As the summer term rolls in, Fishing for Schools kicks into high gear. June paints a vivid picture of our team of coaches in action, conducting sessions across 16 schools and provisions.
Kent stands as a cornerstone of our presence. Step into the scene as Fishing for Schools coach, Les Jones, talks us through a session with students at Thamesview School in Gravesend, last month, supported by coaches Brian Potter and David Fisher.
The day at Grove Farm Fishery started with introductions in the classroom, followed by health and safety awareness. The day's agenda was laid out for the students, detailing the gear to be used, with particular emphasis on the equipment required for safely releasing fish, spanning from small roach and perch to hefty double-figure carp.
It was a very hot day and the staff made sure that pupils had adequate sun protection and plenty of drink to stay hydrated.
The whole group caught fish, using various techniques including fishing a whip to hand and also how to ship back and take apart larger poles. The use of elastic in the pole was explained to make sure that there were no fish lost, or tackle including poles broken.
This was David Fisher’s first Fishing for Schools coaching session. David demonstrated different fly-casting techniques and how to present a dog biscuit type lure on surface to fool the greedy carp, which were basking in the sunshine.
One student really took to the fly fishing; they started with David in the morning session, then asked if they could watch again in the afternoon. They very much enjoyed the discipline of getting the casting action right and is going to ask their parents for a flying fishing start up kit for Christmas.
By the end of the session, all students were confidently putting maggots on hooks, handling fish and using a disgorger.
As the session finished, we headed for the classroom, where we had a quick recap of subjects that had been covered over the two sessions, including:
Assembling rod or pole
Countryside code
Identifying potential areas to fish.
This all contributes to the students receiving the Angling Trust Cast Starter and Cast Level One certificates. We had a short presentation ceremony, ending a most enjoyable day.
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