Regular readers of this blog and website will know that a lot of my coaching involves kids (or “young people” as we’re supposed to call them nowadays!). Ideally kids should be outdoors enjoying the brief few months of decent weather our summer allows but this brings problems of its own as they are away from parental supervision and boredom can lead to mischief. As the long summer holiday for schools approaches I start to get ‘phone calls from parents keen to find out more about fishing.
I’m happiest when they ring before buying any tackle (as a regular buyer of fishing tackle myself, I can point them in the right direction and ensure that they don’t get ripped off) but it’s a pleasure to talk to a parent whose child has expressed an interest in fishing and to hear their relief when I explain how easily I can get them up and running. I provide all the tackle, bait and day tickets on my courses, all the student has to do is wear the right clothing and bring food and drink. Copious amounts of food if my students are anything to go by…
For younger children (roughly aged between 7 and 11) I’m also happy when the parent decides to learn alongside of their child because fishing is a wonderful family hobby. In this day and age some parents consider it unsafe to allow their children to fish on their own until they are 14 or 15. This may mean that the parent has to accompany the child on any fishing expedition for at least 7 or 8 years - I encourage parents to learn alongside of their children so that this 7 or 8 years can be a shared adventure.
As for fishing during the summer holidays, not only do you get to sit all day in lovely warm sunshine (or in the shade if you find a nice broad tree on the bankside) but you can take a picnic, maybe a stove for tea making and even (here’s my tip of the day), a keepnet. Not for all those fish you’re going to catch, oh no. I very rarely use a keep net because of the damage they can do to fish. First thing I do when I arrive is to put a couple of large bottles of tap water in a keep net into the water so that I have a constant supply of ice cold water. Mother nature’s very own refridgerator!
When kids come to me for fishing lessons they’re starting off on a hobby that will keep them busy all summer long and it has been shown by many studies that angling is the perfect pastime to occupy them. For example, here’s an extract from a recent Environment Agency study:
A better environment, healthier fisheries - our strategy
- It’s good for your health, with a survey showing angling gives the greatest boost to self-esteem and well-being
- It’s good for young people, as a proven and cost-effective way of tackling anti-social behaviour, educational under-achievement and youth-crime
- It’s good for the environment, with people telling us that seeing fish is one of the best indicators of a clean water environment.
Since many of my courses involve a group activity, students get to make new friends and fishing partners.
This month I started a publicity campaign in Surrey, Middlesex and Berkshire to bring my coaching activities to as many parents and schools as possible. I’ve been distributing a poster to various shops in the area - not just tackle shops but newsagents, barber shops and even supermarkets have agreed to display them, knowing that their customers include parents looking for a summer activity for their children. I’ve also put printed postcards (miniature versions of the poster below) in newsagents’ windows and I am now waiting for the results.
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