Many of our attendees have been asking us, what next after attending our Let’s Fish events.

The main question is generally what do we need? And where can we buy it from?

There are several retailers in the local area, but they don’t always carry the local stock for the beginner, especially when it comes to a starter whip or pole. But go in and ask the question!

For all anglers under the age of 16, fishing is free of charge on Taunton AA waters. However, you must be registered as a Junior member with the clubs and you must be in possession of an Environment Agency rod licence if you are over the age of 13 years old.

We recommend that you visit the Canal & River Trust website and look at the Beginner’s guide to canal fishing pages.

This site has some excellent instructional videos in the Learn to fish pages of the site.

On a more commercial front, Angling Direct, one of the country’s biggest on-line retailers, also provide some excellent Beginners Basics YouTube Videos.

We recommend the following items for fishing on the canal:

• Either a short take-apart pole fitted with light elastic or a telescopic pole (known as a whip).
• Ask for a “rig” suitable for canal fishing. This will include the line, a float and the line weights to “cock” the float for good bite indication. You may have to buy the hooks separately.
• A plummet to measure the depth of water and a disgorger to help unhook the fish.
• A landing net for the bigger fish
• A folding stool/chair/box to sit on
• Bait, such as bread, maggots, worms or sweetcorn.

For more information contact: tauntonangling@gmail.com