First time EVER

[framey]

My grandson has autism 

When we go he’s ok for about an hour or 2 at the most then he starts to fidget so we stop and have a bite to eat and a walk around then he’s ok for another hour then it’s time to go home.

he wants me to take him Night fishing lol 

might just have to camp in the garden first before I lug all that gear around for an hour 

[barry211]

slightly different experience but similar subject and an experience i want to share here, i was having a cheeky day session on my local water and towards the end of the day a young lad possibly mid teens and his dad turn up. i was the only person on this small lake but they set up opposite me (30m) and the dad looks my way and waves sort of apologetically as his lad starts throwing a line in (float) and begins flinging it about like an excited toddler. i see what is going on and from the looks of things this is a lad that has suddenly taken to fishing with all the hyperfocus i have encountered with my friends kids and also from what i do for a living and is diving all over their side of the bank with such enthusiasm flicking his line here and there every time he sees a fish leap or show on the surface. the dad is a supportive spectator of all of this action and keeps looking my way to sort of say sorry and i tell you now this was one of the most beautiful and heart warming things i have seen in a long while.

 

the pure enjoyment radiating of this lad was wonderful and i thought if this works for him and his dad then fair play as it was a joy to watch, when i wrapped up they were still there and after several thumbs up to the dad i shouted good luck and really just wanted to stay and watch as this whole thing had me quietly cheering the lad on the whole time. i was desperate for him to land something but from what i could see this was something both had done before and the support and encouragement from the father was something i thought as wonderful.

i think fishing is something that all can enjoy and would and have never had any problems sitting and explaining what i am doing with inquisitive children and have accompanied chldren of friends with very very short attention spans and often have just reeled in and walked around the venues with them chatting away then back to the rods and a few more minutes of intense fishing before another short break.

hats off and respect to anyone that starts this hobby/passion/life as it brings its own rewards with memories and time away from pressures in life, i remember when i started taking my kids it was instant results that were wanted to hold thier interest so it was a whip pole and red maggots all the way just so they would catch something, now me and my daughter can sit peacefully for a while before the wandering and focus loss kicks in but then as she is older a quick walk around with a camera taking pics of wildlife works for her and we are then back fishing again.

sorry if off topic but this experience has stayed with me and wanted to share it and wish good luck to everyone that wants to share their passion with their children but worried about what others may or may not think, if you ever encounter me on a water in Suffolk never worry about your kids enjoying the hell out of a hobby i love and want others to feel the same way.

[newmarket]

On 03/09/2022 at 23:10, framey said:

My grandson has autism 

When we go he’s ok for about an hour or 2 at the most then he starts to fidget so we stop and have a bite to eat and a walk around then he’s ok for another hour then it’s time to go home.

he wants me to take him Night fishing lol 

might just have to camp in the garden first before I lug all that gear around for an hour 

I know that feeling lol

[newmarket]

8 hours ago, barry211 said:

slightly different experience but similar subject and an experience i want to share here, i was having a cheeky day session on my local water and towards the end of the day a young lad possibly mid teens and his dad turn up. i was the only person on this small lake but they set up opposite me (30m) and the dad looks my way and waves sort of apologetically as his lad starts throwing a line in (float) and begins flinging it about like an excited toddler. i see what is going on and from the looks of things this is a lad that has suddenly taken to fishing with all the hyperfocus i have encountered with my friends kids and also from what i do for a living and is diving all over their side of the bank with such enthusiasm flicking his line here and there every time he sees a fish leap or show on the surface. the dad is a supportive spectator of all of this action and keeps looking my way to sort of say sorry and i tell you now this was one of the most beautiful and heart warming things i have seen in a long while.

 

the pure enjoyment radiating of this lad was wonderful and i thought if this works for him and his dad then fair play as it was a joy to watch, when i wrapped up they were still there and after several thumbs up to the dad i shouted good luck and really just wanted to stay and watch as this whole thing had me quietly cheering the lad on the whole time. i was desperate for him to land something but from what i could see this was something both had done before and the support and encouragement from the father was something i thought as wonderful.

i think fishing is something that all can enjoy and would and have never had any problems sitting and explaining what i am doing with inquisitive children and have accompanied chldren of friends with very very short attention spans and often have just reeled in and walked around the venues with them chatting away then back to the rods and a few more minutes of intense fishing before another short break.

hats off and respect to anyone that starts this hobby/passion/life as it brings its own rewards with memories and time away from pressures in life, i remember when i started taking my kids it was instant results that were wanted to hold thier interest so it was a whip pole and red maggots all the way just so they would catch something, now me and my daughter can sit peacefully for a while before the wandering and focus loss kicks in but then as she is older a quick walk around with a camera taking pics of wildlife works for her and we are then back fishing again.

sorry if off topic but this experience has stayed with me and wanted to share it and wish good luck to everyone that wants to share their passion with their children but worried about what others may or may not think, if you ever encounter me on a water in Suffolk never worry about your kids enjoying the hell out of a hobby i love and want others to feel the same way.

Excellent post mate . I wish every Angler on the bank felt the same way as you (and I).

The wildlife indeed helps . Tj took this whilst he was fishing 👍🏻

[crusian]

On 07/09/2022 at 19:17, barry211 said:

slightly different experience but similar subject and an experience i want to share here, i was having a cheeky day session on my local water and towards the end of the day a young lad possibly mid teens and his dad turn up. i was the only person on this small lake but they set up opposite me (30m) and the dad looks my way and waves sort of apologetically as his lad starts throwing a line in (float) and begins flinging it about like an excited toddler. i see what is going on and from the looks of things this is a lad that has suddenly taken to fishing with all the hyperfocus i have encountered with my friends kids and also from what i do for a living and is diving all over their side of the bank with such enthusiasm flicking his line here and there every time he sees a fish leap or show on the surface. the dad is a supportive spectator of all of this action and keeps looking my way to sort of say sorry and i tell you now this was one of the most beautiful and heart warming things i have seen in a long while.

 

the pure enjoyment radiating of this lad was wonderful and i thought if this works for him and his dad then fair play as it was a joy to watch, when i wrapped up they were still there and after several thumbs up to the dad i shouted good luck and really just wanted to stay and watch as this whole thing had me quietly cheering the lad on the whole time. i was desperate for him to land something but from what i could see this was something both had done before and the support and encouragement from the father was something i thought as wonderful.

i think fishing is something that all can enjoy and would and have never had any problems sitting and explaining what i am doing with inquisitive children and have accompanied chldren of friends with very very short attention spans and often have just reeled in and walked around the venues with them chatting away then back to the rods and a few more minutes of intense fishing before another short break.

hats off and respect to anyone that starts this hobby/passion/life as it brings its own rewards with memories and time away from pressures in life, i remember when i started taking my kids it was instant results that were wanted to hold thier interest so it was a whip pole and red maggots all the way just so they would catch something, now me and my daughter can sit peacefully for a while before the wandering and focus loss kicks in but then as she is older a quick walk around with a camera taking pics of wildlife works for her and we are then back fishing again.

sorry if off topic but this experience has stayed with me and wanted to share it and wish good luck to everyone that wants to share their passion with their children but worried about what others may or may not think, if you ever encounter me on a water in Suffolk never worry about your kids enjoying the hell out of a hobby i love and want others to feel the same way.

Thank you for your beautiful post , Barry .

I find that as I get older I'm getting grumpier , and too quick to jump to the wrong conclusions 😔 .

I would like to think even I would have worked out what was happening , and now your timely post has given me a kick up the bum to put my brain in gear .

😃

[carpepecheur]

At the other end of the scale but along the same lines ---

 

I had just landed a fish when this very old chap who had been fishing not far from me came up to take a look and the conversation went something like this.

“That’s a nice fish” he said

“Thank you. Do you fish here often”? I asked

“once or twice per month”

“any luck?

“Oh I’ve never caught a fish – I just like fishing”

[newmarket]

My (proper) Carp fishing has taken a back seat so far this year , just the one weekend session so far , as my young ‘un seemed to be getting more and more into his fishing and I’ve been taking him to our local commie most weekends/bank holidays since the weather started warming up .

He seemed really happy with the bite a Chuck stuff on his whip , roach , Rudd the odd better stamp of Carp ( 3-4lb) to go with the tons of tiny ones .

He started asking about how to go about catching the slightly larger fish . 
Id invested in a whip myself for when I was accompanying him . 
He uses maggots but I’m always on the sweetcorn. Lot less bites but usually bigger fish .

So he wanted to try the Corn but when he didn’t get a bite within 5 minutes he was back on the maggots lol .

It didn’t help that once or twice I was using my pellet feeder set up which was prodaucing fish I actually had to use a net to land .

Anyway, after last weekend , my Mrs told him she would take him midweek ( school holidays) but he wanted to come home after about 3 hours and didn’t even want to go fishing at all this weekend which peed me off a little bit as I could’ve gone to my Syndicate and lost myself for a couple of days . 
I thought it may have been the venue so I offered to take him elsewhere but he wasn’t interested at all . 
 

He’s always been one to throw himself 100% into whatever he does (the Autism) . 
 

Im just wondering whether it’s time for a change within fishing and maybe a small rod & reel approach . 
Then again the less interest he has the more chance of getting out myself .

Such a quandary 😂

[newmarket]

oh and edit to say , avoid the pre-tied NGT pole rigs . 
I bought 2 job lots of em on Amazon (£20 for 10 rigs x 2) and every single one of them was overshotted so now I realise why they were dirt cheap. My lad was doing his nut …. And , trust me , when an Autistic does his nut he absolutely does it 🙄

[commonly]

3 hours ago, newmarket said:

Then again the less interest he has the more chance of getting out myself .

Such a quandary 😂

That's tough.

I always invite my boys, but they're just not interested. When they do, it's only for an hour and then they get bored??

I hope when they get a bit older they will come, but the alone time is also important. So, I wouldn't take them every time😉

 

 

[crusian]

6 hours ago, newmarket said:

My (proper) Carp fishing has taken a back seat so far this year , just the one weekend session so far , as my young ‘un seemed to be getting more and more into his fishing and I’ve been taking him to our local commie most weekends/bank holidays since the weather started warming up .

He seemed really happy with the bite a Chuck stuff on his whip , roach , Rudd the odd better stamp of Carp ( 3-4lb) to go with the tons of tiny ones .

He started asking about how to go about catching the slightly larger fish . 
Id invested in a whip myself for when I was accompanying him . 
He uses maggots but I’m always on the sweetcorn. Lot less bites but usually bigger fish .

So he wanted to try the Corn but when he didn’t get a bite within 5 minutes he was back on the maggots lol .

It didn’t help that once or twice I was using my pellet feeder set up which was prodaucing fish I actually had to use a net to land .

Anyway, after last weekend , my Mrs told him she would take him midweek ( school holidays) but he wanted to come home after about 3 hours and didn’t even want to go fishing at all this weekend which peed me off a little bit as I could’ve gone to my Syndicate and lost myself for a couple of days . 
I thought it may have been the venue so I offered to take him elsewhere but he wasn’t interested at all . 
 

He’s always been one to throw himself 100% into whatever he does (the Autism) . 
 

Im just wondering whether it’s time for a change within fishing and maybe a small rod & reel approach . 
Then again the less interest he has the more chance of getting out myself .

Such a quandary 😂

Hi Newmarket 

What about a pellet feeder set up for TJ , it worked for you ? .

Would that be the natural progression after the whip ? .

I would let TJ ask you when he's ready to go fishing again .

😃

[Carpbell3]

7 hours ago, newmarket said:

oh and edit to say , avoid the pre-tied NGT pole rigs . 
I bought 2 job lots of em on Amazon (£20 for 10 rigs x 2) and every single one of them was overshotted so now I realise why they were dirt cheap. My lad was doing his nut …. And , trust me , when an Autistic does his nut he absolutely does it 🙄

Soz but I had to chuckle at that last bit I'm kinda lucky unlucky I got diagnosed with whatever they called it back in the 70s, I still remember doing my nut that I was in the special section of junior school by the time I got to secondary they pretty much just let me go feral went through a few social workers used to come and go from home as well just wouldn't be told nothing my risky behaviour was off the scale.

The horrible side is if I'm not interested in something or someone nothing can change that really does cause problems for anyone close.

[newmarket]

12 hours ago, crusian said:

Hi Newmarket 

 

I would let TJ ask you when he's ready to go fishing again .

😃

Yeah I think that’ll be the plan Cruc .

I’ve got a little 6ft spinning rod that I used to use for stalking under willow trees etc . I’m going to get a little reel to go with it and continue down the float fishing route once he shows interest again . 
The tackle shop has a few Shimano reels in the £25-£30 range that’ll be ideal for him to learn on . I think swimfeeding is a step too far at this stage .

I’ll let him tangle the reel a few times first 🤣

 

[barry211]

this is a bit of an out there reply but is it about losing focus when not catching?

i know from experience that sometines the waiting and patience for "regular" fishing is what can turn kids off but with my daughter i found another way to keep her occupied and busy without catching constantly it may seem odd but worked when she was younger and has fizzled out abit now but did the job then.

red maggots and a whip always kept her catching on my day ticket but she wanted to start with a rod and line but didn't have the patience to wait for bites and became very disinterested, so i started getting her to still use the whip but put a second line out with a rod and reel using diferrent types of feeder. to begin with i got her using a basic maggot feeder and having to recast every 15 mins to keep her focus as she liked filling it and watching them wriggle out. i progressed to getting her to mix up 'potions' or concoctions of groundbait, glugs, sprays or whatever i had in the shed to start using a method or tri-feeder and recasting every 20 - 30 ins and having to either get her hands in and mould it (tri-feeder) or use the method moulds and get it shaped perfectly. i know from experience that sometimes kids wont get their hands dirty but if that is the case with your lad then get some latex gloves or stuff a handful in your pockect when you next fill up the car or bike. this became a challenge in its own right and led to a few tense moments but also some nice sized fish as although feeders are not seen as great if targetting just carp they work wonders for good sized bream and tench especially if using up all the random pellets and goo in your shed

the side whip would get bites but she became focussed on the method feeders and getting the line back in the right place, casts were flinging everywhere but it became a focus orientated thing if you know what i mean and practising casting technique would also keep her busy for a while. she now prefers coming with me on sessions as my cook which i appreciate more but for a while i was able to spend time with her fishing and got to chuck my own rods out with a few carp of my own, no record breakers but you choose the waters you fish with your kids duroing the day if you know what i mean.

keep going with your lad and try different things but feeders can be fun sometimes and good luck, my son (18 now) was never interested once he started school but my daughter (13) still joins me once in a while and remembers her early days and still makes up my groundbait and solid bags although the throwing stick is her latest interest and we seem to be baithing alot of other peoples swims..................