For those of you who were around at 7am on Saturday 17th July 2010, you would have heard Dr Bruno Broughton, Angling Trades Association CEO, announce the start of National Fishing Month in an interview on BBC Radio Five Live, where he spoke about the initiative, how much fun fishing can be and why people love the sport.
Then the festivities began at the Go Fishing Show at Cudmore Fisheries, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire where coaches from the Professional Anglers Association (PAA) and Kevin Green, Editor of Improve Your Coarse Fishing, tutored and entertained the crowds over the next two days. Joe Farrell, mentored by PAA coach Jim Coffey, was one of lucky youngsters who caught one of the best fish of the day but there were many other smiling faces despite the unpredictable weather.
Similarly, a National Fishing Month event organised by Gipping Valley AC at their Middle Farm Lakes fishery in Suffolk and supported by ADB Regional Officer Jonathan Wilson, proved to be a fantastic experience for a 4-year-old young man called Lewis Hall who tried fishing for the first time.
David Hall, Lewis’ Dad said: “On a personal note, I can’t speak highly enough of James the coach and the time and patience he took with Lewis. I took one of the bankside shots of the pair of them with the first fish of the day and printed it out at ASDA on the way home, and it already resides on his bedside cabinet. If I tell you that all his Scooby Doo figures are now relegated to a spot on the bookcase to make way for the photo, you will know what he thought of the whole experience!”
The CLA Game Fair at Ragley Hall, Alcester, Worcestershire last weekend resulted in over 200 youngsters from all kinds of backgrounds taking part and having a go at fishing over the three days. Coached and organised by a team from CARP (Community Angling Regeneration Project), the PAA and the ADB, some good sized fish were caught out of the lake including a couple of double figure carp.
National Fishing Month Co Coordinator, Naidre Werner, said: ‘We couldn’t have hoped for a better way to start National Fishing Month. The feedback from the first two weekend’s events has already been really positive and reports of experiences like the ones Lewis and Joe have had are coming through every day. These are just a few great examples of what a dedicated focus on the sport of fishing can achieve. ’
Looking forward to other National Fishing Month dates – there’s a fabulous event being organised by young fishing enthusiast Lilly Wood. Lilly, aged 14, is organising her first fishing event for juniors and ladies on Sunday August 15th at Higham Trout Fishery in Northumberland.
Lilly said “I want to encourage more juniors and ladies into the sport, including people with disabilities and from different cultures. The event is open to everyone, irrespective of their age or level of ability; it’s about going fishing and having fun learning a new sport.”
The day has been thoughtfully designed to have something of interest for everyone attending. If you are in the area and would like to attend then visit http://highamfishing.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/junior-and-ladies-event/
There are hundreds of other events all over the country that people can still attend if they would like to try fishing. If you would like to take part and have a go at fishing, take a look at the events that are already listed on the National Fishing Month website www.nationalfishingmonth.com and enter your postcode. The events closest to you will then be listed and you can find out more details from there.
National Fishing Month began on the 17th July 2010 and concludes on the 15th August 2010.
Pictured below Joe Farrell with Jim Coffey and Lewis Hall
