GIVE a man a fish and he is fed for a day, but teach a man to fish and he is fed for life. The old adage was the inspiration behind Warnadoone Ski Boat Club’s fishing development day on October 18, which set about to introduce youth to the love of fishing.

Warner Beach’s glistening spring sea served as the setting for the day as around 40 children gleefully equipped themselves with fishing rods and reels for a day of fun, fishing and learning.

James Santowski, development officer, explained that the development programme is sanctioned by the SA Deep Sea Angling Association and passed down to a grassroots level.

“These programmes are not only applied for the betterment of fishing but to teach teamwork and life skills, for example environmental impact, personal confidence etc all of which are overseen by the older generation so they too can find a place in the sport we all enjoy,” said Santowski.

Gizelle Stewart of the Warnadoone Ski Boat Club said she definitely underestimated the interest in the sport from children as she expected only around 30 children to turn up.

“The activities for the day included a basic fire drill, a talk on how to be safe on the beach, and how they can make the beach a safer place for all to enjoy, as well as how to care for our environment. They all then got a chance to jump onto an actual skiboat safely parked on the beach and learnt a little about safety on a boat and the importance of having those safety measures in place. Then the fun learning began. All the kids were shown how to tie a trace and bait up their hooks to go and catch fish. There were some catches and all the kids had a phenomenal time,” said Stewart.

She joked that the event surely “hooked” a few of the children to take up the sport and pursue a future in it. Each child got a rod to take home and a goodie bag. She thanked sponsors, Warner Beach Preparatory School, South Coast Advistory and Abed Khan for their contributions.

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