Traditionally seen as a man's sport, angling has never attracted huge numbers of women but now the Government is keen to change all that.
Rural Affairs Reporter Sarah Probert visits one fishery to see how the tide may be turning...
"Women are better at fishing than men because their pheromones attract the fish," the instructor explained.
Just at that moment, a girl plucks a small roach out of the lake with her pole and a broad smile spreads across her face.
It may be a small catch, but a significant one as it is the first time she has even sat at the edge of a lake, never mind fished in one.
Andrew Walker, who leads the Birmingham-based Get Hooked on Fishing programme, in Bournville, is used to introducing the art of fishing to new and diverse groups.
He has coached young offenders, children with severe disabilities and inner city youngsters who haven't even stepped foot in the countryside let alone picked up a rod and reel.
But now he is taking on an even tougher task - encouraging women to take up the sport in which 98 per cent of participants are men.
"Some clubs just don't want women," Mr Walker said.
"We had one woman who lived in Bewdley.
"When she walked into her local club she was told the hairdressers was next door.
"Women are brilliant at fishing, they make better anglers than men on the whole because they have a lot of patience and they can often do more than one thing at once," he joked.
Mr Walker and his team, who primarily work with young people, were holding a ladies' angling day at Lavender Hall Lane Fisheries in Berkswell, near Coventry, in a bid to encourage more women to take up the sport.
It follows a recently launched Government initiative run by the Environment Agency, which found that although an increasing number of women wanted to take part, only a tiny minority were doing so.
"This is the first ladies' day we have done, we normally have a few girls with us anyway but they wanted a session just for them.
"We had a few ladies sign up but the weather has put some of them off," Mr Walker added.
Wendy Lythgoe, an England international and qualified coach, who was teaching some of the girls on how to use a pole to fish, took up the sport when she was three-years-old.
She is now competing in international events against men, with her biggest fish so far weighing a whopping 14.5lb.
"My dad got me into it, I love the competing. It is not about the physical capabilities - we can compete against men on an equal basis.
"Women don't perceive it as a sport, they think it is for crusty old men."
Julia Simpson, head of recreation and navigation at the Environment Agency, said it was important women took part.
She said: "We are responsible for the nation's fisheries and must increase the social and economic benefits they bring.
"We want to encourage more people from all back-grounds to enjoy water-related recreation, and fishing is a great way to get more people involved."
For Mr Walker, it is not just about recreation, but also about increasing awareness of the countryside.
"A good angler is also a conservationist and it is great to be able to care for the whole of nature, from birds to the environment," he said.
"If you damage one, a plant for example, it can have an affect on everything else.
"You also get to see a lot of wildlife, here you get everything from buzzards and terns to bluetits.
"We had one lad who watched some swans fly over and said 'look at that big white duck' - so it is much about learning about the environment as it is about fishing."
