'FishTok' trend creates fishing boom among young Victorians

'FishTok' trend creates fishing boom among young Victorians If they were not standing on Geelong's Cunningham Pier, Ivy Renouf, Zane Winterton and Xavier Clair say they would either be hanging out in the shopping centre, playing video games, or scrolling their phones. Instead, this trio of 16-year-olds are enjoying a day in the sun, as they try to catch some fish. "It's just a nice day," Ivy says. "I didn't want to be in bed at home, or in town because I do that all the time, so I just wanted to get outdoors with my mates." These Geelong teens are part of a new generation of Victorians getting hooked on fishing, sparking a surge of interest in the recreational activity. Zane remembers when he was the only kid he knew who was into fishing, regularly heading out on trips with his dad. Now, he has plenty of mates who want to come along. "When I was in primary school, before COVID, no-one fished," he says. "It was just me, like, in the whole school. "[Now] it's everywhere. People just fishing, putting it on their Instagram … they think they're pretty cool." All three of these teens say more young Victorians have been taking up fishing in the past few years, lured by both the challenge and the urge to get outside with friends. "It's a good way to get some good memories with your friends, to be honest," Xavier says. "Getting outside and maybe catching a fish or maybe not but, like, just hanging out with your friends and having a good time." The trio catch little more than a pufferfish from the pier, before heading to a new spot. At the foot of the pier they pass a group of six other young teens, who cheer each other along as they reel in a bream. 'It's been incredible' It is hard to put a number on the increasing popularity of fishing with younger Victorians. Victorians under 18 years old do not need a licence, and the handful of fishing clubs the ABC spoke to say they may have seen slightly more younger members signing up, but have few useful statistics to back up a boom. Instead, they say it is an increase most visible on Victorian waterways. Teens and young anglers throughout the state are often seen walking around clutching rods or setting up at popular fishing spots. Anthony McGrath, executive officer at VRFish, the state's peak body for recreational fishing, says the increase in younger Victorians fishing is irrefutable. "It's been incredible," Mr McGrath says. "There's definitely been a massive increase in kids fishing." "We see it here every day. The buses arrive back from schools, and the kids are walking past in school uniforms with fishing rods in hand or sticking out of their bags. "It's something that you see now wherever you go … it's great." On the other side of the bay, Jet Reef Worsteling has spent much of his 19 years fishing. He is the son of one of Australia's most famous anglers, Paul Worsteling, and is a big name on social media, counting 2.3 million followers on TikTok alone. "When I was in primary school and then going into high school, fishing was more of, like, was an older person's activity … it just wasn't cool like surfing or skating or any of that," Mr Worsteling says. "I could never have pictured it in a million years, but I think the last year and a half, two years, fishing is now one of the cool things for young people to go do when they've got free time." What's behind fishing's increasing popularity? Those in the fishing industry point to a handful of factors behind the activity's increasing popularity with young Victorians: social media, a post-COVID desire to get outdoors, and a program handing out free fishing rods to 180,000 Victorian kids. Mr Worsteling says there has been a clear increase in younger users getting active on "FishTok" and other platforms. "There's definitely a lot more kids posting videos, liking videos, reacting with videos, all that sort of stuff," he says. "I see it on my Instagram when I post a picture of a fish, or put something up, and you'll see the likes coming through, and you can just see it's young fellas, young fellas, young fellas — little grommets as we used to call them." Mr McGrath agrees the social media boom has coincided with a post-COVID urge for people to get back outside. "I think there's something in it with these kids, that they were the ones who were locked up when they should have been out playing," he says. "So now we see them getting out and really engaging in these environmental type activities." Mr McGrath says the final reason behind fishing's increasing popularity is slightly more controversial. Victoria's Little Anglers Kits program was announced prior to the 2022 state election and handed out free fishing rods, reels, tackle boxes and information kits to about 180,000 grade 5 students across the state over the past two years. But, the state government in August announced it would scrap the program, as it moves to reel in budget savings. "We know many Victorian kids have enjoyed this program. I love fishing and we encourage Victorians to get outdoors in a range of ways," Treasurer Colin Brooks said at the time. "Right now, we want to ensure that taxpayer dollars are wisely spent on the things that matter most." Mr McGrath says axing the program, funded via fishing licence fees, is "cutting into the core of that access for kids to fishing". "[The program] is us investing in our future, so we're really disappointed that the premier didn't speak to us before cutting the program, because we think it's got some long-reaching negative impacts that are yet to be seen," he says. The government declined to respond when asked whether the Little Anglers program was considered a success.