'There's a big juicy one," cries one of the boys. They are selecting maggots to bait their hooks. From the wriggling mass in the container, they choose two or three of the plumpest, then cast their lines like old hands.

For most of them, it's their first outing, but they're learning quickly. Less than five minutes later, the first fish bites. There's high excitement as the instructor talks the new young angler through the landing procedure.

When the cheering and whooping die down, the group gathers round to watch him expertly remove the hook and place the fish in a keep net at the side of the water, to be released at the end of the session.

Encouraged by the early success of their friend, the boys return to the maggot container, bait the hooks and try again. This time, the concentration is intense: a competition has been announced. The prize, a telescopic fishing rod, is for the young angler with the highest catch.

"A bit of competition always helps the concentration," says Adam Shannon, one of the supervisors. Before too long, another shout goes up, and the second catch is placed in the net.

The six boys, from the NICKOL - North Inner City Keeps On Learning - Project, are here as part of the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board's Dublin Angling Initiative. The initiative began in 1995 with the aim of giving children and young adults from Dublin the chance to take angling courses on rivers, canals and lakes in their areas.

"People have the idea that angling is a 'country' thing. You don't realise that there's so much good fishing within the Dublin area," says Des Chew, the initiative's project manager. "We use places that are accessible by train or bus so that the young people can go there in their own time."

The Grand Canal at Inchicore, Rathbeggan Lakes near Blanchardstown and the beach at Greystones, in Co Wicklow, are among the venues.

The location for today's group is the Royal Canal at Maynooth, in Co Kildare, near the train station. It's a delightful setting. Picture-book water lilies float on the surface and a family of ducks quack busily along. A short distance from the bank, a small island is home to an otter. The weather is ideal, mild and slightly overcast.

A volunteer with the initiative was here the night before to "ground feed" the canal. This involves throwing in a mix of breadcrumbs, hemp seed and maggots to get the fish "turned on" to the food. It was also raked to stir up the mud and generally ensure good fishing conditions.

The courses cover where and how to fish, setting up equipment and health-and-safety issues near water. Most important, says Chew, the courses give the participants an awareness of their environment. He sees the novice anglers as the watchdogs of the future. "Anglers are very aware of the environment and alert to pollution," he says. "They're out early in the morning and late in the evening, and are usually the first to notice and report anything wrong."

Is it cruel? Chew, an experienced angler, says not. They use barbless hooks and a "disgorger" to remove the hook, which causes no damage to the fish. And the young anglers are taught to return their catch to the water.

Youth groups from all over Dublin take part in the initiative. "Any group of young people can book a course," says Chew. The only criteria are that you're between eight and 18 and interested in enjoying yourself. "It's fun and inexpensive," he says. A telescopic rod costs £10, and other accessories, such as floats and bait, cost £1 or less.

The competition ends and the winner is announced. Ian Brady, the oldest of the group, at 16, has caught seven and takes the prize. "I love fishing," he says. "I'm going to come back down here on Saturday."

Everyone has caught something and they've all had fun. "It's great," says Jonathan Grimes (13). "Better than computers."