Young Anglers

[Babar]

Im 16 and no matter where i go on the net there is always someone on about young anglers. Mostly it's to moan about them.... But we aint all litter dropping, barbed hooked, screaming juveniles..

Yesterday as i was on my local canal i walked past 3 or 4 pegs which i had seen a few young children on the day before. The pegs were full of litter so i got a bag and picked it all up.

The other thing is i will never ever go fishing with anyone who uses barbed hooks. It's cruelty and they ought to ban barbed hooks. If it's for match use then maybe just whisker barb but i don't even use those.

If it wasn't for the younger angling community like myself the sport would vanish!!!!!

In my area in the last couple of years i have got 5 young anglers into fishing and they won't use barbed hooks either..... I mean come on this is a sport!!!!!!!

Maybe if the older end of the community would not turn there back and think "O'God here comes a little pest" and would point them in the right direction then we can learn from you guys!!!!

I am 16 and i still find 20,30 year olds still asking advice, we need to learn from the experience's of others as well as our own!

[Chris Plumb]

Firstly a warm welcome to AN. I don't think you'll find many (any) who moan at youngsters purely because of their age. Treat folks with respect and you'll get treated similarly. As for learning - well you've come to no better place. I've almost certainly learnt more about angling from the 'net in the last 5 years than from 25 years of bankside experience. (I'm over 40 BTW ). So ask a good question and I guarantee you'll get a whole range of good answers.

 

Welcome again - I hope you enjoy your stay (and your angling!)

 

 

Chris

[RUDD]

Both tackle shops in Felixstowe now have their own mini angling clubs. The idea is that once a month young anglers can fish new waters with experianced anglers.

There are not many accesible places for young anglers in our area. There is one day ticket venue which always surronded by litter. As under 14s have to fish with an adult(over 18) I wonder who drops the litter?

The idea has turned out to be very popular.

I wish they had run it when I was a lad.

For years I thought you could only catch Rudd

and the occasional eel!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Waterman]

Unfortunately Baber, the good'ns like yourself never get themselves noticed! It's only the ones that cause a problem that stick in your memory. Fortunately there are those like yourself who act as ambassadors for your age group.

 

Oi!! You thieving scally wag, you stole my signature!

Bloody kids come on here......... :mad:

[Woodzzz]

I'm 19, been fishing for 20 years and I am really a sucker for young anglers.

 

You usually get a group of kids, theres loads in one swim casting every five seconds making noise and generally having fun.

 

Then you get the one kid from the group who wanders off to fish alone for CARP.

 

This is the kid I'm usually talking to. Passing on advice usually, tying up a few rigs and showing them how to do this and that.

 

I tend to fish under my feet, and i see a lot of fish on a good day, whether they get hooked or not is a different story but during spring-summer they're usually there.

 

I usually bait up a small spot and teach the youngster about how it is important to be quiet, then the carp come in and feed and the look on their faces is great. Eyes and tongues falling about and a lot of them start shaking.

 

Then...[if it's a small fish or i'm not fishing the area] I lift my arm up. And the carp usually leaves.

 

I always make sure to tidy up anything I leave behind, and just say 'you dont want to kill the fish do you? So take it home and you can still fish for them next week'

 

It's good because I remember being that age and not having that kind of tuition, i learnt most of it myself, as, although my father is a great river angler, he seems bewildered on stillwaters.

 

So to pass on what i've learnt from the age of 5-onwards, with 2-3 years of solely carp fishing, is soemthing I want to do.

 

I've had a few run ins when older blokes have used bad language to shoo off youngsters, as it's not appropriate and they will only learn if you tell them what they should and shouldnt be doing.

 

I remember one kid getting bopped in the nose for cutting off his mates fixed lead arrangement. That took a bit of sorting out

 

I'm all for young anglers, and would love to see the day when the magazines give the young guys a bit more credit and writing space.

 

All the best Babar, keep up the good work, let your fishing do the talking

[BIGMAN]

well said babar, i agree with you wholeheartedly,the thing is that you just have to get on with it and hope people change their bad habits,i have only been fishing a short while 9months but i have learned a lot and there are some good lads and good tips on this site.

i take my young son and nephew with me and hope that the learn to respect the fish,the environment and their fellow anglers just as you do,good luck and tight lines.

[aero]

On a trip to a local still water (been a young angler) I set up in a peg close to an older man and his wife. I asked if they had caught owt with a reply of no. I set up and started fishing, after 10-12 carp up to 8lb all i recived was witty putdowns and snardy comments from the man. It made me feel awful. Then to cap it all off his wife caught a small carp.

[Nugg]

Hi Babar

Firstly let me commend you on the picking up of the litter, it's not just the young ones that need to be educated in that area, I too have down time tidying up on many occassions, time I would rather spend fishing.

 

Secondly I would just like to point out that there are some that believe barbless hooks can do more harm than good, I personaly use barbed, semi-[micro]barbed and barbless it depends largely on what I am after.

 

Angling is centuries old and I doubt it would end for a few more yet, yes, its good to have the younsters taught how to fish in a way that they don't harm the fish, themselves or the environment, unfotunately the interest span in a youngster is not long if not catching, I too was young once, but I was lucky in respect that I had a good teacher, my Dad, so many youngsters tend to go off on their own and get into trouble these days, and a minority have no respect for anything or anyone. Young or old, good or bad we are all the same in the eyes of anti's, so the more we have like you, up and comming the better the future for all of us.

[chris mc]

Hi everyone long time no chat!

 

I'm only 18 years old,i never had any bother wen i wos younger with grown ups.Never realy asked them for any help my self me brothers Ste mc and Paul mc taught me.As someone has allready stated though young Anglers have a short span of consintration so therefor get into trouble,so this makes older Anglers alot more on there toes round them.

[Babar]

I dont live with my dad and therefore never really had anyone to copy or learn from so i used to rely on the older anglers to point me in the right direction.....

The othewr day i was fishing on my local canal and a lad of around 14 came up to me and said "Excuse me, could you take a look at my setup and tell me what im doing wrong??"

When i looked at his rig he was using about 7lb line and a size 12 hook with 2 maggots on. He told me the man in his local tackle shop told him that he needed those if he was to catch any roach!!!!!

I was so annoyed. I searched through my box and found an old reel with 3lb line on it and i set him up using my weights, hooks and float. His eyes lit up as he said "Thankyou very much"

He sat on the peg next to me and when his float went under and he had caught his first perch i felt proud to have helped this youngster out!