As Team Crabtree we spend a lot of time chatting to different angling organisations, brands and tackle manufacturers, as well as anglers themselves, and for everyone in the industry it’s vital that the sport continues to be the number #1 participatory past-time that it’s always been. For this to be the case it’s paramount that newcomers are welcomed and given the opportunity to get involved. We all have a part to play in that and, from what we’ve seen, there’s already a lot of work being done by good people to this end.

Parents and family members also have a responsibility, and as a working mother of 3 I’m happy to put my hand up and admit that the digital babysitter is used far more than I’d like it to be. In our discussions about getting children involved in the sport we’re focussing on how to generate the interest and desire, but without families who are prepared to dedicate some time to encouraging and facilitating are we fighting a losing battle?

Here’s the perfect example. Even though I’ve been very lucky to have had a few opportunities to start to learn the craft whilst filming Fishing in the Footsteps of Mr. Crabtree, I’m still every inch the novice. Pictured here is my 11 year-old son Sam. He’s a non angler who knows far more about Skylanders than any human being should, but he’s also a real outdoors type and at the CLA Game Fair he got the chance to try both Coarse and Fly Fishing. As a result he’s keen to do more, but I’m certainly not qualified to take Sam out on the bank – we’d be a mess of tangles and tantrums within minutes.

If Sam were an original Crabtree kid he’d be strapping a fishing rod to the crossbar of his bike, shoving a battered copy of Mr. Crabtree Goes Fishing and his marmite sandwiches into his bag, and cycling to the nearest stretch of river or drain to fumble his way through. He’d spend hours / days / weeks / months, maybe even years catching little more than weed and tree branches, but over time he’d learn to recognise the elusive fish that he wasn’t catching, he’d begin to know how to read the water, he’d soon be able to distinguish between the song of a blackbird and a thrush, and he’d feel that one-ness with nature that only comes from spending some quality time immersed in its folds.

Is there any reason why modern would-be Crabtree kids can’t be doing the same thing? Taking a rod, a reel, a float, some shot, a hook and some bait, along with a net and a small landing mat (just in case), and simply having a go? Chatting to other anglers and learning from them as they go, maybe taking Rob Olsen’s illustrations in Fishing in the Footsteps of Mr. Crabtree and using them as a guide in much the same way as their grandads did back in the day? And most of all, learning the lesson that tenacity pays off, that not all things are spoon fed and instantly gratifying?

Are we maybe making it too difficult? Are you a parent with a child who is keen to have a go but doesn’t know where to start? What do you think about fishing as a sport? Have you ever fished? Would you consider going fishing as a family?