112 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
Manyfisherieswillofferloanequipment
tobeginners.However,if you’relookingfor
a good, all-roundstarterkit,youwon’tgo
farwrongwiththefollowing:a 9ftrodwith
a ratingoffiveorsix;a basic‘does-the-job’
flyreelandanappropriateweight-forward
floating line. This will cover youngsters
formostfishingsituationsthey’re likelyto
encounteratfirst.Therearesomeexcellent
ready-to-fishkitsthatmakegettingstarted
eveneasier.Forexample,the Shakespeare
Sigmakitprovides a rod, reel and line for
around£75.
There’soften a misconception that fly-
fishing is anexpensive hobby. Itcertainly
canbe but gettingstarted needn’t involve
toomuchfinancialinvestment.Therisein
‘urban’fly-fishingis alsoa testamenttothis.
There’smoretofly-fishingthanexpensive
dayticketbeatsontheRiverTestorinvite-
only access to prime salmon beats. In recent
community. But there is still a significant
amountofworktobedone.Retailers,fish-
eriesandtacklecompaniesmustcontinueto
encouragethisnewbreedofrod,tohelpnur-
turethesubtlesenseof‘cool’,toprovidean
escapeandadventurethatsomanyyoung
peoplearecravingandtomakeaccessto
fishingeasierforthem.Witha newgenera-
tionofrodscomingthrough,theybringwith
thema freshoutlookand,inthefuture, fly-
fishingwillbeleftintheirhands.
Ultimatelyourfish,wildlifeandriversrely
ontheguardianshipofrods.Thebatonwill
eventuallybepassedtothenewgeneration
of fly-fishers, regardless ofwhat sexthey
are,whattheylooklikeorhowtheydress.
It’snowuptoustoteachthemaboutthepast
andembracetheirvisionforthefuture.
Jonathon Muir works for Farlows Group Ltd
Top:JamesPenwrightattheSportfishGameFishingCentreinBerkshire.Above:takinga quickcasting lesson
at last year’s Sportfish Show.Below: visitors engrossed in a demonstation at the Sportfish Show
It providesan
adventure and
escape that many
young crave
years,communitiesofrodshavebeenpop-
pingupina numberofurbanareasasthey
seekoutadventureoncanalsandriversthat
arefreetoaccessforthosewithanEnviron-
ment Agency rod licence. London’s River
Wandleis a greatexample,whereyou’llnow
find trendy,new-schoolfly-fishermen and
womendodgingtrafficcones,catchingfish
andthentravelling home on the tube, wad-
ersandall.
Theingredientsare thereandthe door
is open for youngsters to join the fly-fishing
