FAILURE is the most compelling aspect of fishing.
Sounds quirky, but it's true.
If you hooked the fish you wanted to catch on every trip, boredom would set in.
Without failures, there would be no anticipation - like watching a game of cricket and knowing the result.
I enjoy the lack of guarantee of success - the unknown of each new fishing trip - but try explaining this to a youngster with a brand new rod and reel delivered express from the North Pole.
For parents, the most difficult part of fishing is the preparation, building up the expectations of the young novices, and then suffering their displeasure when a fish is not caught. There is no excuse: being the parent it is your responsibility to deliver!
Fishing need not be this way, and here's the best advice I can give to ensure little John or Betty hooks a fish, and so makes your holiday one to remember.
The way to catch fish is to attract them by using berley.
This system works whether you are fishing in 30 metres or one metre of water.
Berley can be used in freshwater lakes, where it is effective on trout, but water clarity can dilute the excitement of watching fish swimming into the trail.
Many bread-and-butter species can be attracted in bays and estuaries, including garfish, Australian salmon, King George whiting, yelloweye mullet, black bream, silver trevally and flathead.
Given the aim is to introduce young anglers, use the berley in shallow areas - from a small jetty or the bank of an estuary.
Making and distributing berley is as much fun as catching fish.
To begin, involve the prospective young angler in the manufacturing process.
A simple recipe is to mix canned pilchards (sold as cat food) or tuna oil with some bran or chook pellets.
In an emergency where time is short, you can buy pelletised cat food (fish flavoured of course), which is more expensive but works provided you crush the pellets.
Whenever pellets or bran are used, mix them with water and tuna oil and allow them to soak. The longer the better as this will ensure the berley sinks.
Less is more when it comes to dispersal. An effective berley trail will have the consistency of a mist in the water, enough to create a scent that will tease the taste buds of fish but not enough to give them a meal.
Methods of deployment vary and depend on the target species, if there is one.
For mid-water to surface species like salmon or garfish, two methods work.
The first is to hang a berley bag in the water at or just below the surface and give it a shake every now and again.
Alternatively, ladle the berley out of a bucket with a large spoon and toss it on to the water at regular intervals.
Should you seek bottom feeders such as King George whiting or flathead, the berley needs to be dispersed on the bottom.
Most tackle stores sell berley pots with a lid-trip mechanism so that when the pot hits the seabed the lid opens and the berley disperses. This style of pot works from pier and boat.
In all scenarios, current is essential to disperse berley.
When a trail is working and fish start to move in young anglers will spark up.
Some will want to take over the berley duties for a while before deciding that they want to hook fish as well.
Fish in a berley trail will relieve boredom and create excitement but until you catch a fish, you cannot claim success.
Berley has the potential to attract the fish but you still need to ensure you have fresh bait on the hook, and that it is dangling in the feeding zone you have created.
