Sol catches his first carp and is hooked on fishing

Our Partnership Development Manager Dean Asplin helped fund fishing sessions for complete beginners from a local school… Dean writes:

Bishop Fox’s School, Taunton run Activity Days for 25 of their pupils each July. They contacted me to see if I could help organise a fishing activity for them, so I put the school in touch with Exeter and District Angling Association (EDAA) and their coach Roly Palmer soon arranged the fishing lessons. Teacher Terry Kilbride was made up with the angling experience offered to his pupils and told me:

“We had a really great time on our recent Fishing Activity Days at KiaOra Fishery. Roly and his team of coaches from EDAA did us proud and looked after us very well. We caught loads of small fish and had a lot of success on the carp lake too.

Roly and his team were excellent and I’d recommend them to other schools for similar events in the future. The coaches all had a great way with our students, were very encouraging and taught them really well.

Thanks very much for supporting us – this has certainly helped the families try an activity which they otherwise might not have been able to. I’d like to think we’ve created some lifelong anglers and all participants went online to get their free junior fishing licences.”

The picture is of Bishop Fox’s Year 8 student Sol, who was a complete novice at the start of the Fishing Activity Days. Sol was really happy catching lots of small fish on his first day but on the day two he specifically asked if he could try for something bigger… Roly duly obliged and Sol soon caught this lovely carp. He was of course over-the-moon. A great result! Hearing that all of the 25 pupils went online to get a free fishing licence is great news too as this will help them maintain their fishing habit in years to come, something that’s vital to boost angling numbers.

Dean Asplin, Partnership Development Manager (South) for the Angling Trust’s Get Fishing Campaign

Can’t find an event on Get Fishing Near You that fits in with your plans? Then contact my colleagues Danny and Dave, our Angling Development Officers…

Danny Williams
Angling Development Officer (North)
Angling Trust
[email protected]
07854 240 368
@DanWilliamsAT

Dave Evans
Angling Development Officer (South)
Angling Trust
[email protected]
07854 239 721
@DaveEvansAT

The “Get Fishing” campaign is run by the Angling Trust to increase the number of people being introduced to angling across the country. Anyone interested in going fishing can find angling events at Get fishing. The events listed are for all participants regardless of gender, age, fitness or previous angling experience.

Angling Participation and the Get Fishing campaign is supported by Environment Agency fishing licence income and helps to introduce thousands of people to fishing each year.

Thanks to Exeter and District Angling Association for the use of it’s Kia Ora Fishery – a newly constructed fishery complex set only a mile from Cullompton, Devon. This purpose-built fishing complex has all species of fish, and provides year-round, high quality fishing for experienced and novice anglers alike.