Hookedforlife
BY LOUIS FEROX I HAD the pleasure of talking to the father of one of our Fish of the Week winners recently and he said the wee lad has now caught the bug.
It brought back lots of memories of catching my first fish and sparked a discussion in our office about being introduced to angling.
From bundles of worms in a little burn near Strichen to a stretch of water known as “the Perchie”, every angler has a tale about getting obsessed with wondering what is under the surface.
Working alongside Get Hooked on Fishing, I’ve seen kids go from being beginners to keen anglers and even youth internationalists.
Every year, at open weekends and taster sessions, they introduce youngsters to the sport. They also organise for qualified coaches to go into schools and youth groups in under-privileged areas.
I made sure my nieces got out to fish when they were younger. They enjoyed a day on the riverbank in the sunshine, got to row a boat for the first time and caught the odd fish.
My best friend took it as inspiration and went out with his son last weekend to target a first fish on the fly.
A Saturday morning away from cartoons and consoles was a hard sell but getting the sunglasses and fishing hat on soon piqued his excitement for a day out.
It’s always best to time short trips with the kids and sell them on the adventure. Keep boredom to a minimum, pack some snacks and try to make sure it’s somewhere you know the fish are biting – scenery is a hard sell to someone under 10.
The young lad is able to cast a bit of a line and before long he was able to cover the near side of the flow of his local river, and had a few rises to the fly met with strikes that almost had the rod in the bushes with excitement.
Then the scouting, planning and teaching came together and everything went tight. There was a trout on. It had taken a Nymph under the Klink, was hooked and fighting for its life, giving a cracking account of itself in the air and with the current before being brought to hand.
A slice of buttery gold with vivid spots that was quickly unhooked then tentatively held for the all important fish photo.
He’s already excited about getting out with the fly rod again and asking where else they can fish.