Totally new! Would love some advice please :-)

Hi, I am posting on behalf of my 11 year old Son.
We "had a go" at fishing off Mevagissey harbour while we were away with a cheap rod and he loved it. He did not catch anything but got to grips with casting out and just loved the whole thing.

So now we are back in Cheltenham and he would love to go fishing but I have no idea where to start.
I now realise he needs a licence (which I think are free for kids?) but that's as far as t goes. I looked at some fishing lakes but it seems like you need lots of gear just to go and see if you like it such as landing mats and nets etc.

I don't know what is course fishing, fly fishing etc etc....we went to Go Outdoors and the lady there was helpful and recommended using a spinner as it is easier......do you use a spinner in fishing lakes?

If anyone knows of a good spot for a young beginner near Cheltenham and what we would need without shelling out to much initially I would love some advice please.

Thank you

howdoifish said:

I don't know what is course fishing, fly fishing etc etc....we went to Go Outdoors and the lady there was helpful and recommended using a spinner as it is easier......do you use a spinner in fishing lakes?

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Far better to visit a local tackle shop where they should be able to advise on suitable waters and tackle that is needed to get your lad on the right road, the lady at go outdoors may have had good intentions but to be honest the advice given was not what was needed.

A quick google shows lots of tackle shops in the Cheltenham area.

As helpful as GoOutdoors may have been you cannot do better than find a local indie tackle shop (if you have one) for advice and help on venues, tackle and fishing in general.

Edit... The Crow has beaten me to it, sorry for the duplicate message

Hi Amanda,


It's coarse fishing you will be doing but I would avoid using a spinner, this was bad advice for a novice and potentially dangerous, they have treble hooks so if you do go down that route you may want to crush the barbs with pliers just in case. Also spinners only tend to catch certain fish and are banned on many fisheries.

Please go to you local tackle shop for better advice, they should be really helpful. Ask them about a basic float set up and get some maggots, they will also be able to point you in the right direction regarding where to catch his first fish.

Basic gear is a landing net to lift out larger fish, a discorger to help remove the hook (barbless hooks would be best) split shot and a few floats is all you need with your rod and line. If fishing with maggots then a size 18 is ideal don't worry that it's small just chuck in a few maggots around your float and this style should get bites wherever you fish from many different species.

You're right in the fact that some fisheries have a lot of rules and need certain equipment so hopefully someone can help you with some local waters that don't. You will need a landing net and discorger wherever you go.

If not then the little river Chelt in the town has free bits where he could catch his first fish and although they may be small it could be a better start for him than to be surrounded by big carp and (maybe) instant success. I fished a bit in a park off Princess Elizabeth Way the other year on holiday and it had little fish in the deeper holes, fun for a youngster. If he does continue to enjoy it then a fishing club would be an ideal step as they can help him much more and there will be access to better waters and more advice.

Hope this helps
Rob

Edit Edit..... Crow beat me to it too as I was posting on the other thread mg:

Since I dont live there, cannot really comment on fishing in your area. However you appear to starting completely from scratch so there is a lot to learn-youtube can be your friend here as there are a lot of decent instructional clips aimed at the beginner/journeyman-could do a lot worse than looking out for a chap called Matt Hayes-gives clear, concise and detailed guidance in an easy style.

I envy you your sons ambition,my sons have shown no interest,I wish you and your son great success and would suggest you follow the guidelines posted above,when I started fishing #### years ago,I read a few mags in the school library,gave it a try and here I am still squirming on the hook,self taught,the big difference today is our protective attitude for our kids,I used to jump on a bus,train,or on a bike and disappear to god knows where for the day,today's society is more threatening and a parent would be fearful.Yesterday I fished in Bedford,the river is free fishing and where I spent a lot of my formative years in fishing,I spent around five hours being intimidated by groups of alcoholics(something I never saw back then)before packing up just after midday,bored with forever looking over my shoulder,this is from a guy who doesn't hide away and i'm not an anxious person,our country has changed a fair bit....or am I just getting old.

whitty said:

our country has changed a fair bit....or am I just getting old

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Both.....................

Enquire locally for an angling club that has a junior section, they often have days earmarked for them with good adult supervision.
My old club used to have a match where every junior won a prise no matter what they caught.
Days end if it was decant weather was the best of BBQs for moms, dads and juniors, girls and boys.
Brilliant!!!.

You could do worse than getting him a cheapish 4 or 5mtr 'whip', which is a very light and flexible fishing pole which is used without needing a reel and with some 2 to 3lb line attached directly to the tip of the whip plus a couple of small wagglers (stillwater floats).

I started both of my kids off with a fishing whip many years ago and it helped them learn to fish without the added complication of having to use a reel and caught them loads of fish. Then once they really got into fishing I then bought them rods and reels. NB: The whip is sometimes used by match anglers who are speed fishing for smaller species but also makes an ideal starter rod for beginners.

Your tackle shop will show you how to tackle up your whip and the other essential items you will need such as several different sizes of small split shot which go between your float and hook to set and cock your float and a small landing net and a rod rest and chair; plus some fisheries insist on you having an unhooking mat even when you are only tackled up for small fish but others will not insist on you having one if you are fishing for smaller species, so you will have to ask first.

Plus don't forget some barbless hooks to nylon (size 18 or 16 will do to begin with) and a plastic disgorger or two as they are only cheap items but are very important.

Plus he will need to be shown how to use his disgorger to remove the hook from the fishes mouth without damaging the fishes mouth and tie his hooks onto the end of his line.

I hope he enjoys himself and both him and you get to be hooked on fishing as it will bring you both plenty of good memories together over the years.

Tight lines

Keith

Any local canals ? They're quiet often overlooked and just to go catch they can be a great cheap or free venue.
A whip as Keith M has suggested is a great idea accurate and easy to use.

Your son may not realise it but he may have mates at school that go fishing, worth him asking around.

Hi

I don't know if anyone has suggested National Fishing Month yet (should probably read all the replies). any i think it is currently happening. if yu go to the website link: Home you can find an event near you - and it looks like clubs etc. run taster sessions for novices and as far as i can tell most will supply all the gear & bait. there is a search function to find an event near your home. Good luck