Like Grandpa, Like Grandson

Knowing when to introduce children to the joys of fishing is a conundrum, but youth often means confidence–and success

- David Profumo

THE ideal age at which to introduce a child to the arts of angling is a perennial problem and rather depends upon individual temperament. We must not make it seem a chore and the venue must be entertaining enough that ennui does not set in. At four, I first dawdled a half-hour by a Highland burn (without success), but a chap I met who caught his first salmon at six seems to have been pushing it a bit.

When our own children were small, the best bet was during an annual Hebridean trip to The Doctor’s hideaway on Harris, where there’s always plenty of rough fishing to be had. In 43 years, I’ve never not caught something there—either mackerel safaris or odd hours on the House Loch have always delivered the glittering goodies. This summer, we took grandson Finlay (three), so I packed a little float rod, together with the shrimping nets, in case he showed some interest in his grandpa’s lifelong passion.

Our first day dawned bright and calm as the Riviera. Over 7am porridge, Finlay announced: ‘I want to go fishing, fishing, fishing!’ My spirits surged, until it was clear he meant dredging through the rockpools with his ‘lobster net’ (we had two butterfly nets, one pink, one yellow); still, it was a promising start.