How can I explain that size don't matter

[Twiddler]

My son Chewy and his mate decided to go fishing...the venue they choose was a local small stretch of the Avon, Lords walk. Reason for that is that none of them drives and lords walk is in walking distance.

Now one or two of you know lords walk (Greenheart) ......the stretch has small trout, grayling, eel and loads of minnows.

I was worried for the fish, as both guys are novices and don't really know how to handle delicate fish like grayling for example.

So I offered to take them fishing......first question was 'can you take us to a lake with big fish'. (carp mainly)


How can I explain that size don't matter and that it would be more fun do fish for different species (even small ones) without him/them loosing interest in fishing.

At the moment all they want to do is catch lots and big fish.

[tat]

It's the way they've been brought up by the fishing progs and mags.Ask them to name a bait for fishing and the first answer you get will be pellet or boilies.
If you can,get them to that swim and show them how to do it properly,with natural baits etc,then take them to a carp puddle and show them how easy it is to fish in 5ft of still water on an overstocked pool.

[fishypaul]

when i first started fishing,just to catch any fish was a bonus,me and my mates were perfectly happy catching a few roach,rudd,perch and gudgeon during the day,i remember one boy caught a small carp and he was treated like a god,carp were regarded as very nearly uncatchable and something we only ever dreamed about catching.
nowadays a few silver fish just wont do any more,
youngsters dont want to have an apprenticeship of tiddler bashing now,they want to catch 30's and 40's straight away and there are plenty of waters out there that cater for that demand.
the simple pleasure of just being there is not enough now,i wonder how many young anglers would enjoy fishing the upper medway like vagabond has been reporting from or the avon that twiddler went to this weekend,
sadly, magical venues like that are becoming all too rare

[Twiddler]

I fully agree with you Paul.....the youngsters don't appreciate the magic of an early morning, watching the early mist turning in to a beautiful sunrise......feeling the achievement of catching a free living wild fish...no matter what size and actually needing to work on their fishing i.e. gaining the knowledge of methods and baits, learning to read a water, studying fish behaviour etc.

As tat already said....ask what bait they know....first thing they say is boilies and pellets.


I want my son to experience the finer ways of fishing without him loosing the interest but how can you explain to a 25yr old that a 3lb chub, a 8oz roach, a 4lb tench, a few oz perch can be just as much fun and rewarding.

[fishypaul]

Originally Posted by Twiddler

I want my son to experience the finer ways of fishing without him loosing the interest but how can you explain to a 25yr old that a 3lb chub, a 8oz roach, a 4lb tench, a few oz perch can be just as much fun and rewarding.

perhaps a day after the grayling would do the trick,

[Twiddler]

Originally Posted by fishypaul

perhaps a day after the grayling would do the trick,

Sadly he wants to go carp fishing tomorrow but I'll take him down to the river one evening to introduce him to some finer species, hope that will open his eyes.

don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with carp fishing but I want him to experience the different options of fishing.

[tat]

I first started fishing on a stream about 3ft wide and about 2ft deep max,freelining? worm under overhanging bramble bushes,branches etc.if I caught a 10" brownie it was home pan then tea.OVER THE MOON.,Then it was rivers and finally at about 15 I fished my first pond and caught my first chub on freelined moth off the top.
The only regularly stocked ponds I fish are trout waters.Most times I take my kids to a little day ticket water called the North Sea about 15 miles away.
If they want silvers there are loadsa rivers and becks nearby and a little pond out the back of where I live.
I can catch pike perch roach rudd chub dace barbel bream trout sea trout salmon and loads more(no zeds that I know of)If I had the time from being a taxi,a bank,a worker and a D.I.Y'er.
All that without going to a carp pond,Good innit.

[Banana Steve]

One way to show someone that small fish like roach and skimmers can give a good show for themselves is lighten down the tackle, 2lb main line with 12oz bottoms this will teach them to play the fish and a nice soft tip rod. This is how i learnt to fish. ok 12oz bottom might be a bit low but 1lb 1/2 might be the answer.

[Peter-Pike]

When i caught my first big fish (a pike) it was really fun and im going to hopefuly do it again soon. while i was waiting i was using a whip to catch smaller fish which i found pretty fun, maybe you should try it. (I caught 3 species on the whip)

[Fishmonkey]

Well, speaking as an older novice, I would say it's important to find out how fish react when they get hooked and learn to play them to avoid injuring them and damaging your kit.

I had my first go at fishing on a canal with basic kit and maggots and was really suprised how much a small fish can bent a rod!

My first few times on a commercial were disasterous. I lost fish through broken hook lengths and wasn't really sure how to handle a carp that has no intention of leaving the comfort of the lake easily. Ignorance can be detrimental to the fish in my opinion and I totally agree with the comment about baits. I try different methods and baits but I'm still "experimenting" to find a technique that suits me.

My personal best is an 18 pound carp which took 20 minutes of wrestling to get out ..... took my time as I didn't want to lose it.

My final comment .... Maxine and I have had more fun getting things wrong and learning than trying to go straight into a commercial and land the biggest fish in the lake with no experience. I think it's better to catch alot of small fish than sit for hours in the hope of "the big one", after all, when pleasure fishing, a fish is a fish irrespective of size and weight!!