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Teaching Tyros

Our May 2000 contribution from Lesley Crawford

The sport of fishing has been around ever since man became the hunter rather than the berry picker. Angling skills are as old as the hills and it could be argued that genetically speaking, there is a little bit of the fisherman in all of us. Inherently, there is a strong desire to pass on to the next generation all the mystique and skills which surround our life long passion. We all know fishing is a relaxing yet challenging country pursuit enjoyed throughout Britain and that there are few finer escapes from an over stressed world. It would be great if our children could follow in our footsteps.

However, how to instill a love of fishing into kids without either boring them to tears or driving yourself to distraction, is sometimes difficult! What is needed is a plan of action subtle enough not to look like military campaign, yet clear enough to give some insight into our obvious enjoyment. With two sons of my own (both with differing degrees of interest in angling), I offer up a few hints and tips on how to make those first fishing sorties a pleasure rather than a pain!

First the 'Dos':

  1. Do remember what is was like when you were as young as the child you are teaching. You probably wanted action and adventure, and not a lot of standing around listening to Dad or Mum talking too much. Let nature be your classroom and be flexible in your approach.
    Concentrate on the main topics perhaps of learning how to cast and what flies represent by all means but do so in short bursts and be prepared to break off and investigate anything from a birds nest to a broken stile.

  2. Do keep the day turning over. Kids attention spans are none too long (average 20 minutes or so at age 9) and you need many different learning segments to keep them interested. These might include examining mini beasts ie local insect life and deciding what flies would imitate the naturals, simple joining nylon to line and hook, basic casting, coke and crisp breaks and so on.

  3. Do make sure the tackle you give your children is not too heavy. Choose a light short rod 8 9 foot of tip to middle action, avoid very stiff or over floppy rods as these are too much like hard work! Match up with an appropriate DT line and reel which balances the rod. Remember small arms will begin to ache after about an hour of casting so switch to other topics in between.

  4. Do choose your spot and your day carefully. Ideally you need a prolific 'easier' water with good conditions overhead. It should be mild with sun and cloud and a light breeze.

  5. Do lots of encouraging even if the casting is pretty ghastly. You want to keep the tone enjoyable and fun, not doom and gloom.

  6. Do spend plenty of time discussing any angling subject your offspring shows particular interest in. My elder son for example is really good at handling a spinning rod while my main love is the fly rod. We had to find common ground and so must you, even if it goes a bit against the grain! Be prepared to compromise.

  7. Do take with you plenty of food, drinks and change of clothing in case they fall in (not uncommon with my children!).

  8. Do be prepared to come away from the water when the novice has had enough and that means even if the trout are rising madly. Lingering on while the kid yearns for the next episode of his TV favourite is asking for trouble.

And the 'Don'ts':

  1. Don't make your teaching efforts overly long. Because there is so much to pass on the temptation is to try and cover too much at one go. This is only confusing and ultimately discouraging. If it took you a lifetime of learning then let your child find things out gradually at the same speed you made your own progress.
    For obvious reasons don't introduce your beloved offspring to angling on a day when the wind is pinning you flat to the ground and the rain is penetrating every pore!

  2. Don't tut or grimace if a fish is lost or risen and missed. Keep a sense of humour even if dinner has sunk back into the lake.

  3. Don't show off by endlessly hurtling your weight forward line 30 yards offshore when the kids double taper is falling but a few yards ahead of their feet, nothing is more soul destroying!

  4. Don't try to teach casting with intermediate or sinking lines. These require a different technique of rolling line up on to the surface before lifting off and kids usually find this more difficult and far more tiring on the arms.

  5. Don't make casting skills the be all and end all of the day out. Impress upon him or her that there are many aspects to fishing and that casting is but a way of propelling fly on to water. Most emphatically it must not be taught as an art form, unless that is all you want your kith and kin to do; look good but remain clueless on the natural history of trout.

  6. Don't speak in forked tongues! You might know your Invictas from your Pennels and your sink tips from your weight forwards but your offspring won't in the early stages. Talk in a lingo they can understand and relate too. Remember a touch of humour goes a long way.

If these are the main dos and don'ts there are also some general concepts on how we (rather than the kids!) should behave. Never underestimate your offspring's capacity to learn by observation and the fact that they will copy your every move with remarkable duplicity. Once when I thought no one was looking or listening I let out a stream of rather naughty words having fankled my cast on a fence behind. A few days later when the same thing happened to my seven year old he gave vent to his feelings about this irritating interruption in very heated tones. "Where did you learn that language? I asked in some horror. "Isn't that what you say when you get stuck on a fence?" said my son all wide eyed and innocent. "No, you just go up and quietly remove the fly from the wire" I scold. "Well that's not what you did last Thursday" comes the retort. - Touché.

Above all make the fishing fun rather than trial by fire. In doing so you might well spark an abiding interest and be rewarded with a lifetimes fishing companion

About Lesley Crawford

Lesley has fished for brown trout and sea trout from a very early age and her enthusiasm for these beautiful Scottish fish shows no signs of diminishing. She is well known as a leading angling writer and photographer with prodigious articles in a wide range of publications including Salmon Trout & Sea Trout and the Scotsman.

Lesley is a REFFIS qualified fishing guide and arranges bespoke wild trout angling holidays in the Northern Highlands. Her first major book `Fishing for Wild Trout in Scottish Lochs' (Swan Hill 1996) was a runaway success and the long awaited follow up `Scotlands Classic Wild Trout Waters' (Swan Hill) will be published in May 2000. Order your copy now.
Read more about Lesleyat www.wildtroutfisher.co.uk

Also within Fish & Fly...

April 2000: Lesley Crawford looks at how both the trout and angler react to weather conditions - Wild Weather

March 2000: Lesley Crawford takes a light-hearted look at how to get the most out of your wild trout fishing holiday in Scotland. A Survivor's Guide to Trout Fishing in Scotland.

February 2000: Lesley Crawford takes a seasoned look at various tactics employed by past masters in Scottish trout fishing and ponders how best we can apply old skills in the new millennium. Out with the old and in with the new. 

January 2000: Visiting the Highlands of Scotland for the first time you might be forgiven for thinking you have arrived in loch fishing paradise. An introduction to fishing for trout in Highland lochs from Lesley Crawford.