There’s nothing better than sharing your hobbies with your children and seeing them doing the things you enjoy doing; it’s also a great bonding experience. Fishing is something that different generations can do together; we all have such busy lives, so any time we can spend in the fresh air, away from a screen and with our families, is precious, particularly as we have 2,000 miles of canals and rivers at our disposal here in the UK.
Fishing has been proven to be great for our mental wellbeing too and children and teenagers often talk more while you’re busy doing something, rather than in a face-to-face setting.
We’re lucky enough to be situated just outside York, here at The Insurance Emporium, and there are plenty of places to fish in Yorkshire, so we thought we’d look at 5 places that are particularly good for your child’s first fishing trip, with some handy tips about bait, licences etc.
5 OF THE BEST PLACES TO TAKE KIDS FISHING IN YORKSHIRE
KILNSEY PARK
This is a great first fishing experience, all you need to do is turn up; they’ll even give you the tackle and the bait, complete with instructions, so it’s ideal to just try it out without having to buy extra equipment. The pond is safe and secure and well-stocked, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to catch a fish.
WHITBY SEA FISHING
This is a charter business that takes small groups out on sea-fishing trips throughout the summer. You can book a short tester trip for a couple of hours, which is ideal for children. There’s also plenty to do in Whitby both on and off the beach, with arcades, museums and the opportunity to eat your own body weight in fish and chips!
BRIDLINGTON NORTH BEACH
This safe fishing beach is just outside Bridlington, so you may have to walk a bit in the summer when there could be lots of people in the sea. But it’s definitely worth it as it’s a great beach to fish off and the fish come in really close. You can catch dabs, plaice, coalfish, eels, whiting, bass and flounder.
FILEY COBLE LANDING
This lovely shallow beach is a great place to fish, and kids can dig for their own bait (worms) when the tide is low. There are plenty of things to do if they get bored; with arcades and ice cream shops just up the beach, and a play area in the camp site on the cliff above. You can catch flounder here and you might even get a glimpse of a seal on Filey Brigg.
STAR CARR LAKES
There are three lakes here to choose from, with carp, tench, roach, rudd, bream and barbel. There are also two self-catering lodges available if you want to combine it with a holiday, and guests can fish for free, so with day tickets only available Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays anyone staying in the lodges can pretty much enjoy private fishing for the rest of the week.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING SOMEWHERE TO FISH WITH KIDS?
- Safety – if you’re fishing off a beach then a gentle, sloping shore is best, and while night fishing is an exciting adventure for little anglers, it’s best to start off in the daylight. Never leave them unattended on a beach or by a river and it might be worth getting flotation devices and remember to check tide times. Make sure you’re aware of the kinds of precautions to take when fishing with kids.
- Go where the fish are! While we, as adults, might be happy to sit for hours waiting for the perfect bite, children are more likely to want to go fishing again if they’ve caught something on their first go. It also needs to be accessible and not somewhere they have to walk for miles, carrying loads of equipment on their backs like little sherpas.
- Have a back-up plan. Children can get bored easily so choose somewhere with plenty of things to do – a nice sandy beach to build a sandcastle on, or a play area, or somewhere to build a den.
DO CHILDREN NEED A ROD LICENCE TO FISH?
Some fishing lakes have their own blanket licence, so you just have to give them your details and they’ll add you to that. But in general, children under 13 don’t need a licence while children between the ages of 13 and 16 need a junior licence, which is free.
GENERAL TIPS FOR FISHING WITH KIDS
- Use easy tackle and bait, you could always make your own bait.
- Keep the sessions short.
- Remember to take spare clothing, and the correct clothing for all weather conditions; from waterproofs to suncream.
- Remember snacks.
- Get them involved; from when you first start planning the trip.
- Check you have the right info on fishing seasons; it might also be worth checking out the government website telling you when and where you can fish.
- Be patient!
The Angling Trust’s ‘Get into Fishing’ campaign aims to get more people into fishing, more often, and it organises events for all ages and abilities. It’s a great way to get into fishing or even get back into it and it includes both freshwater and sea fishing. The best thing is most activities are either free, or very low cost.
Fishing can be a great thing to do as a family, and it gives kids a hobby for life. If this has inspired you to get out there then you might want to think about looking at fishing insurance. You can choose from three different types of policy, all of which offer different levels of cover for things such as Loss, Theft or Accidental Damage, Personal Accident, and Personal Belongings. You can also add Family Cover as an optional benefit. Take a look at the website or give us a call for a free-no-strings quote today.
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