In conversation with Justin Cavalier, Fishing for Schools Coach

Justin is a fantastic addition to the Fishing for Schools team and pivotal to our delivery in the north. We asked him about his background, his work as an angling coach and the fishing experiences that first sparked his passion for the sport.

What do you do now - apart from Fishing for Schools, of course and what should we also know about you?

At the moment I work most days of the week as an angling coach providing fishing tuition for both secondary and primary school students, councils, home educated and community groups, private lessons for children and adults outside of the school terms and even the elderly in nursing homes. I subcontract for several other organisations too and have built an excellent reputation for reliability in the industry.

As well as a coach I lease a small lodge on a farm in Bolton that I run and manage as a coarse fishery. I am also a qualified child support worker and soon to be qualified swimming instructor and coach assessor. I didn't have a strong work ethic at school but ever since leaving education, I have rarely been out of a job and the older I become, my desire to better myself has grown stronger. Starting my own company has really pushed me outside of my comfort zone but has been extremely rewarding.

When did you start fishing?

I started fishing with nets for stickleback and minnows at the age of five or six as well as catching butterflies and moths. My Dad eventually started taking me to the River Severn at the age of eight and taught me to float and feeder fish. 35 year later I can still close my eyes and picture those moments, the earthy smell of the water and the float dipping under. We mainly caught eels, gudgeon and bream but also witnessed a pike being caught by an angler in the next peg. The sight of those teeth will be a memory I have forever.

What inspired you to start fishing?

I didn't see a great deal of my Dad when I was younger. He worked long hours and the time we did get together fishing was extremely precious to me. It was an activity that I just clicked with straight away. If I knew we were fishing the next day I found it hard to contain my excitement and would struggle to get any sleep the night before. I still get that feeling now and again as an adult before a new fishing adventure.

What made you want to become a coach?

During the pandemic I noticed how the anglers fishing my lodge were using fishing and the community I had created to regulate their mental health. I had always used fishing throughout my life to help me through difficult times but had never put too much thought into the correlation between angling and therapy. I had taken out fishery insurance through the Angling Trust and noticed they offered courses to become a coach. I made some calls and managed to get a bursary to pass my level 1. After some volunteering I reached out to some organisations who offered renumeration and additional training. I was keen to gain as much experience as possible.

When did you become a coach?

I passed my level 1 and 2 within 3 months of each other in 2022. I not only wanted to gain experience as a coach but also as someone who led the sessions so that I could eventually run my own.

When did you join F4S and why?

I've always been keen to help other organisations with their coaching programmes. We are all doing this to help the future of the sport we love, and I have always enjoyed working and learning from others so that I can continue to grow as a coach.

What has given you the most pleasure working with F4S?

I love working with young people and helping them to improve their fishing and confidence. The feedback from teachers is always the most rewarding extremely satisfying when we hear that students have positively changed in terms of behaviour, improved concentration and an ability to replicate the calm and focused disposition they achieve on the banks of the lakes and rivers back in the classroom.

What is the most difficult part of F4S?

The only thing I can think of is the fact that I am not in full control of decisions when I work for F4S. I am so used to calling the shots when working for myself, however, I can completely relate to how important it is to maintain control and quality when you've worked so hard to build something from scratch and how hard it is to trust others to work to the same standards. I've always respected management in any job I’ve had and very much admire what Charles and the team at F4S have achieved.

What is your main aim for a F4S session?

I always want students to get a fish in the net, any fish, but at the end of the day, it is more about capturing their imagination. As long as students improve their knowledge and/or take away a new skill that would be my main goal.

How do you personally measure a successful session?

Feedback from teachers and students is extremely important and a great way of assessing the success of the sessions. The CAST awards are always a great guide to follow to make sure the basic skills are being picked up.

What is your funniest moment with F4S?

We try to have fun at the same time as learning and I have met children with a wide range of personalities. Some of them have an amazing grasp of humour. It's important to keep it light-hearted when mistakes happen (which they do when learning anything.)

Why do you believe in F4S?

Since I discovered F4S I love the way they are always striving to better angling education and challenging standards in the industry. Although there is some encouraging news for the future of the sport (with an increase in rod licences for young people for the first time since 2010) the development of coaching has been slow to react to an overall decrease in participation and compared to other sports we have a long way to catch up.

What is the future for F4S, do you think?

That very much depends on funding and whether they can get more schools to sign up to and pay for the continuation of their programme. Many of the schools who apply for the free sessions struggle with funding and although they may want to carry on, finances dictate otherwise.

Why should people who are both anglers and non-anglers get behind F4S?

Even if you are not an angler, the fact that it can improve well-being by reducing stress and anxiety should be enough to lend it support. It can help students having difficulty regulating emotions, struggling to engage or concentrate, those suffering from trauma or anxiety, prefer an alternative to contact sports, enjoy calm and peaceful environments and those interested in science.

Where do you see F4S in five years’ time?

If F4S continue to develop and push angling to the highest standards, I believe that we will see them become pioneers in improving uptake of the sport as part of mainstream education influencing and inspiring more young people to learn about the benefits of angling to humans, as well as the positive impact it can have on environment when practiced correctly.