would you help?

[kleinboet]

Here's a little scenario for you - you head down to your favourite bit of water. At the water, a couple of pegs away, are some teenagers sitting (or standing) using rod and line and tackle which is totally too much for the water and consequently are not even getting a bite.

As the fishing is proving fruitless, they are getting bored and a lot of noise is coming from that quarter.

 

Do you go and see if you can help?

 

You could risk being told to F**k off!

But you could - by showing them how to downsize their terminal tackle (using a couple of feet of YOUR line) and showing them where to fish - be introducing new keen anglers to the sport.

 

After all, who taught you to fish?

[Chris Plumb]

Here's a little scenario for you - you head down to your favourite bit of water. At the water, a couple of pegs away, are some teenagers sitting (or standing) using rod and line and tackle which is totally too much for the water and consequently are not even getting a bite.

As the fishing is proving fruitless, they are getting bored and a lot of noise is coming from that quarter.

 

Do you go and see if you can help?

 

You could risk being told to F**k off!

But you could - by showing them how to downsize their terminal tackle (using a couple of feet of YOUR line) and showing them where to fish - be introducing new keen anglers to the sport.

 

After all, who taught you to fish?

 

I did something similar last year - was fishing a free bit of water and catching some grayling to around a pound when a couple of youths stopped by. I got the usual 'caught anything mista' plus some disparaging remarks about my tackle - especially the centre pin - too old fashioned! All that changed when I caught a nice grayling whilst they were watching. Wow said one - and raced home for his tackle. He returned with a carp rod and bait runner loaded with 15lb line and some size 6 hooks! He had 'A' float in his tackle box which he put on his line - I took pity on him and gave him a packet of size 16 barbless hook to nylons - and showed him how to tie them on (He could tie a knotless knot but not a surgeons loop!). I showed him a couple of good swims and let him get on with it. He stopped by an hour later to tell me he'd caught 6 grayling - seemed delighted and completely different to the sneering sarcastic individual of a couple of hours previous!

 

 

C.

[Alan Stubbs]

The risk of being told to 'foxtrot oscar' is as nothing to the pleasure of helping people catch, possibly their first fish - or to fish safely and successfully.

 

It's a risk that's worth taking - every time you go fishing.

 

Apart from which, many people on AN helped me when I first started fishing and refused any kind of thanks from me. I see helping others as a way of thanking those who so selflessly gave their time, help and friendship, as I hope that they would have expected me to help others over time, in the way they helped me.

[Guest flempike]

I most definately would, depending on the characters themselves obviously, but then again youngsters having a first go at fishing, can not be bad people. That's impossible, isn't it? Showing them the first few tricks only takes a little while and a couple of bits and bobs don't exactly cost a fortune either. It is gratifying if you get them to catch even the smallest of fish, and they'll get hooked. I was thought the first fishing by a person in a wheelchair who took me and a friend of mine fishing while on holiday in france. He was patient enough to teach us and we caught a couple of small perches. He took a big pike from this large stillwater lake we were fishing late in the afternoon on a sunny bright day with absolutely no wind, using livebait and one of those plump ancient pike floats that were followed by several smaller ones. I still remeber every instance every minute of that day. I can still see this guy reeling in this pike and the look on his face. he was proud I'll tell you that and he had someone, even though small boys only, to share this moment with him. The result was that to this day, the story dates back at least 25 years, me and my mate are still heavily persuing pike, when the wife allows ..., and we both teach our own children and children from other friends fishing. We both are god to these kids now. The first ever self caught trout (from one of those horrible little murky commercial trout fisheries) means the world to them and the picture hangs above their bed. In my opinion, every angler should pass down what he knows. Besides, these youngsters might just come up with th perfect livebait for you ...

[gozzer]

I've done it plenty of times Keinboet, never been told to F' off yet.

 

The only time it causes a problem, is when I'm not fishing, just out and about with the wife. I can't resist any water, or anyone fishing it. If that person is a youngster, and seems to be struggling, then I try to help. This often takes up a bit of time and I get it in the neck from the wife afterwards.

But even that changed recently. A young lad came to work at the same place as the wife, and one day he was in the office and asked her if I was called John. She said that I was, but asked how did he know. He told her that I used to help him and his mates, at a local mill pond, when he was about 10 yrs old. That was about 8-9 yrs ago, the wife was quite impressed that I had made such a lasting impression on them. Back then even if I just went to have a look at the water, I always carried a few hooks, shot, and a spool of line in the car, just in case.

The strangest, (and nicest) time was when I was in the supermarket, and I heard my name called out. It was a guy that I hadn't seen for about 20yrs. He was there with his wife and kids, and he introduced me as 'the man who was responsible for him still going fishing now', I felt chuffed, but his wife gave me a funny look and said, "So your John? The one I have to blame".

It's a great feeling to know that you've help a bit, and that you put something back into angling, (even if it's just in a small way).

 

John.

[Alan Stubbs]

Like I said, it makes the risk of a 'Foxtrot Oscar' seem trivial under the circumstances.

 

My local lake in Liverpool is a mecca for young kids, and the number that you first write off as 'scallies' is not inconsiderable, yet within 5 minutes you discover that their interest is genuine - allied to their own brand of politeness and a newly discovered ability to say 'please' and 'thank you' actually makes for a generally very enjoyable interruption.

 

I really enjoy it when the same kids call out 'Alright, Alan lar!' when you see them out and about.

[mike1234]

I was at my local lake a few weeks back and 2 young lads sharing a rod seen me and a friend catching a few roach and perch and asked us where the best swims and how to fish where

 

they had one of them daft plastic floats that must have came with the rod from argos and some poor quality oversize hooks to nylon, i supplied them with a float and some shot and they set off and caught a few roach, half an hour later 3 more turned up and asked for floats etc and i told them i didnt have enough floats to go around but there was a reasonably priced tackle shop not far away,

 

after that every 20 mins one of them kept asking for stuff i handed over a disgorger that wasnt returned and had to spend more time keeping an eye on my tackle than i did on my own float

 

i ended up having to tell them to f**K off, which as made me think twice about helping young anglers in the future

 

but then again a lot of the anglers who you would expect to be older and wiser can be just as much of a bankside nuisance

[Anderoo]

It's been a long time since I've fished somewhere where there are bored kids, but if I see someone struggling (regardless of age) and I think I can help I'll offer some friendly advice. If I get the feeling that approaching someone would ruin the day for me, for whatever reason, I'll probably wander off in the opposite direction though

 

It's good to help if you can. A lot of my early years were spent pestering older anglers!

 

EDIT: it just occurred to me that the few times I've fished alongside younger anglers recently, they're the ones looking at me with a kind of head-shaking pity, rather than the other way around. All kitted out with pods, heavy rods and alarms, I must look like a weird Dickensian throwback. The last thing they'd ask me for is advice, and I can imagine the kind of reception I'd get if I interrupted their little gathering to suggest they try float fishing the margins!

Edited February 7, 2008 by Anderoo

[chesters1]

Here's a little scenario for you - you head down to your favourite bit of water. At the water, a couple of pegs away, are some teenagers sitting (or standing) using rod and line and tackle which is totally too much for the water and consequently are not even getting a bite.

As the fishing is proving fruitless, they are getting bored and a lot of noise is coming from that quarter.

 

Do you go and see if you can help?

 

You could risk being told to F**k off!

But you could - by showing them how to downsize their terminal tackle (using a couple of feet of YOUR line) and showing them where to fish - be introducing new keen anglers to the sport.

 

After all, who taught you to fish?

i tell everyone if their struggling ,most resistant to changing their tackle to the water and conditions are oldies ,kids are fine if ofcourse they have the tackle to use ,occasionally i have begged maggots from another angler so at least they can catch something.

i ofcourse are different to most anglers as i can chuck them off if they do get lippy

Edited February 7, 2008 by chesters1

[sphinx]

I always help anyone, old or young if i can! Ive learned LOADS from anglers on the bank and like to do the same for others