Matthew Pierce
9 Oct 2022
A day to remember! 60 young people try fishing for the first time at Hampstead Heath.
Read the full report here.
HAHAS ran its first Give Angling a Go day on Sunday 09 October 2022, offering 40 minute introductory tuition sessions to angling novices, and the chance to talk about fishing to any interested passers-by.
The City of London Corporation, which manages Hampstead Heath, publicised the event on social media. This got a good response and thirty groups booked up in advance – all parents with children. We kept some spaces free for walk-ups on the day.
It was still and sunny as we set up our check-in desk and fishing stations on the deserted banks of the Model Boating Pond.
The early morning mist quickly dispersed as an onshore breeze developed. Soon our first customers arrived, and we were up and running.
Weather conditions over the previous week had been stable, so we were optimistic about the fishing prospects. On the other hand, bright sun can make things difficult, so it was a relief when fish started to come ashore. One of the first was a nice roach caught by a 4-year-old boy, who was accompanied by his mother Ida:
On each fishing station, a HAHAS member advised the beginners on basic fishing skills such as baiting the hook, casting the line, and landing a fish. Here, Chris is advising Naz to keep his rod tip down (if you raise it up, it drags the bait out of position):
Naz’s companion Lei soon had a go and immediately caught a small perch. Note the bucket of water which ensures you can always hold the fish with wet hands; dry hands can harm them by removing their protective slime. After taking any photos, we always return the fish to the lake alive.
At times the fish stopped biting and we were sometimes reduced to talking about what we had caught previously, using the inevitable hand gesture to indicate size:
Elizabeth was passing by with a friend and decided to have a go at fishing. She had never tried it before but had been pond dipping in the past (this is how many anglers start out). To her surprise, she caught a decent roach straight away.
It was noticeable that everyone very quickly grasped the need to concentrate. You never know when a fish might bite, so you must keep your eye on your float (the part of your tackle with an orange tip that disappears under the surface when a fish pulls).
It paid off for these two youngsters with another roach.
In the late afternoon, shadows crept across the water and the fish seemed to lose their appetite.
For those fishing now, it turned into an endurance challenge. One or two people stuck with it for almost the full 40 minutes without a bite, finally succeeding right at the end (a lesson in itself about the importance of not giving up). Along the way, there was still plenty to be learned about tackle and tactics.
Even those who caught nothing (or ‘blanked’, in angling-speak), still seemed to enjoy it.
The event attracted a lot of interest from Sunday afternoon strollers and unfortunately we had to turn some of them away. By the end, about 60 people had tried fishing and most of them had caught something. Here’s a selection of their comments about it:
“Thanks for Leo's lesson today. He's over the moon that he caught his first fish and I'm sure it's something he'll always remember.”
“Myself and the boys had a great time and they really enjoyed the angling.”
“Thank you again for a great angling experience. My boys were so excited all evening and even today about it all.”
“We had a lot of fun on Sunday - thanks again to everyone.”
“The experience was great fun, mainly because surprisingly, I caught a roach within the first minute and then a perch shortly after. I could scarcely believe that I’d succeeded!”
“Thanks for arranging the session, Cora particularly enjoyed it and wants to give it another go.”