Angler’s Mail – July 09, 2019

anglersmail.com 9 JULY | 43

MIKE SALISBURY

Thace angling coach is back here in the Mail for an exclusive series

evealing his on-the-bank lessons to help you improve your fi shing.

MIKE SALISBURY

The ace angling coach is back here in the

revealing his on-the-bank lessons to help you improve your fi shing.

A

S a former full-time
secondary school teacher,
I am only too aware of the fact
that the traditional curriculum
offered in schools these days
does not fi t the needs of every
student. In recent years, the
secondary school curriculum
has become far more academic,
geared towards passing written
exams, which is unfortunate
for students who struggle with
extended writing.
Since becoming an Angling
Coach in 2011, I have been
working with many students
who fall into this bracket,
and attempting to re-engage
them with the whole school
experience through the magic
of angling.
The main secondary
school I am working with at
present is Gable Hall School,
in Corringham, Essex. I was
contacted by the school, as they
had a number of students who
had a real passion for angling,
but were disengaged with the
traditional educational pathway.
I have run courses for schools
in the past, such as BTEC Fish
Husbandry, which have enabled
students to go on to study
Level 3 Fishery Management
at college, or fi nd employment
within the angling industry.
Gable Hall School was keen
for me to provide something
similar for a selection of its
students, so in January 2019
we embarked upon a weekly
angling programme.
I commenced the programme
with six students. In freezing
cold conditions, the fi shing
was anything but easy on the

handful of local day ticket

waters that we visited. In fact, it

took us until the third week to

actually catch some fi sh.

To be fair, the students were

really good about it, and didn’t

give up easily, which made the

capturing of fi sh on the third trip

all the more special.

As winter turned into spring,

the catch rate on the sessions

improved, and so did the skills

displayed by the students. For

some, angling skills were very

limited at the start, but now

we’re at a stage where they’re

becoming very competent.

We have worked on various

skills, such as the basics of fl oat

and feeder fi shing, right up to

accurate spodding with distance

sticks when fi shing for carp in

open water. It would be fair to

say that most of the sessions

we do now are geared towards

carp fi shing, and although that

may be frowned upon in certain

circles, that is where the interest

of young anglers tends to be.

I have written about this

before, and I believe that it’s

better to have young people

engaging in angling rather than

not at all. If that happens to be

carp fi shing, then so be it.

Due to social media channels

such as YouTube and Instagram,

carp fi shing is very much the

fashion for young people, and

they all aspire to catch big

carp. I would rather see young

people engaged with angling

than more anti-social pursuits

in their spare time, and if I can

be instrumental in helping them

to do that, then I will teach them

all that they want to know about

carp fi shing.

As for the future of the

angling programme at Gable

Hall School, I can only see it

becoming bigger and better.

Gary Walker, the vice principal at

the school, was instrumental in

setting up the programme. He

remarked: “Gable Hall has a very

rich curriculum, as it recognises

that, for some students, learning

in a classroom setting can

be challenging. The fi shing

programme has really engaged

the students, and is teaching

them not only how to improve

their catch rate, but how to be

part of a team, communicating

effectively with peers and

adults. The demand for places

on the programme is high, and

we are excited about what the

future holds for the students.”

From my own point of view,

I’m really enjoying working

with the school, and I hope

that others will be as

forward-thinking, by getting the

wonderful sport of angling on

their curriculum.

Angling education

Bradley Haywards, a keen member

of the Gable Hall School fi shing

programme, has learned some

valuable skills on the bank, and

is pictured with learning support

assistant Kayleigh Hatwell, who

was keen to show the fi ns of this

common carp.

I’m proud

to be

working

with the

students,

and I’m

pleased to

report that

they’ve

leaned lots

since the

start of the

course.