Gardening with Children

School Zone

Go fishing in August to celebrate National Fishing Month

Date Posted: 01 August 2012

 

Fishing with a rod and line

Fishing is a very popular hobby enjoyed by children, men and women of all ages. It is a fantastic way to get outdoors, explore your environment and learn about nature. If you are interested in fishing there are over 250 organised fishing events nationwide which are listed online at www.nationalfishingmonth.com. giving people the opportunity to have a go at fishing at venues near to them or even whilst they are on holiday. Some events offer coaching sessions and provide fishing equipment for you to borrow if you are new to fishing or you can take your own equipment and join in. The aim is to encourage young people to get involved in fishing. Everyone who takes part will receive a NFM Goody Bag containing a ‘Get into Fishing’ booklet, stickers, a voucher, and a certificate of participation as a memento of their days fishing.

 

Crab Fishing

If fishing with a rod is not your cup of tea, why not try crab fishing, I can highly recommend it, but it is quite addictive, this is something that we do when we go on holiday and it is not very expensive to get started.

What you will need
 
  • A Crab Line you should be able to buy these in the shops on the seafront or online, they are about £1-£2 each and consist of a length of line wrapped around a plastic frame with a weight on the end and either a hook or a mesh bag, I would recommend that you buy the ones with the bags as they are safer for children to use and also you can catch more crabs.
  • A Fishing Net - a standard children’s one is fine.
  • A Bucket - the bigger the better (be optimistic).
  • Some Bacon – this is your bait.
  • A Camera - to record your catch. 
Where and when to fish
 
We have found that we catch more crabs on an incoming tide and the best places to fish are from harbour walls or jetties as you can pull the lines straight up without knocking the crabs off. The water in harbours is often very deep so adult supervision is needed and care must be taken. When fishing keep away from boats as you could damage them and your lines may get tangled up in theirs.
 
 
How to catch crabs
 
  1. Put some of the bacon into the mesh bag attached to your line.
  2. Lower into the water until the line goes slack, the weight will take it to the bottom.
  3. Wait for a few minutes, lift the line and if it feels heavier slowly and steadily pull in.
  4. Get ready with your fishing net, it is easier is someone else does this, and as soon as they can put the net under the mesh bag, which should have crabs clinging to it, to catch any that fall off.
  5. Remove any crabs attached to the mesh bag whilst it is still in your fishing net and transfer them into your bucket containing sea water, sometimes crabs are a little reluctant to let go, take care as they can give you a nip with their claws.
 
 
Crab welfare
 
  • Don’t put too many crabs in your bucket as they can fight each other.
  • Don’t keep them in the bucket for too long and if possible place your bucket in the shade.
  • When you have finished count and carefully release your crabs into the sea.
 
Before putting your line away don’t forget to remove the bacon, throw it back into the sea for the crabs, and give the mesh bag a good wash when you get home or it will go a bit smelly. Some Crab Lines have two mesh bags this gives you a spare one as eventually the crabs will start to make holes in the bag with their claws.
 
Have fun.

 

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