Rainbow Fish

Dad? Remember that email conversation we had yesterday about places to fly-fish? Well fer cryin' out loud, don't go to Britain - you're too old, too male and too white:

Research by the Environment Agency found that only seven per cent of anglers were under 18, five per cent were female and "very few" came from ethnic minorities.

It concluded: "We want to see angling available to all sectors of society, irrespective of gender, race, age and ability/disability."

In order to combat this,

The Environment Agency, which protects waterways, has decided to spread the message about coarse and fly fishing to ethnic minorities and women.

The agency's 10-year campaign will use money from the £19 million raised each year by the sale of fishing licences, and a leaflet has already been produced covering "10 things you should know about angling".

These include: "Angling does not discriminate against gender, race, age or athletic ability", and the "Government is interested in angling in the context of social inclusion in deprived urban areas".

No word yet on whether the EA will start training the trout to strike proffered flies only on a strict quota system based on the angler's identity.

Yips! to Rachel.