Where are all the younger anglers

Colin Brett · Nov 4, 2016

As the title asks?
Our club has a fairly large committee and the youngest members [2] are in their mid forties. Most of the others are over 70, me included. We need fresh blood to keep the club going. What do we do?
We own our own complex comprising 2 oval lakes and 1 specimen lake and have several excellent river sections on the Cam. We also have plans for digging a silver fish only canal on our land.
I'm getting too old to carry on with all the maintenance for much longer but there's no one else capable.
Is this the pattern across the country?

mikench · Nov 4, 2016

Sadly I suspect so! I have yet to see anyone under 21 on any of the waters I frequent. Most are older than me!

stripey · Nov 4, 2016

Have you thought of starting a junior club section, and holding a open day on one of your lakes, you could have the event during next summer school holidays, get the club members to bring spare tackle and get the youngsters fishing side by side with your members, you could also have a B B Q at the end for all the members,youngsters and their parents,

Bob Hornegold · Nov 4, 2016

I honestly think this is the pattern across the country, it's certainly the norm at the clubs I belong to.

I'm afraid Coarse angling seems to be a dyeing pastime, although there are some great efforts to encourage youngster ?

One thing that concerns me is this anti carp fishing culture of some angler and organisation.

They seem hell bent on teaching kids how to catch silvers and float tactic's rather than teaching them how to Carp fish.

The argument being that they will soon get bored with Carp Fishing and give up fishing ?

Well they might, but lots will not and they will carry on fishing, I have a Grandson and two nephews who I taught to fish all methods, what do they do now.

Carping

Bob

sam vimes · Nov 4, 2016

Colin Brett said:
Is this the pattern across the country?

Pretty much, though I'd suggest that, to a large extent, it was ever thus with regards to committee involvement. Similar patterns generally appear when it comes to work party participation too. To a great extent, club ethos is dying. Most people buy a club ticket and expect a service. There's no thought whatsoever about what they might put back into the club beyond the subscription fee.

When it comes to youngsters joining clubs, or fishing in general, there do seem to be less. However, I'd suggest a combination of factors here. So many parents wouldn't dream of letting their kids sit beside a river or stillwater unaccompanied. Many club and dayticket waters don't allow unaccompanied kids anyway. I can't imagine many kids, that don't have an angler in the family, ever get the chance to go fishing if they even wanted to.

If I'm going to see a youngster (sub 30) fishing. I'd expect it to be on a match type commercial or a big carp day ticket water. Beyond that, I'd have to take one with me to see a bairn on the club waters I fish.

ken more · Nov 4, 2016

Bob Hornegold said:
I honestly think this is the pattern across the country, it's certainly the norm at the clubs I belong to.

I'm afraid Coarse angling seems to be a dyeing pastime, although there are some great efforts to encourage youngster ?

One thing that concerns me is this anti carp fishing culture of some angler and organisation.

They seem hell bent on teaching kids how to catch silvers and float tactic's rather than teaching them how to Carp fish.

The argument being that they will soon get bored with Carp Fishing and give up fishing ?

Well they might, but lots will not and they will carry on fishing, I have a Grandson and two nephews who I taught to fish all methods, what do they do now.

Carping

Bob

I agree Bob, I understand the idea of showing other aspects of fishing, but maybe if they enjoy Carp Fishing they might then try other type's, style's, area's of fishing.

Colin Brett · Nov 4, 2016

stripey said:
Have you thought of starting a junior club section, and holding a open day on one of your lakes, you could have the event during next summer school holidays, get the club members to bring spare tackle and get the youngsters fishing side by side with your members, you could also have a B B Q at the end for all the members,youngsters and their parents,

Been there and done that. We used to have thriving junior sectio with matches and tuition on a regular basis, but sadly not any more. The last junior session we tried to organise attracted just 1 young lad. We have a whole load of trophies to hand out but no takers.

Sad ain't it?

Chefster · Nov 4, 2016

Theyre all sat in their bedrooms ,in the dark,playing Playstation,X-box etc.the ones a bit older,are smoking weed as well

thecrow · Nov 4, 2016

Its because angling is not "cool" kids are not allowed to exercise their sense of adventure and places where we used to roam and fish for nowt don't exist any more. that and as Gaz says bloody game consoles and social media.

I have a grandson that I haven't set eyes on for over a year, he has been in the house when I visit but lives some sort of cyber life in his bedroom, he is a very intelligent kid that is slowly turning into a weird adolescent that in the end wont be able to deal with actual human beings face to face, problem is there are thousands of them.

ken more · Nov 4, 2016

We underestimate young people. Why should they all do as we do? Some of the most "Boring" barstewards i have ever met have been anglers.

Chefster · Nov 4, 2016

thecrow said:
Its because angling is not "cool" kids are not allowed to exercise their sense of adventure and places where we used to roam and fish for nowt don't exist any more. that and as Gaz says bloody game consoles and social media.

I have a grandson that I haven't set eyes on for over a year, he has been in the house when I visit but lives some sort of cyber life in his bedroom, he is a very intelligent kid that is slowly turning into a weird adolescent that in the end wont be able to deal with actual human beings face to face, problem is there are thousands of them.

This is how bad it is,kids in the same room actually text each other,rather than converse,the future of angling suffering,is nothing in comparison to the future of mankind,in this techno,cyber world weve created!you ask a youngster to actually talk or phone someone,and they are horrified at the thought of it,but they will sit there for hours texting

If you managed to get a youngster fishing,they wouldnt be able to do anything,cos they are transfixed by the mobile phone..

steve2 · Nov 4, 2016

There aren't any on any of the waters I fish. Average on the match league that I use to is now around the mid 50’s quite young when compared to some of us.
The lack of young anglers isn’t new it’s been going on for years even when I ran clubs back in the 70’s and early 80’s.
Angling unfortunately does not now appeal to the young may be when they get to our ages they may take it up. Thats if there is any water left to fish.

lambert1 · Nov 4, 2016

The problem that Crow describes is all too common and as Chef says it affects many teenagers. Unfortunately I speak from experience and the problem extends way beyond fishing. Social media and games consuls undoubtedly are part of the problem, but not the sole cause. Many kids now appear to cease being kids the moment they leave Primary School and enter secondary education. They go from a very protected environment to one where they are basically exposed to more than they are capable of dealing with. The result is a massive loss of self confidence, depression, anxiety and a host of other issues that you might normally expect to be adult problems. For parents it is heartbreaking. My son does still come fishing with me occasionally and that is largely because he feels safe with me and club members who stop to talk are kindly older men that he also feels safe talking to. His own generation he treats with immense suspicion and avoids them wherever possible. For many kids the transition is not a major issue, but unfortunately the number for who it is, is on the increase.

robtherake · Nov 4, 2016

Today's kids don't have that easy relationship with the countryside that we took for granted. Angling was a natural extension of that for me and many others, plus there was plenty of common ground to explore and a few free-to-fish ponds and streams. Since kids aren't off exploring they don't come to angling by that route any longer.

Even if our own fathers were stay-at-homes it was common to come across other dads out there, doing a slightly more grown-up version of our own adventuring, who were only too happy to school us in country lore and (perhaps most importantly) were never considered as potential child rapists. How many kids have been done out of a benevolent "uncle"- possibly the geezer from next door - because of this instilled paranoia about paedophiles, who are surely no more numerous, as a percentage, than they ever were?

bracket · Nov 4, 2016

ken more said:
We underestimate young people. Why should they all do as we do? Some of the most "Boring" barstewards i have ever met have been anglers.

Well that is strange. Most of the boring bastewards I have met have been under 20 years old, be they anglers or not. Pete.

thecrow · Nov 4, 2016

robtherake said:
Today's kids don't have that easy relationship with the countryside that we took for granted. Angling was a natural extension of that for me and many others, plus there was plenty of common ground to explore and a few free-to-fish ponds and streams. Since kids aren't off exploring they don't come to angling by that route any longer.

That's what I meant by them not having a sense of adventure any longer.

As a kid I would leave home early and come back late, the day being spent roaming the estate near to where I lived, catching squirrels, nesting, rabbiting, fishing with a stick, learning about the countryside and the creatures that lived in it and now and then getting a clout from the keeper.

I feel sorry for todays youngsters that know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

chub_on_the_block · Nov 4, 2016

Its not just fishing that no longer appeals. I think it is just about any outdoor activity other than using a mobile phone at a bus stop. I think a lot of hobbies, pastimes and even sports may die out.

I was in a tennis club until recently (and at a time when GB tennis is actually on the up) and while there were plenty of junior juniors, up to say 10 or 12 years old, the numbers older than that thinned out quickly as social media, play stations and mobiles had taken over. Its probably peer pressure as much as anything. There seems to be a much stronger need to conform nowadays - perhaps due to social media.

Philip · Nov 4, 2016

I think its easy to blame the cyber world but I dont think thats really so much to blame

When I was a kid I used to go with a few friends..we would be dropped off at the train station in the morning then made our own, way to the water, spent all day there on our own and then made or way back to be picked up at the station again in the evening. No mobiles phones back then either. We just set a time and we would be there.
Who nowadays is going to let their kids go and spend the whole day alone in the countryside ? Even with mobile connectivity to stay in touch. Someone would probably report you to social services accusing you of not doing you duty as a parent or some other ridiculous accusation because of some perceived danger that we are told is out there.

Add to this the fact that I imagine its pretty expensive to go fishing nowadays as a kid. First you have to pay for transport to the water and then you have to pay the ticket to fish …I would have thought your going to be hard pressed to go fishing for less than £20 a day and that’s before you add on bait and tackle.

The problem is its not geared up for kids to go alone..they need an adult involved as well and most adults are just too busy to spend the whole day out fishing so people nowadays get into fishing once they are old enough to not have to be looked after by someone else and have enough money to go.

sam vimes · Nov 4, 2016

There are a couple of delicious ironies being played out in this thread. The first is that a significant majority of the population regard anglers as weird, eccentric or quite mad. Kids playing video games, texting and living their lives through social media is generally considered decidedly normal by comparison.

The second is that we are bemoaning kids lack of interaction with the real world, or face to face time with other people, on a forum. A forum which a hardcore of us spend quite a bit of time conversing with people we've never even met!

The simple fact is that angling just doesn't appeal to an awful lot of kids. That's always been the case too. To a large number of those it might appeal, they don't have the opportunity to even try it. That can be for a multitude of reasons, good or bad.

S-Kippy · Nov 5, 2016

The world has changed as has the pace at which we are forced (?) to live it at. There is now far more choice and opportunity available ( to us all....not just kids) and the demands that places on our free time is such that it's really hard to fit time expensive hobbies like angling in. Social media aside neither of my kids are gamers or ruled by IT but they are always going somewhere, doing something, seeing someone. No time for anything else.

I'm afraid this instant gratification attitude that seems so prevalent nowadays simply does not make angling a very attractive proposition. It's competing against too many other things that kids find way more exciting whereas in my youth fishing, nesting and just generally milling about in the countryside was about as exciting as it got.

How many of us on here moan about commercials ? I certainly do but I'd have loved these to have been around when I was a kid . As much as those of us who served a long and frustrating angling apprenticeship might carp on about them ( see what I did there ?) Tese are the only sort of waters likely to appeal to those taking up the sport nowadays.

And you need someone willing to take you & show you what to do. I'm the only angler in my family....it was a very long apprenticeship !

Where are all the younger anglers

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