EVENTS
TASTER SESSIONS
Dip your toe into the world of angling
Fees per session: FREE!
For new anglers to the sport, a short one-to-one Taster Session can be booked to introduce you to the best sport in the world.
Just contact the Head or Lead coach to arrange a time, date, and venue to suit you.
Taster Sessions are completely FREE and will last approximately 90-minutes.
CASTING LESSONS
Learning to cast with a rod and reel in a safe and responsible manner.
Fees per session: £5.00
JJAC has permission from the County Council to use selected fields and communal areas so we can safely practice the art of casting. Fishing with a rod and reel can be a frustrating skill to learn at first. Knowing when to release the line from your finger is more of a feeling and is very difficult to coach. But using patience and good coaching, juniors are encouraged to practice their newly taught skills as often as possible. Once the rhythm of the cast has been found, then a whole world of fishing is opened to you. Safe and competent casting not only helps you to catch more fish, but it also means that less tackle is left in trees and bushes because of mis-casting. This in turn will help to protect wildlife both above and below the water. Mishaps will happen from time to time, but we can reduce this as much as possible with good training. With safety in mind for the coaches as much as the juniors, we use converted tennis balls to cast with feeder rods on roped off areas of playing fields in Dorchester. These sessions are hosted only as and when they are needed. But, if you feel that you need to practice your casting skills at any of the waterside coaching sessions, just ask one of the coaching team to run you through the 8-steps of casting and they will be happy to do so. Tackle can be borrowed for these events, but you will need a chair or seat box to sit on. Casting lessons are typically around 90-minutes in length.
COACHING SESSONS
Designed to teach and nurture angling skills to juniors at a pace that suits them.
Fee per session: £5.00 plus any peg fees.
Junior anglers fishing with JJAC are given the time to grow their fishing skills at their own pace. Once the basics are learned, we can then move on to more technical areas of angling skills. The first and probably the most important of all angling skills (apart health and safety) is fish welfare. Environmental and fish welfare is right the top of the list for any new juniors joining JJAC because taking care of the environment and the animals that live within it needs to be the foundation of any angling activity. Should the juniors wish to participate in our friendly match events, and it is strongly recommended that they do, then skills will need to be proven before new juniors are allowed to compete properly. The speed of this process will depend on previous experience. Coaching sessions are accompanied by short tutorials hosted by the coaching team, and sometimes by special guests when possible. Coaching or practice sessions are designed to encourage juniors to practice methods and techniques that they might feel they need help with. From time to time juniors maybe given light challenges to try to accomplish outside of the JJAC events like tying loops or hooks, making rigs and casting. Whatever the skills our juniors begin with, our aim is to coach our way out of a job. If they do not need us anymore, we have succeeded. Bait will not be provided for coaching sessions.
MATCHES
Fun and friendly matches to add a competitive edge to fishing.
Fees per match: £5.00 plus any peg fees.
Much of the coaching in the JJAC sessions is based on a ‘Match Style’ of fishing, although we do try to embrace all kinds of freshwater fishing methods into our coaching. Our competitive events are designed to be fun and friendly, with trophies to be won* as well as vouchers to spend in local tackle shops. Points can be won to accumulate towards championship trophies at the end of the year (May). 25 points for 1st place, 20 pts for 2nd, 17 pts for 3rd, 15pts for 4th and so on down to 1 point for 20th place. Other match events include Junior pairs matches, a Senior/Junior pairs match, a knockout series, as well as special matches with restricted methods like silverfish only and our two methods match. The most fun event is the Rotational match where juniors are partnered by a non-angling teammate, and they swap places every 30-minutes throughout the 5-hour event. The peg draw for all JJAC matches is at 9am on the day of the event and the match is over a duration of 5-hours for the start time. (Extra time to set up is given when needed). Every care is taken to ensure that the fish caught are cared for in the best way possible and net limits are imposed when needed to ensure this. Fish are returned to the water as quickly as possible once weighed and photographed. Nets can be provided/borrowed on the day until junior purchase their own. Bait will not be provided for matches, but advice will be given in the WhatsApp group prior to the event.
OPEN DAYS
JJAC run Open Days to help local clubs to attract new junior members.
The Open Days are advertised via the Angling Trust.
JJAC Open Days are hosted at local venues in conjunction with local clubs and with the support of the sport governing body, the Angling Trust. The idea is that Open Day events are hosted by the coaching team at JJAC with volunteers from the supporting clubs at venues which would not ordinarily be open to the public, or at a day ticket water close to the area in which the club operates. Naturally JJAC would hope to pick up new members too, but the mission would be to help new members find clubs local to them. To start with, the Open Days will be one day events. But the hope is to eventually make better use of the Angling Trusts ‘Get Fishing’ campaign to offer participants a chance to earn certificates and awards. If you are an officer of a club and want to find out more about our Open Day events, then please contact Graham Howard (Head Coach) on 07368213313 or Jerry Bracey on 07725 669124. Other methods of contact are available on the Contacts page of this site.
SCHOOL DAYS
School activity days can be arranged to give students a taste of fishing.
School fishing days can be arranged at local venues to give students an extended Taster Session. Usually for a couple of hours after school, our team of coaches will help students catch fish and teach them how handle, not only the equipment, but the fish too. Students are encouraged to really get into the sport and for many the School Day will be their first experience of fishing. Nothing beats the feeling of helping someone catch their first fish. It is something that encourages our coaches as well as the participants. Fishing has been proven to help and improve mental health. In a society where interests are becoming more introverted, fishing can help young people gain an appreciation of the outdoors and respect for the creatures that live within it. Angling is more than a sport or hobby. It is a social event with many friendships made, some for life. With JJAC, juniors will get to visit places they otherwise would never know existed, and see animals that are invisible to everyday life. In the future we hope to be able to visit local schools to talk to students about the benefits of fishing on individuals and the environment. All are welcome, no experience is necessary, all equipment will be supplied, and it’s completely free. Open to social groups and schools. The maximum number of students is around 15 or 16. (Be aware that there may be the need to share equipment for large groups) Minimum age of participants is 5 years. Photographic permission will be asked for promotional use only. JJAC will need to be aware of any medical issues in advance. A Risk Assessment will be send prior to the event date. If you would like more information about JJAC School Days, please contact Graham Howard (Head Coach) on 07368213313 or Jerry Bracey (Lead Coach) on 07725669124. Other methods of contact are on the Contacts page of this site.
