Local fishery trust holds angling taster days for kids

There's nothing better than seeing a group of inner-city or otherwise disadvantaged kids out in the fresh air of the country, rather than having their heads stuck in iPads and mobile phones.

Take that one step further and it’s even better to see them learning to fish.

And that’s what the Nith Catchment Fishery Trust was all about through its inaugural angling taster day yesterday (July 10).

The group of local youngsters were enthralled with the temptations on offer, including starting off their day learning all about fishing and how to cast. It was amazing to see how everyone soon became masters of their rod perfecting their roll and overhead casts with tuition from Glyn Freeman and Roger Smith from Borderlines whilst Clive Mitchelhill provided them with a lesson about their target species, the rainbow trout.

Pond dipping with Debbie from the Nith Catchment Fishery Trust turned up lots of interesting bugs and beasties from huge leaches to damsonfly nymphs and newts!

After lunch everyone got a chance to test their new found skills on the pond where everyone caught their tea.

Jim Henderson, from the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board, then showed them how to gut and prepare their fish ready to take home for dinner.

It was plainly obvious that game fishing is safe for the future with the skills exhibited by these young anglers of tomorrow.

The next taster day is planned for on July 24 and places can be booked now by emailing: [email protected].

The Fishery Trust is only able to provide these days free of charge due to the generous grants provided by The Holywood Trust and Nith District Salmon Fishery Board along with the support of fishing proprietors and fisheries up and down the River Nith.

Don’t forget you can vote for the Trust in Tesco during July and August.