We frequently read about the dwindling numbers of fly fishers and the need for the sport to engage young people to secure the next generation of fly fishers. In order to assess how committed the industry is to this engagement process I have undertaken a quick survey of 80 of the top stillwater venues in the UK (Trout Fisherman, 2016) to see what kinds of concessions they make for children. I was surprised by what I found:
Firstly, it was immediately apparent that some venues took a very complex approach to ticket pricing which made direct comparison between tickets difficult, for example adult and child tickets were for different durations, number of fish, etc compared to the other tickets. As such I have had to make some assumptions for some fisheries when trying to compile an integrated view of the industry.
A disappointing and whopping 22% of venues offered no child or junior option at all which is somewhat surprising but may to some extent reflect premium waters catering to their core clientele (which isn’t children). Commendably, almost half (46%) of fisheries will allow children, typically under 16 years of age (ranging from 12 to 18 years), to fish on an accompanying adults ticket sharing the bag limit between them. In addition, 14% of these fisheries also offered junior tickets, often providing a progression from a shared ticket at a younger age (e.g. below 12 to 14 years) through a junior ticket (below 16 to 18 years) for teens before moving onto an adult ticket at 16 to 18 years of age. I have used this shared adult/child ticket option before when fishing with one of my daughters and it is a really good option, especially as children’s attention span comes and goes during a long session. In most instances this option applies to one child (but this is generally not stated) but there are a small number that explicitly allow more than one child to fish on the adults ticket in the same way – check before you go. A further 4% suggested that some sort of concession would be available but did not state what this would be. This lack of clarity was widespread with almost a third of venues (29%) not clarifying what age range they considered to be within their child or junior ticket(s).
Discounted (14%), Beginners (1%) and Junior (9%) tickets were also available and typically £15 (ranging from £5 to £34) for 2 fish (ranging from £2.50 to £17 per fish). Other venues (4%) opted to apply a supplement to an adult ticket (i.e. an additional cost in addition to an adult ticket) with these ranging from 15% to 90% of the adult ticket. These on the whole seemed like less value for money. Only 1 offered hourly fishing rates and the option to then pay for what was caught by weight, which is an option ideally suited to kids fishing. Only 2 of the fisheries investigated offered youth fishing clubs and a further 2 offered kids fishing pools where any method could be tried with a view to kids catching fish and getting “hooked” on the sport with their first catch.
If like me you are looking to take your kids fishing with you then take some time to explore your local venues and support one that is going to cater for you, your kids and the next generation. While there are some very promising signs that emerge from this quick survey it certainly suggests that there is still some work to do if we are to engage young people and out compete their PlayStation, social media and YouTube preoccupations.
I am in the process of compiling a list of child friendly venues – so if you know of one or want to drop me a line with the details of how your fishery is catering for kids then please so, I would be keen to hear from you.
Cheers for now and Tight lines
Greg
