ANGLING bosses are luring Barrhead youngsters to join the CAST of their club as it's REEL good fun. Experts at Barrhead Angling Club want schoolkids to fall for the past time, hook, line and sinker as they organise an open days for teens to try out the rods for themselves.

The fishing enthusiasts have been angling for youngsters from Barrhead High, St Luke's High and Eastwood High to get in on the river bank action - as part of the Angling for Youth Development programme.

The aim is to help young people learn basic skills of the sport, as well as instruct them about the eco-system of the river and how to protect the environment for fish in the wild.

The project has involved youngsters helping to grow 5,000 trout from eggs to young fish capable of being released into the wild.

The fishing programme was started by police in East Renfrewshire in 2004 as a way of hooking unruly youngsters away from the temptation of crime, vandalism and teenage delinquency.

And it has been a boon to kids struggling with social and learning problems associated with poor attendance, classroom indiscipline and truantism.

By giving children a sense of adventure in learning the crafts of a master angler, organisers have helped many youngsters turn the corner and cut ties with crime.

The programme is now a national charity - backed by an SQA approved qualification who complete the studies - the Game Angling Award Course.

John Millen, 59, from Barrhead Angling Club helps to teach the course and heaps praise for the way it has aided East Renfrewshire youngsters who have joined.

He said: "We have been working with 18 youngsters over an 18-week period and they have all really enjoyed taking part and I think that it has proven to be a useful project for them. They have all caught fish and they have all done really well and it is a really exciting thing to be involved in to help introduce new faces to angling.

"It's a great opportunity to support the kids and to give them a bit of purpose. There has been a lot of support from all over East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire with qualified coaches coming from all over the area and hopefully we will be able to keep this going into the future." PC Mark Armstrong, campus policeman at Barrhead High School has been helping run the project.

He said: "We take one class a week with the behaviour support group and the idea is to give them something to look forward to when they are at school.

"They do all kinds of stuff - fly fishing techniques to water safety and how to manage different kinds of fish.

"We try to encourage them to take it on further and build a positive relationship with adults like us and the angling club. The people from the angling club are incredibly enthusiastic and they have been a big help." The open day for the fishing club will be held at Walton Dam between 10.30 and 4pm on tomorrow (Saturday).

It will be open to anyone between the ages of 8-15, though under 11s should be accompanied by an adult.

All equipment will be provided by the club.