How to inspire kids fishing?
I had an interesting one-way ‘discussion’ with an inmate on the weekend. Full marks to him for taking the time to teach a kid to start fly fishing. It is a great investment in their future relationship and it was so important to him. He did try but I think he blew it, so I promised I would post a list of TRM’s recommendations for him to consider for next time. Hence this blog…
After persisting with all sorts of inducements during the school holidays, he was exasperated about how difficult it is to suck young kids into trout fishing. He suggested the future of fly fishing is doomed! He thought he had difficulty teaching his own kids but now with grandkids, he has found them impossible. In his opinion, the new generation of kids do not stand a chance of competing in the digital era. He claimed their extremely short attention span was the prime problem as they cannot concentrate for a minute. He blamed their natural immature addiction to smartphones games and social media has destroyed any chance of them focusing on watching an indicator or dry fly dip for more than a minute. Sounds familiar.
As TRM’s customers are always right, I had to bite my lip… but his excuse was a cop-out. Instead of blaming cell phone and play station technology, he should have applied mature ‘cunning’ and devised a more appealing system of teaching, to make fishing more fun, to load in heaps of praise with rewards to encourage the kid. He was a bit of a Tongariro addict and I think he tried to pass on too much of his knowledge and experience, instead of considering it from the kid’s viewpoint.
So this is SWMBO’s recipe. In a previous life, She was a teacher so has the advantage of understanding the need for infinite patience. I do not qualify – too old and too boring. When I have been appointed as a kid’s guide we spend all our time playing with Juno. The kids love it but learn very little. You can do better than that.
Over the years we have watched many father-&-son type combos going through the motions. Unfortunately, most fail due to many reasons but particularly due to the impatience of the tutor. I understand – I do not pretend to have the patience needed either. So an old-fashioned cunning plan is needed…
To kick off with, what we have done for many years is to give the kids their TRM hat. It’s called bribery and it works. That immediately raises their self-image. It is so important to look the part.
Then we recommend a trip to the Tongariro Trout Centre. This entire facility is superb as a learning environment. They can even see the target trout. A pond is far easier to learn to cast a fly than a flowing river. With other kids competing their attention span lasts longer. More importantly, they are guaranteed success and the trout can be smoked for them to enjoy.
Next TRM follow up with a special book composed for learners. See below – it is written in a humorous comic book style that the kids can understand. It is a classic! Even I can understand it. Tony Orman is a very accomplished writer/angler and Daryl Crimp is the artist. It is out of print but you might find one on “Trade-Me”.
If the budget allows the next step is a fishing guide. We prefer a boat trip on Lake Taupo as it adds more excitement and tourist views etc. Whiskery Mike (ph. 021 135 7838) has the mature skills to get the kids involved.
A barometer to judge the kids interest is to see whether they ask any questions, but don’t count on it. Usually, they need prompting. We have found one attraction that the kids always switch into is a movie. Not the typical backcountry fishos trip video – kids find them boring. They need a real sexy story plot to connect with.
We left the best til last... To encourage kids fishing, for the last 19 years, for the best recipe to get them started, TRM has relied on one very special out-of-date 1992 movie.
This film alone was responsible for tripling the fishing club membership throughout North America a long time ago. It also has that magic enduring quality to keep kid’s full attention. The Robert Redford film, the first to star Brad Pitt, was “A River Runs Through It”. While it is meant to be a story from the book about a father-&-son’s relationship struggle, it has proven to be the best trout fishing promotional film ever. TRM have the video version specially for father-&-son combos, or even more popular with Mothers-&-daughters. For any kids old enough to follow the story, it is a must-view. The original book by Norman Maclean may be too heavy-going for kids but the movie version has proven to be a winner. Good luck!
The film won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and was also nominated for Best Music, Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film grossed over $66 million in 1992.
Wishing you all a safe Easter weekend.