't be a big heavy weight on the end of the fishing line. Just use epoxy when attaching them to the line, compared to hot glue, as I've found the cheaper neodymium magnets seem rather heat sensitive.