Twelve-year-old Will Nicolas has his hands full. He’s juggling three fishing poles, two little kids and a light mist turning into a steady rain. But he handles it like a pro. Will had the unique idea of sharing his passion for fishing by teaching other children how to fish.
In May, Will began conducting hour-long fishing clinics at a neighborhood pond in Austin where he teaches his young customers about the pond’s ecosystem, fishing etiquette and how to bait a hook, cast, catch and release.
This July, I had the pleasure of joining in on one of Will’s clinics, where he taught a sister and brother Fishing 101. Seven-year-old Emma and 5-year-old Lewis Rutherford were all smiles despite the pouring rain.
“The fish are already in the water,” Will explained. “So, you’re still probably going to get wet even if it’s a dry day when you’re fishing.”
Will started the lesson by teaching the kids how to bait a hook. The siblings took turns tearing apart slices of white bread, rolling the pieces into pea-sized balls and placing them at the ends of their fishing hooks.
Next, they spent a few minutes observing Will cast before trying it themselves. Emma and Lewis shared one fishing rod, so Will instructed each kid to do three casts then switch off. When the siblings started to bicker because they lost track of whose turn it was, Will stayed patient and smoothly resolved the situation. He kept his cool when they almost stumbled into the pond and maintained the flow with encouraging remarks like “Perfect” and “There you go!”
Once Emma and Lewis had everything under control, Will took a few minutes to himself and dropped his own line in the water. He passed on the bread bait and opened his tackle box that was filled with an impressive variety of hooks, lines and lures. After Will tied on a new hook and lure and casted out, he was getting bites right and left, expertly identifying each species of sunfish he caught.
Like any great teacher, Will gave all the glory to his students. When fish would bite, he would call the sibling over, taking turns on whom to hand the rod to. “Reel, reel, reel!,” Will would shout in excitement, cheering them on as the fish got closer to the surface.
Lewis and Emma were so engaged that the clinic ran well over an hour. Will — and their parents — deemed it a success.
“He realized it made him feel good when he was helping other kids learn how to fish,” Will’s mom, Nancy Nicolas, said.
She added that Will’s gift of teaching others has made him more outgoing, giving him confidence not only in his fishing skills, but in himself in general.
Will said that fishing is his outlet, a way to relax and do something he loves. He enjoys the quiet and calm of the outdoors, but he also enjoys sharing these things with others too, using his talents to give back to his community.
“Just give it your all; give it your best shot,” Will advises other anglers. “Even if you don’t catch anything still have a great time."
