Dan O’Neill angling guide and casting instructor at South East Casting reports from the Nore…
Some great weather over the weekend saw hatches stay strong. With my youngest apprentice (Daniel, age 3) beginning to recognise the signs of me trying to sneak to the river for a cast it was time I took him with me so he could start where I did at that age. The inquisitive stage of his little life is well under way making it a great time to show Daniel what comes before the cast.
Grabbing a net that may have been slight over kill for the required job, we made our way to the river for our adventure. I plan on building a knowledge for this little man and also an appreciation for nature. It’s much easier at this stage to do such without a fishing rod nearby.
As we walked along the river bank the colours of nature could not but catch our eye. Stopping on the bank to take a look at exactly what’s happening mesmerises me each time I am lucky enough to be able to do it. Entering this realm at such a busy time of year for nature is spectacular. I have never known Daniel to be so quiet and he too at his young age could understand that this was something special. It wasn’t something that was viewed through a screen, this was real life and he was certainly stuck in the moment.
Suddenly our concentration was interrupted by an “in range” insect that to Daniel I’m sure looked prehistoric. Chasing down the fly and swooping at it carefully we had our first insect of interest. Looking at the fly and all its stunning features,Daniel very slowly and cautiously moved his hand towards the fly. The fly, as if it knew Daniel was no harm, slowly walked onto his hand and crept up his arm slowly before fluttering away towards the rushes. A very quick interaction but one that I’m very sure will stay in this little boy’s mind for some time to come and perhaps when the time comes will share with his own children this small but exciting insight into nature.
Heading further down the bank we found some water snails on the underneath of some vegetation. A beautiful mayfly came up from the waters surface and almost made its way towards us. Daniel immediately saw this fantastic insect and we followed until it eventually landed for us to take a closer look. Placing his hand out I carefully left the fly on Daniel’s hand where he examined it closely and carefully before the fly took flight on its journey.
A wonderful way to spend an evening and also to give this young angler something more to appreciate and an understanding of why Dad fishes.Not only do I get to see people hook their first trout, witness their first cast with a fly rod but I get to show them and give them an insight into what a wonderful sport we have that has many many hidden beauties. Daniel, I feel, has now begun his angling journey which he will continue to build as he moves along through life. I am very sure one day he will teach me many things about angling that I don’t know. I will never stop learning about fishing because there is no end when it comes to the knowledge of fishing.
Go Fishing…
Go fishing…
I am now taking bookings for fly fishing classes and guided trips on the River Nore. The classes are a great way to gather more information on your chosen discipline, tackle information and casting, no matter where you are on your fly fishing journey. One thing I did learn and it was most valuble to me was gather all the information you can. In fly fishing you can never know too much.
For a full list of classes contact me on the below details,
