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Child with ASD wants to fish. Where to go?


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My son has ASD but wants to go fishing. I fished as a child but I don't remember to much of the technical stuff. Are their places you can go and fish near Canberra like trout farms or something? Should I join a fishing club? Need someone very patient to help us out please.

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Guest no one

I don't know much about ASD but I grew up with my sister having learning difficulties. The key to get her to enjoy her trips was to ensure she was never bored so we managed to make every moment an exciting one. While fishing with her we aimed for small fish which we could catch often, then when we stopped catching we started things like watching and counting the different types of birds.

My advice would be try to incorporate fishing into something else, how about a boat trip where fishing is just a side part of it? That way the boring waiting time gets turned into a nice day out on a river/lake having fun driving around while trolling a lure or two - meaning you have a chance to hook up but if you don't they still get a good experience.

One final thing - you'll get lots of advice on baits, rigs, what to buy what not to buy... KEEP IT SIMPLE! Fishing can cost a lot of money, but a rod and reel you buy for $30 can easily catch as many fish as a $200 outfit. Gauge his interest before you load up on the gear only to find he doesn't want to continue. I'm not sure if any of our members know the Canberra area well or if any have ASD children, however I know many fish with their kids, and many of them would be happy to give you the key things they do to ensure their children enjoy a day out on the water.

Good luck and I hope you find the help you need from Fishraider.

Ed

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Guest 4myson

Well said Ed , great points there . "If there having Fun your having FUN" .... By the way Mummywantstofish What age is your Son ? We had a great little kid last year in my son footy team & your right about being Patient . Sorry I can't help you with Canberra but if you ever plan a trip to Sydney send me a PM & I'll be more than glad to take you & your son out for a day .......

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My son is just about to turn eight. Ideally I'd like to go fishing with someone experienced but patient first so I can get a hang of it first then we can look at some cheap gear after that to see if it's feasible to go more often. We life 150m from a lake with nice fish in it (not carp!)

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Guessing freshwater? My son is 8 aswell and he enjoys fishing where I use a hardline with a springer and a bell on it he can fiddle around not needing to hold the line and gets excited at the jingle of the bell when he gets a bite. Don't want to be condescending but can you put a worm on the hook (my wife won't touch them) they are a good bait don't come off easy. Bonus of this is hand lines are cheap springer can be a green tree branch and the bells are only a couple of $. If you can use worms can dig them in the garden my son enjoyed that just as much as fishing haha.

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Guest no one

Carp are actually great fun to catch! Despite their reputation and hate, they are a hell of a lot of fun!

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Lures might be a bit much for the little guy to start. I'm not sure of his triggers or degree of ASD. As I said before hand lines with a simple dropper rig worms for bait you should be able to get bites and fish. Found the main thing is keeping them distracted until they get a bite.

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My son has ASD but wants to go fishing. I fished as a child but I don't remember to much of the technical stuff. Are their places you can go and fish near Canberra like trout farms or something? Should I join a fishing club? Need someone very patient to help us out please.

I have twins with ASD, now 11, and have taken them out a few times when they have had interest or asked to go. I try to encourage them but I dont push it if they dont want to go. This is all sydney based.

I find their attention span is about 45 minutes at the moment. Generally they want to go somewhere that they can do other things too, watch ferries, see trains or have a park nearby. For the actual fishing I keep it simple - light rigs with prawn or simple baits so they can just wait for the bite and reel it in. Small bream, trevally etc. They love chasing yakkas mostly because they can then "look after" them in the bucket.

I try teaching them casting etc but the coordination can be a bit much for them but if they want to try I help them out. Otherwise I do it for them and they do the reel in. Nothing more advanced than that unless they want to learn.

Patience is a problem - waiting for a bite, reacting as soon as they get a nibble etc, or just getting bored and not seeing their line get snagged. You have to think for them a lot but you are probably used to that.

I would suggest keep it simple - start with simple running sinker bait rigs and target small fish just to keep them amused. Work up as they gain interest.

One thing I have found is ASD kids really communicate with each other well, so if you want to try a meet up for a session let me know. I dont know much about canberra fishing but I would like the excuse to go to Jervis bay :)

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