Father and son strengthen bond through angling adventures
The Floor’s enjoy lying together in their tent or under the gazebo, waiting for the fishing alarms to go-off, or sitting next to the campfire making jokes and discussing big fish they caught.
Henry Floor and his son, Rikus, found a creative way to spend father and son time – angling.
“My fishing journey started a long time ago when I was still in school. We were catching platannas (frogs) and crabs and then selling them to the local fisherman in the small town of Heilbron, in the Free State province. The fisherman then asked me, my brother and a couple of my friends if we wouldn’t like to join their fishing club as juniors,” said Henry.
They all joined to learn more about fishing.
“We knew nothing about fishing and most of the things we learned about fishing, we learned from all the senior members of the club. They collected us on Saturday mornings from home and would drop us off on Saturday afternoons after the competitions. All these great fishing memories were given to me, and I also wanted to give these memories to my kids and other juniors,” added Henry.
Henry and Rikus joined the Visarend Angling Club in Alberton, in January 2022. At the time, Rikus was just 12 years old – an acceptable age for one to start fishing on their own.
But Rikus couldn’t cast properly, so his father started teaching and guiding him.
“Forcing him to cast his rod, giving him some tips and practising his casting assisted him from casting distances less than 40m, when we joined the club, to currently where he consistently casts more than 80m with both his rods.
“He even asked me the other day if we can go and practice again, but this time I should blindfold him because he wants to practice casting better at night,” said Henry.
“The monthly competitions of the club allow us to get out of the city and away from work, school, and screens and give us some quality time together as father and son in beautiful nature,” said Henry.
Henry and Rikus spend quality time together either fishing, watching the beautiful sunrise and sunset, or storms building over the horizon. Sometimes these two just visit what they call their “fishing family next to the water”.
