Learn To Fish

If you’re looking for cheap days out to entertain children & families, during the school summer holidays, in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands – why not let them learn to fish! On this page I’ve compiled links to organisations – such as the Angling Trust and Canal & River Trust – who host free-to-attend fishing events such as taster sessions, where children can have a go at fishing, under the guidance and supervision of qualified angling coaches & instructors. I believe strongly that learning to fish gives youngsters a great range of skills, with many, wide-ranging benefits. If you’re taught properly how to fish, those skills stay with you for life. If you’re a parent or grandparent of a child over the age of three (some kids try fishing younger, but it does take a little patience & attention span!), looking for a safe activity for your kids to try over the school holidays, this could be just what you’re looking for. It may be something they dabble in for the odd day to keep them occupied; it may even become an obsession which makes them a lifelong angler… Or somewhere in between! Whatever the outcome, the vast majority …

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On this page I’ve compiled a list of all the free-to-attend events I can find, where children can have a go at fishing, under the guidance and supervision of qualified angling coaches & instructors. Below is a list of fishing events – FREE to attend for children – during the school holidays this year. This list concentrates on events close to Derby, Chesterfield and Nottingham. Besides the curated list of events below, there are some excellent online resources to find fishing events, taster sessions, open days and free coaching events in the East Midlands, such as: IMPORTANT!  It is a legal requirement for all anglers aged over 12 to be in posession of a valid Rod Licence when fishing. Rod licences for 13 to 16 year olds are FREE – but you still need to register for one. These can be purchased instantly online here (only buy rod licences from the official Gov website to avoid extra fees), or by calling the Environment Agency’s Rod Licence service on 0344 800 5386. 2019 Summer Holidays Angling Events Listings – Free Fishing Taster Sessions & Learn-to-Fish Events in Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Date:Thursday 25th July 2019Event Name:Free Let’s Fish! – Nottingham – Learn …

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Lure fishing really is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours and if the predators are in the mood, it can be even more productive than bait fishing for them!  By frequently moving swims – and of course by fishing a moving bait – a lot of water can be covered in a relatively short space of time, meaning you’re sure to be pulling a lure past a fish before too long and if it’s hungry, it will generally have a go.  The range of freshwater species you can target with lures in is amazing; besides the usual suspects pike, perch and zander, you can also catch chub, trout, salmon (if you’re really lucky!) and if you get really adventurous, even carp, barbel and bream! Lure fishing in the UK has been a massive sport for a few years now and seems likely to continue to grow in popularity, but knowing where to begin can be bewildering.  As with any faction of angling, everyone has their own preferences toward methods, tackle and of course, lures; so with this article I’ll try to cover some basics of lure angling, so if you’ve never tried it you’ll get an idea of …

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With National Fishing Month (which has now replaced National Fishing Week) upon us in late July, it is a perfect time to plan introducing someone new to our sport. Whether it’s a friend, relative or partner; showing a non-angler just why you love fishing so much has loads of advantages, both personal and for the sport as a whole. For angling to remain as the largest participation sport in the UK, it is important that new blood is recruited on a regular basis. The fishery and tackle industries rely on income generated by anglers, as do angling clubs. So, more newcomers introduced to angling means a stronger UK angling economy, which is of benefit to us all. Plus, expanding the general public’s awareness and understanding of fishing can only be a good thing. As anglers, we positively contribute so much towards many conservation and environmental issues and I think this needs to be better publicised, to show that we do more than just sit around wasting time, watching an orange blob all day (well, not quite all day!). I have taken several non-anglers fishing over the years, including cousins, girlfriends and friends. Whilst some of them have since taken up …

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This is a short instructional video showing essential pike handling techniques to enable safe unhooking. The terminal tackle used in the video is a wire trace with a single, treble hook. The unhooking tool is a standard pair of long-nosed forceps.

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(Pike care article kindly provided by Colin Goodge of Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain.) It happens all too often when a parent buys a son or a daughter a cheap rod and reel with a couple of plugs or spinners, and sometimes a small landing net for the school holiday, just sometimes to give them something to do. The thinking is ‘Well I don’t suppose they’ll catch much, only a few tiddlers’, but this can be fatal, because Mr big fish can turn up at any time, and suddenly these youngsters can be thrown into a frenzied sense of excitement crossed with panic, and poor old Mr big fish lies thrown up the bank and will no more give any pleasure to boy, girl or anyone. I feel that sometimes a visit by an experienced angler to one of the local schools before the summer holidays could save a lot of fish lives and teach a lot of youngsters how to get more pleasure from their fishing. Fishing is a great pastime and helps us appreciate the wonderful gifts of nature, and lets face it, would probably keep a lot of youngsters from mischief. Please before you buy or …

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