Kevin Perkins
Well-known member
Barrie Rickards is quite right to say ‘catch ‘em young’, and with a small amount of effort, this is perfectly feasible. All it would take is an angling club/society to rope in a local tackle dealer before contacting a school. The tackle shop can act as a drop off point for donated tackle, as every customer could be persuaded to bring in surplus ‘bits and pieces’ (come on, we’ve all got them!) The club/society can then put these to use on organised trips. But, whilst I have no doubt the parents would beg you take their little darlings away for a few hours, they will not thank you if they fall in! This is the fundamental problem with mixing young children and water (unfortunately rather essential for fishing). In these ‘cotton wool wrapping’ days, the children would have to wear lifejackets, there would have to be a qualified lifeguard and first-aider in attendance, and the organisers would almost certainly have to have public liability insurance. I know you can ask the parents to sign a disclaimer, but we live in litigious days, and any hint of negligence on the organiser’s part would be pounced on.
I fear that if they cannot be ‘hooked’ in the early years, they will not be converted once they have succumbed to the charms of PS2 etc. This being the case, is fishing in danger of dying out through lack of young blood? If so, don’t we all (anglers, clubs, societies and the tackle trade) have a duty to do whatever we can to encourage youngsters to start, and continue to go fishing. Shouldn’t under-sixteens enjoy free fishing, including rod licences? Or will it go the way of most things piscatorial and die of AA (Angling Apathy)
I, for one, would pledge my support to any scheme to help guarantee fishing for future generations – but where do I sign up??
I fear that if they cannot be ‘hooked’ in the early years, they will not be converted once they have succumbed to the charms of PS2 etc. This being the case, is fishing in danger of dying out through lack of young blood? If so, don’t we all (anglers, clubs, societies and the tackle trade) have a duty to do whatever we can to encourage youngsters to start, and continue to go fishing. Shouldn’t under-sixteens enjoy free fishing, including rod licences? Or will it go the way of most things piscatorial and die of AA (Angling Apathy)
I, for one, would pledge my support to any scheme to help guarantee fishing for future generations – but where do I sign up??