How can we get more kids to fish matches?
Participation and recruitment are two key factors that will ensure a healthy future for angling and for match fishing that’s never been more important.
Faced with a barrage of technology and the world of the PlayStation, TikTok and YouTube, fishing is always going to struggle to grab the attention of teenagers. Even if they do pick up a rod, is there an incentive for them to enter the match scene?
So many times, we draw for a match and look around, seeing the youngest face at around 30 or 40 years of age. With that in mind, we asked four match aces how can we increase match participation...
How we can get youngsters to put down their PlayStations and start entering competitions?
Bring back club junior sections - Matt Godfrey
“Is the real problem the retention of youngsters? If I was to look at the very first Match Academy in 2016, it’d be interesting to see how many of them are still fishing matches. Admittedly, few will go on to become big ‘names’ and get to big finals – Rob Swan and Kristian Jones are two I can think of – but just as in senior match fishing, there’s a mixture of desires among the youngsters. Some want to be Andy Bennett, while some just want to get better and compete on their local open scene and I do reinforce on the academies and Talent Pathway that most of them are not going to get all the way to the top.
“The backing of parents is crucial in terms of transport and money, but I get tired of people who knock young lads and lasses, saying ‘well, they don’t have to pay for anything.’ This is the same in any sport. Having a parent who is interested but not pushy is a must. If a parent pushes them too much, then by the time that youngster is 17 and can drive and work, they don’t want to match fish.
“What we need more than anything is the re-establishment of club junior sections. That seems to have gone now and as a junior, if you want to fish a match, it’s an open or clubbie up against seniors. It’s then easy to become fed up when you’re not doing well.”
“What we need more than anything is the re-establishment of club junior sections”
Run kids matches - Grant Albutt
“I’ve worked with Steve Porter to develop junior matches at my fishery Moorlands Farm, and the response last summer was tremendous with 44 fishing, so it shows that the interest is there. However, I can’t do it all on my own and would urge other fisheries to do the same.
“Run a match for kids, try and secure some goodie bags and I’m positive it’ll be well-supported. That’s the reason Steve and myself did the matches – the area around Kidderminster had youngsters crying out for matches. Much of this success is down to the parents – without their support it wouldn’t happen.
“How we keep these youngsters interested in matches is the million-dollar question. It’s not about winning, that will come in time. There’s a lot of learning involved beforehand. If they catch fish, be it two or 50, they’ll come back, keep learning and see an improvement. That’s why junior matches on commercials as opposed to canals and rivers are a must.”
“The area around Kidderminster had youngsters crying out for matches”
Decent events - Josh Newman
“Schemes like the Guru Academy and Talent Pathway show that there are plenty of youngsters out there, but the big stumbling block is deciding which match route to go down.
“We see the likes of Andy Bennett and Jamie Hughes fishing only commercials and winning big events and that’s a powerful motivation. As a result, you end up becoming a little one dimensional in your fishing.
“Also, how many junior matches are there on commercials? Very few – to fish a match, you have to go in with the seniors, which is tough. Joining a club is a much better alternative, as you’ll find that they fish a range of venues.
“If you’re not achieving anything, then it’s easy to think ‘what’s the point?’ and jack fishing in. Having matches to fish aimed at your age group would be a big help.”
“Schemes like the Guru Academy and Talent Pathway show that there are plenty of youngsters out there”
Keep them catching lots of fish - Sarah Taylor
“We need taster days on places where juniors are going to catch fish. I’ve seen in the past people hosting days on places where the juniors are going to catch one or two fish a day. Kids are easily bored, so you need to keep them busy.
“Another thing is not to get them straight into carp. This is one reason why youngsters in match fishing are dying out – anyone entering the sport wants to immediately go for the biggest fish. I remember my dad starting me on a rod catching rudd, then slowly moving me up towards carp so I didn’t get obsessed with the biggest fish.
“We also need more junior events. When I was in the old Cadets part of the Junior National, there were more than 15 to 20 teams per category, but it seems to have dropped off. Also, we used to have the CADG (Cheshire Angling Development Group) and NJAA (National Junior Angling Association) leagues which were team events. Unfortunately, they folded, but they kept us fishing from the age of 10-12 – something which is missing a lot now.
“There’s also the issue of money with regards to gear, but that’s a wider issue. In short, companies should encourage juniors, or those in more financial need, by offering cheaper options in their tackle lines. That would help youngsters build a setup they could improve on when they take up fishing seriously.”
“Kids are easily bored, so you need to keep them busy”
Angling coaches honoured for 1,000+ hours free coaching
THREE angling coaches have been honoured for giving up over 1,000 hours of their free time to help anyone who wanted to go fishing during the pandemic.
Bryan Dray, Pat Byrne and Ian Halliwell, of Wellingborough and District Nene AC, finished runners-up at the Nene Valley Partnerships Volunteers Stars of the Year awards for services to the sport.
The coaches at Wellingborough and District Nene AC
Post-lockdown rod licence sales soaring - where should the money go?
THE ENVIRONMENT Agency has been handed the chance to tackle some of the biggest issues facing fishing after receiving millions of pounds in extra income.
In the four weeks following the lifting of lockdown restrictions on May 13, more than 335,000 rod licences were sold, a 230 per cent rise in less than two months and 200,000 more than were sold in the corresponding period last year.
In the four weeks following the lifting of lockdown restrictions on May 13, more than 335,000 rod licences were sold
Newcomers to the sport accounted for the majority of the spike in sales, but there is nothing particularly new about the major issues facing angling. Anglers have been crying out for authorities to address growing problems with issues such as water quality and predation, but they aren’t the only problems and now a debate has begun on how the extra cash should best be spent.
The EA will obviously have its work cut out trying to please everyone, so we asked fishery owners, club officials and some of angling’s unsung heroes to tell us where they think the money should go.
Chris Wood, Shrewsbury Angling Club Secretary
SPEND IT ON: Improving river fishing
“The money should be put back into rivers and supporting angling clubs. There are several ways to do this, but the most important is by making fisheries safer. By this I mean building platforms along stretches to make river fishing comfortable and accessible. Clambering down steep banks and cutting your way through a jungle isn’t for everyone, particularly when so many of us are used to sitting by a manicured commercial where you can park next to your peg.
“River fishing’s popularity is on the rise – our club is completely full, with a 300-angler waiting list – so we need to make our rivers accessible to all. By building more platforms you get more bums on the bank so you can police a stretch more easily, as anglers can report anything dodgy.”
We need to make our rivers accessible to all
Mark Barrow ,underwater cameraman for Beneath British Waters
SPEND IT ON: Tackling the major polluters
“The key area to address is the amount of pollution that goes into our rivers, particularly sewage. I’ve been diving and filming in rivers for 30 years and in the past, I’d film shoals of grayling that were 300-strong. Nowadays in the same areas I find small pockets of 15 or so fish at best.
“I’m sure that all the pollution that enters our rivers is having a negative impact and there needs to be a combined effort between the EA, water companies and all other forces to tackle the problem. There are other issues, of course, but sorting the rivers themselves should be the primary objective.
“I’d like to add that the EA gets a lot of stick, but it does some fantastic work. Its people on the ground are just as frustrated and passionate about all this as we are. The problems may be at the top.”
Do the EA need to take a harder stance on polluters?
Bryan Dray, Wellingborough & District Nene AC Youth Coach
SPEND IT ON: More coaching facilities for juniors and newcomers
“It should be spent on funding grassroots level coaching. We’ve seen a phenomenal number of juniors and newcomers get into fishing this year and we need to keep them interested in angling.
“We’ve got 300 juniors in our club, and our coaching sessions have been key in getting these guys interested. The problem is having the funds to keep it all going.
“It’s been so busy that I’ve pretty much had to give up my day job. We’re also in need of more tackle for the kids to use, as well as a van to transport it.
“If we can continue supporting young anglers and keep encouraging more to the sport, we’ll be able to keep fishing on a healthy grounding for generations to come.”
We’ve seen a phenomenal number of juniors and newcomers get into fishing this year and we need to keep them interested in angling
Kevin Clark, Founder of The Angling Initiative project
SPEND IT ON: Policing our waters better
“I’d love to see the extra money spent on better policing for our rivers. Take my local River Wye for example. It suffers badly from poaching, like many waterways, but it also suffers from other so-called water users doing what they like, with little fear of prosecution.
“In recent years the river has been plagued by high levels of phosphates entering the river from neighbouring farmlands, causing terrible algal blooms, which have a detrimental impact on the water quality.
“There’s also an issue with the amount of water from the river being used for irrigation purposes from various interests along the Wye valley, which the river can’t support. It’s caused some of the lowest water levels I’ve seen in decades, and the fishing has suffered as a result.
“The EA needs to contact the local farmers, make them aware of the problems being caused, and start to do something about it. I’m sure many other rivers are suffering a similar fate...”
May waterways suffer badly from poaching
Top club provides blueprint to keep newcomers hooked
THERE has been a huge influx of newcomers to angling since lockdown restrictions were lifted back in mid-May.
Rod licence sales surged as a mix of youngsters, first-timers and people coming back to the sport chose angling as the perfect way to engage with nature and enjoy being outdoors. The question now on the lips of many within the industry is, how can we continue to attract new faces, and then keep them interested for life?
One club to the forefront of fostering this new generation of anglers is Yorkshire’s Hull and District AA, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years.
Back in 2011 the club was in decline, with fewer than 1,000 members. Fast-forward nine years and memberships have doubled and are continuing on an upward curve, with many joining in the past few months.
Hull and District AA has been a real success story in terms of bringing youngsters into the sport
Hull DAA’s fishery officer Derek Pye revealed how, first and foremost, the remarkable turnaround has come from putting fishing at the very heart of the local community, which has arguably never been so important as it is in these troubled times.
“It all started 10 years ago when, after reading that the average age of anglers was 47, we decided we had to do something to encourage new faces into the sport.
“We started organising a few pike fishing days with the Pike Anglers Club, and from these taster sessions things have snowballed to the point where last year it taught 935 kids across 70 sessions on HDAA waters.”
It all started with a few pike days. Hull and District AA now hold events every week all year
Creating local facilities
Derek believes giving its members access to good quality, local fishing venues has been another key element of the club’s success.
He said:
“We are seen to be very proactive by the people of Hull. Back in 2014 we refurbished Oakroad Pond in the centre of Hull and still run coaching sessions there today. This led to us restoring another pond, and with help from the local social club and the Angling Trust we transformed it into a beautiful fishery and now sometimes have close to 100 kids there learning how to fish.
“We run three sessions a week across the city, which makes fishing accessible to everyone. I contact local youth projects and get them to send kids over for our sessions, and we now have an established youth network in Hull, funded by the council.
“The only entry fee, so to speak, is good behaviour – young people often miss out if they have to pay.
“The sessions are hugely popular. The kids go home, tell their friends and the message spreads. But it’s not just the youngsters – our taster sessions are a family experience too.
“Everyone is welcome. We get people who haven’t fished for years turn up for a refresher course and what’s been really encouraging is the growth we’ve seen in young female anglers. We had 199 girls attend our coaching sessions last year, a 60 per cent increase on the year before.”
Hull and District AA have seen a 60% increase in female anglers at sessions this year
Variety is key
Offering a variety of different fishing styles and tactics is another important element of attracting newcomers and maintaining their interest long-term.
Derek said:
“As well as our normal taster sessions, we also run a carp school, where students can camp out overnight on our waters. The families come along too, and we have barbecues. It’s just another totally different experience for many people, and they seem to love it.
“This year we’ve also set up a women’s carp group, and they get together and organise their own sessions on our lakes.
“And because our taster sessions are geared around the whole calendar year, in the winter we run predator days where they try lure fishing and deadbaiting. Occasionally we even catch one!”
The club has set up a women’s carp group so female anglers can organise night fishing sessions
Help from within
Having a willing band of coaches is central to the club’s success, and recruitment in this respect has not been an issue, Derek said.
“What started as just four blokes coaching has now turned into a team of 30 qualified coaches ranging in age from 16 to 75, each with a Level 1 or Level 2 coaching certification.”
“Each year we take some of the keenest older kids and put them through the courses. We now have 12 young coaches, four of who are female.”
Having qualified angling coaches has been key to the club’s success
Funding and partnerships
All the good work Hull DAA has done obviously comes at a cost, but Derek revealed that funding is available for organisations keen to follow in the club’s footsteps.
“I would urge any club wanting to follow our model to be active in chasing funding. Our sessions last year cost around £25,000 to run and we received most of that in grants,” he said.
“We work with everyone, from the local council to the Angling Trust and Sport England, and we’ve even received funding from mental health charity Headstart. If we can show fishing as a vehicle for positive change in the community, then people are more than happy to contribute. We also regularly receive donated kit from local anglers or club members. We store this and when we have youngsters showing promise, we pass it on. After all, they are the next generation of anglers.”
The kit used at coaching sessions is either donated by local anglers or purchased through grants
The Kev Green Award
Each year Hull DAA gives The Kev Green Award to the youngster who shows the most promise. This is something close to the hearts of us all here at Angling Times, as Kevin worked for the title for many years before passing away in 2013.
Last week the award was presented to the latest winner, Eloise Beetham, by Hull DAA’s Brian Skoyles.
Brian said:
“Eloise is a deserved winner and is now one of our coaches too. Kev was a good friend of mine and supported junior angling tremendously, so it was very appropriate when the club decided to name the trophy after him.”
Eloise Beetham, the winner of this year’s Kev Green Award - massive well done from all at AT
Schoolboys bank the eel of a lifetime!
TWO schoolboys have underlined the sheer unpredictability that fishing can bring with the capture of this impressive 9lb 8oz eel while fishing a day-ticket lake for carp.
Frankie Moody and his friend Lee Chandler were targeting the margins of an undisclosed Hertfordshire water when they connected with something big – although according to Frankie’s dad Terry, a giant eel was never on their minds.
He told us:
“Frankie and Lee had just cast out a size 8 hook baited with six maggots when a bite registered on the rod and Frankie struck into a powerful fish, but a carp is all they’d ever thought it would be.
“You can imagine how shocked they were then when this monstrous eel came to the surface – It was certainly the last thing they had expected!”
Frankie and Lee’s remarkable catch is the second largest eel reported to Angling Times this season – falling just 10oz short of Steve Pitts’ 10lb 2oz specimen.
Frankie Moody (right) and Lee Chandler with the 9lb 8oz eel.
10-year-old is youngest Drennan award winner with dream barbel
ELLA Mae Beckett became the envy of all seasoned barbel anglers when she hooked, played and landed this 16lb 5oz specimen during her latest outing, making her one of the youngest-ever winners of a Drennan award.
The South Yorkshire lass and her dad Steven spent summer targeting the River Dearne for barbel and after lots of effort and a few blanks the pair finally hit the jackpot.
Steven tells us:
“After two recent evening sessions of frustration, when we lost three barbel due to straightened hooks or snags, we decided to return the following evening with much stronger tackle.
“Ella baited her hook with worms and a couple of red maggots, filled the feeder with maggots and then cast it out to the spot.
“I told her to set the clutch and be on her rod ready to strike when the bite came.”
Sure enough, an hour later Ella’s rod arched round and she set the hook into a strong fish which instantly headed for some snags.
“Straight away she put her rod in the air and applied pressure which drew it away from the trees and into the shallows,” adds Steven.
“After a short battle this massive barbel graced the net and her emotions just went into overload. She cried tears of joy! It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Ella Mae Beckett was overjoyed with this incredible barbel
Sturgeon saved by four-year-old boy
A FOUR-year-old boy has helped rescue a sturgeon from the River Arrow after he spotted it struggling to swim in shallow water.
Harrison noticed the sturgeon struggling in shallow water
Harrison Hart, his mum Amelia and her partner Jake were walking along the riverbank in Studley, Warks when he saw a large, shark-like fish moving slowly against the current.
“It was obviously stressed as the river was only a foot deep, so Jake called his brother Kurt to bring his fishing net down so we could help move it into deeper water,” Amelia tells us.
“When Kurt arrived, he told us he thought it was a Russian sturgeon.
“We got the fish out, took pictures to help with identification, then released it upstream in deep water where it swam away.”
Amelia later notified the EA, which is looking to retrieve the fish. It’s likely the sturgeon, which can reach 15ft, was put into the river by a fishkeeper after it grew too big for its pond or tank.
It’s likely the sturgeon, which can reach 15ft, was put into the river by a fishkeeper after it grew too big for its pond or tank.
Yorkshire matchmen plan to get more kids fishing
A GROUP of veteran Yorkshire match anglers is planning to run a series of events for junior anglers after the Covid-19 lockdown as part of a drive to get more youngsters into the sport.
The forward-thinking initiative, which is being headed up by 66-year-old Kev Holvey, has been granted free use of Moorfields Fishery in Goole to host the matches, and tackle has been donated by local anglers for the youngsters to use on the day. The lucky participants will also be able to keep the equipment once the sessions are finished.
Kev, who ran a similar series of events last winter until fisheries were forced to close, said:
“We’ve already collected a vast amount of kit from supportive anglers and there is certainly a desire for these sorts of events. Over the winter we had around 20 kids and their parents attending each match. The kids love it, and at the start of each session we name each one of them after an angling superstar. They can get quite feisty if you get it wrong, saying things like, “No, I’m Bob Nudd today!”
For more information and to sign up for ‘Kev Holvey’s Coaching For Kids’, please visit his personal Facebook page.
Tackling up the anglers of the future - The Angling Initiative
TAKE A look in your tackle shed, and the chances are that there’ll be various old rods and reels sat around gathering dust, likely never to see the bank again.
Memories of epic battles with special fish form a powerful bond between angler and certain bits of tackle, and although unused for years, we just can’t seem to let them go.
But one man who’s seen the light and is making the best possible use of his old kit is Kevin Clark. Last summer he set up a project named The Angling Initiative, which donates unwanted fishing tackle to young anglers who want to get into the sport but perhaps can’t afford to do so.
The scheme has been a runaway success, and now Kevin is seeking more tackle donations from the wider angling public in order to take the initiative to the next level.
Kevin, from Cwmbran, Wales, says:
“It all started when I met a young lad on a Newport AA water a few years ago who didn’t have enough fishing tackle.
“I decided to help him out with some of my kit, including my old seatbox and pole rollers. Shortly after this I decided to set up The Angling Initiative page on Facebook.”
Since then, Kevin has supplied more than 60 kids with complete sets of tackle after they contacted him through the scheme’s dedicated social media presence.
“We’ve got lots of people waiting for tackle,” Kevin says
“and I build them customised kits depending on what sort of fishing they want to get into. I’ve put together carp kits for example, where I’ll get two or three rods, a bedchair and a big landing net together.”
“I’ve also donated tackle to larger groups, including Scout groups and angling clubs.”
One club to have received kit from the initiative recently is Glamorgan AC.
Ian Lewis, head coach and disabled coordinator at the club says:
“Glamorgan isn’t the most affluent place in Wales, so the tackle donations from Kevin are really appreciated. He gave us four or five rods and a pole, which will go to the kids who need it the most. The club has quite a strong junior section, and donations from people like Kevin will help us to keep going. Considering that he’s doing it all off his own back, he’s doing an excellent job.
“I’m a licensed level two coach, so in return for his kind donation I’ve offered him some coaching sessions to help his cause.”
In addition to kitting people out with tackle, Kevin also teaches newcomers vital fishing skills.
“Unfortunately, I can’t always provide all the kit that people need, but it doesn’t cost me much to teach them a bit about fishing, so I try to pass on relevant advice wherever possible,” he says.
“The ultimate goal of the project is to encourage young people to get out there and go fishing, so I’m also applying for my Angling Trust Coaching Qualification. I had nobody to help me when I grew up fishing, but I want to give these young anglers as much encouragement as possible.”
Given the success of the scheme, Kevin now wants to hear from any Angling Times readers who may be able to donate unwanted kit.
“I don’t mind driving to collect the tackle,” he adds
“but it often comes in drips and drabs, so it can be hard to find the right pieces to put the complete kits together.
“I live in Wales, so it can also be a long drive to pick up tackle from somewhere like Kent. It therefore makes more sense for anglers in a particular area to drop their old kit off at their local tackle shop, and I’ll then pick it up in one trip.
“All they have to do is get in touch with me and the tackle shop before doing so.”
How you can get Involved
Do you have unwanted tackle sitting around that you’d like to donate to the Angling Initiative? If you do, go onto Facebook and search ‘The Angling Initiative’. Simply join the page and let Kevin know what you can offer.
Firms come together to get thousands of kids fishing
A main concern voiced amongst Angling Times readers is the number of young people deciding not to take up fishing.
While some state that this is ‘just a sign of the times’, others have suggested that not enough is being done to introduce kids to fishing and the cost of kit limits them from trying it themselves. This problem is being tackled thanks to a campaign among some of the country’s major tackle firms, fishing charities and retailers.
A successful recent example of this, was a promotion ran by Angling Direct in conjunction with Garbolino, Zebco, Fjuka Baits and Preston Innovations. Over the school holiday’s last year their promotion provided 8,248 free whips to children and teenagers under the age of 16.
Angling Direct’s Hassan Khan told Angling Times: “It’s every angler’s job to ensure the future of our sport.
“This sentiment is echoed by Angling Direct. A fundamental part of our business is to give back to the sport, create a legacy and secure the future.
“Schemes such as this help remove potential barriers to youngsters getting involved in fishing such as cost and being able to select appropriate tackle.
“This all adds to making the sport more accessible to all young people. We have a number of further schemes all aimed at increasing participation in the sport that we love coming in the near future”
Big perch brace for father and son
John Walker and his son Ewan were enjoying a day on the Grand Union at Harefield, London, when they simultaneously hooked two monster perch.
Weighing 4lb and 3lb 10oz, the fish are new personal bests for both John and 11-year-old Ewan.
John said:
“The fights were pretty tense! Both fish took line and they were hooked near some dense cabbages on light dropshot rods.
“We had the only net between us and had to play my fish out first. Ewan ended up landing his by hand!”
Mum holds the key to get more kids fishing - Keith Arthur
No one can argue that carp angling is the prime mover behind most of the tackle industry in this country yet it’s a pretty difficult area for women, especially those with families.
Hopefully having the ultimate target – World Champion is pretty serious on any level – to aim at will encourage more women to get involved.
It’s no secret that the Angling Trust’s participation features Family Fishing as its primary means of introducing new anglers. It is very aware that it’s all very well targeting schoolchildren but it has to be borne in mind that anyone still at primary school needs someone to take them to the bank and supply them with tackle. Therefore good old Mum is the answer.
Although there are notable exceptions, most clubs have no facilities or even suitable waters for juniors and there are plenty of fisheries that either don’t or won’t cater for them either. Mum holds the key. Now there is even more incentive for Mums to become active within the sport rather than passive observers.
