5 good reasons to teach your children to fish

Perhaps we are not objective... However, many fishermen, enthusiasts or amateurs, will certainly be able to join our thinking. Fishing, in many ways, has had a considerable impact on ourselves, on our personality, our vision of the world, our relationship to others and to nature. While it is easy for us to talk about it in retrospect, it is however difficult to argue the positive effects to a young child learning to fish.

For those who don't necessarily take the measure, we wanted to share with you 5 compelling reasons why teaching your children to fish can be a good thing for them and their future.

1. Fishing happens first outside, not in front of a screen

Let's face it, unless your kids are Mormons (in which case they'll probably never read these lines), sooner or later you'll be giving them a smartphone, tablet, or Play in their hands. But don't be fooled! In Rodmaps, we ourselves are of this generation and therefore cannot say that technology, smartphones and other video games are a bad thing, far from it. It is only when they are misused or overused to the point of becoming an addiction that they become a real problem.

Unfortunately, too many children find themselves in this situation…. So why not make fishing a way to simply get them out of this digital world and confront them with reality, the outside world, nature? What could be better than “disconnecting” from technology to “reconnect” with nature by going to learn how to fish at the edge of the sea, a lake or a river. The feeling of holding a fish at the end of your line is something that no technology can match (at least not to date). In any case, for many of us, there is nothing more enjoyable, healthier and above all, more true.

2. Learning to fish is also and above all learning to love nature

At Rodmaps, we believe that one of the greatest threats to fishing and the protection of our environment in a global sense comes from the lack of education and awareness of current and future generations. We may bludgeon this over and over again in the press and on television, but nothing is more formative for a young person than to confront him with the reality on the ground. This is among other things what prompted us to launch our project.

Whether with family or with a fishing guide, it all starts when we begin to confront them with nature, with its beauty, its richness but also its fragility. Unfortunately, far too many children do not receive enough of this “nature education” in their lives… wrongly in our opinion.

So take your children out, put a cane in their hands and watch them blossom into the future young adults that they are. Love of nature will only be the next natural step in their learning.

3. Learn to fish to learn to be patient

We now live in a world where everyone can get almost anything they want, when they want it. This culture of immediacy goes in many ways against one of the essential principles of fishing: patience.

Teaching a child to fish is teaching him unconsciously this beautiful maxim of Rabelais and which we all know: "Good things come to those who wait for." In today's world, we are convinced that this adage could not be more appropriate and will be an asset in the face of all those young people who have never known what the term patience means.

Put a fishing rod in your child's hands and watch how their behavior magically changes.

4. Fishing as a social and family vector

Don't just go fishing with your kids, enjoy it with the whole family. Fishing is wonderful in that it is one of the only pastimes where practically everyone can learn about it, regardless of their age. It is a great way to escape and discover our cultural, natural and fishing heritage. Fishing is not a simple individual pleasure but is indeed a passion, a hobby, a sport that must be shared.

And nothing binds a family more than an activity, a story, a common event. Unfortunately, we don't have much opportunity today. Take advantage of a day of fishing to make it a great time with your family.

If one of your children doesn't like fishing, no problem! It happens even to the best. There are so many other things to do around this activity: collect tadpoles, watch wildlife, help catch a fish, collect shells on the beach, or just breathe some fresh air. Simple things that we cannot do without today.

5. Create memories that matter

As your children get older, they may not remember the video games they played when they were young. However, how many memories do you have of your youth fishing with your grandfather, your mother, your family or your friends? We, personally, thousands! The first fish, the first trout, the first fishing trip, the first rod, a moment lost in the middle of nature, so many memories that will remain forever engraved in our memories. So why not make your children experience the same? It might just be the best memory you can give them: an unforgettable moment between parent and child that no one can steal from you. What could be more precious!

These numerous excursions with family or friends have shaped our relationship with water and taught us (well for many) respect for what is there, the ardent desire to be outside, in the air free, free from all the hassle of everyday life. Again, maybe we are not being objective in what we say. But here are the few reasons we think teaching a child how to fish is a good thing. And then, whether he likes it or not, at least it won't hurt him.