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This week’s Angler’s Mail HQ blog is by assistant editor (production) Richard Holroyd.

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Tips on taking kids fishing in autumn

DURING autumn, with shorter daylight hours and colder weather, the numbers of fair-weather anglers on the banks drop dramatically from the peak period of summer.

Yet autumn can be one of the best times of the year to be fishing and with the October half-term school holidays fast approaching, it’s a great way to occupy some time with your kids.

Take them for a session properly prepared and you’ll find they’ll be just as enthusiastic as ever.

1 Although fish still inhabit the margins, they are much easier to spook, so they are not ideal areas for lively kids to target. If they’ve been used to fishing a whip, autumn is a good time to introduce them to a rod and reel, so they can target areas further out.

2 Fish short afternoon sessions. There’s no point in expecting kids to endure long fishing sessions in autumn. Afternoon sessions are best as the water temperature is usually at its highest at this time of day, often triggering fish to feed.

3 Go careful on feed to begin with to gauge how hungry the fish are. Feeding maggots, little and often, is a good ploy and will keep kids active with a catapult.

Maggots, especially reds, are brilliant at this time of year.

4 There’s no need to use big hook baits, a single maggot is all that is required to catch fish of all sizes in autumn. A pint of maggots for hook bait and feed is ample for an afternoon session.

5 Autumn can be quite a windy time of year and it’s best to fish the windward end of a lake, as fish prefer to face the flow of the water, rather than against it, and lots of food gets washed up at this end due to the undertow.

6 Small roach can provide kids with some cracking autumn action, but don’t be surprised if they hook into the occasional bigger fish, like carp and tench, as these species tend to feed well at this time of year to build up their reserves for the winter months.

Autumn is a great time for kids to catch roach. Here’s my son, Louis, admiring one when he first started out fishing

7 Make sure you set them up with much finer lines and smaller hooks as fish become more cagey and avoid heavy tackle.

8 Take a flask of hot chocolate and a snack to fuel their bodies in the colder weather.

9 On colder days of autumn, introduce them to lure fishing. It’s an active style of fishing so will keep them warmer than sitting behind static rods. You can also show them how to handle and unhook predators, so they go back safely.

10 Wrap them up warm. If they get too cold on autumnal days, they’ll soon get bored and be asking to go home before you’ve even had chance to set up.

AM LIKE OF THE WEEK

 Tidal rivers. They can provide some interesting sport with both coarse and sea fish, as highlighted in a recent match on the tidal Trent with the winner weighing in over 9 lb of flounder.

AM DISLIKE OF THE WEEK

 Car failure: having to scrap my car after failing an MOT due to excessive corrosion.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Roach fishing with Angler’s Mail’s Carl and Alex. As the youngsters showed in this video, roach are a great species to target now. Read the lads’ latest blog here on Friday, or click here to catch up with their other blogs.

THE AM HQ BLOG  WILL APPEAR AGAIN NEXT WEDNESDAY.

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