chav professor
Well-known member
Just a thought of a thread..... When I was growing up (i'm 42 now.... so.... middle aged), I would fish with my brother... I may have been 12/13, my brother 2 years younger. We would meet up with other young anglers and catch very little.
Somehow, our interest was sustained. Older anglers come up and give us a hand.... give you some appropriate hooks, a handful of maggots that sort of thing. Get you catching!
Some stranger even showed me how to plumb up.... we dreamed that if we could fish the club water stretch just 50 yards down stream from the 'free stretch' - thats were all the fish were!!! (sometimes we would cast JUST into the club water bit)...
We were hooked!
would that happen today?
FAT CHANCE.......
Society has become so risk adverse - Picture the same scene today...
Fancy letting children near water, what are their parents thinking of!
Then, there's that weirdo talking to those kids.... what does he want?
Then there are computer games where you can 'socialize' with your friends from the comfort of your bedroom - without anyone leaving the house!
So sad........
What chance has fishing got in introducing and sustaining interest for the next generation of anglers?
Same could be said of conkers, tree climbing, den making, kite flying..... if you want to allow your children to enjoy this sort of thing 'Adventure play' activities (for a price) are available for children to experience these simple pleasures - of course its all been risk assessed, all staff checked against a data base... bla de bla!
Part of my inspiration to fish was to experience freedom, work stuff out for myself and let my imagination take over.......... Doing things 'properly' wasn't that important.......
Will fishing ever be available to youngsters in the same way again?
Somehow, our interest was sustained. Older anglers come up and give us a hand.... give you some appropriate hooks, a handful of maggots that sort of thing. Get you catching!
Some stranger even showed me how to plumb up.... we dreamed that if we could fish the club water stretch just 50 yards down stream from the 'free stretch' - thats were all the fish were!!! (sometimes we would cast JUST into the club water bit)...
We were hooked!
would that happen today?
FAT CHANCE.......
Society has become so risk adverse - Picture the same scene today...
Fancy letting children near water, what are their parents thinking of!
Then, there's that weirdo talking to those kids.... what does he want?
Then there are computer games where you can 'socialize' with your friends from the comfort of your bedroom - without anyone leaving the house!
So sad........
What chance has fishing got in introducing and sustaining interest for the next generation of anglers?
Same could be said of conkers, tree climbing, den making, kite flying..... if you want to allow your children to enjoy this sort of thing 'Adventure play' activities (for a price) are available for children to experience these simple pleasures - of course its all been risk assessed, all staff checked against a data base... bla de bla!
Part of my inspiration to fish was to experience freedom, work stuff out for myself and let my imagination take over.......... Doing things 'properly' wasn't that important.......
Will fishing ever be available to youngsters in the same way again?