2024
Todd was the first son of a fishing fanatic, and his skills soon became evident. Like many of us, Todd developed a serious addiction to all things fishing, and by his late teens, he had secured ANSA, state, and national records for both freshwater species and Land-based saltwater fish.
Todd worked in retail and management roles at many tackle stores, including Otto’s Tackle World Drummoyne, Compleat Angler Villawood and Anaconda Stores.
All of this later became secondary to his absolute passion—the passion for teaching, instructing, and helping others in the realm of fishing.
So, in the year 2000, after some five years of competitive casting competition and a blossoming romance, Todd and Melanie saw eye to eye and began a company called “Young Guns Fishing Adventures.” This was a way to not just earn an income from the so-called “fishing Industry” but actually follow a passion in life.
“Young Guns”, as it became widely known, developed and accommodated a vast array of fishing programs. From 1 to 1 fishing tuition to hosting school programmes with over 100 students per day. Melanie’s development of the “10 step Casting Programme” as well as countless other exercises and activities led to Todd very likely instructing and teaching more people (adults and children) than any other individual in this country. Especially considering it was done completely live, in person and face to face. This was well before YouTube and the now popular social media avenues of tuition. Todd’s last face-to-face fishing lesson was just 8 weeks prior to his passing. A family that had won a voucher for the lesson at “The Family Fish In”.
This brings me to the part regarding Todd’s non-paid, non-profit charity work.
The Family Fish In is a programme run by Blacktown Council here in Sydney. Each year, at the beginning of August, Mount Druitt’s public swimming pool is filled with over 600 farmed trout. Deliberately staged in one of Sydney’s most disadvantaged areas, families are invited to sign up for a session to fish for these fish in an easily accessible location. 2 x Friday evenings and 2 x Saturday evenings, 3 sessions per evening. For over 20 years, Todd and Young Guns have sponsored this event, worked with the council, and provided a unique and wonderful experience for this community. Supplying “power bait”, hooks, sinkers and sometimes rods and reels, as well as cleaning the catch and instructing on fish preparation and cooking. It is hard to describe how awesome this event is even though I myself have volunteered at several. The success of this event has been noted by the Mayor of the Blacktown council, who personally contacted Todd on many occasions and invited Todd and Young Guns to awards nights and dinners.
This, my friends, is just the beginning.
Todd Young will never go down in history as an astute businessman—in fact, just the opposite. Many would say that this is a pro rather than a con.
The countless hours Todd spent instructing others in all things fishing is exactly that, countless.
He constantly broke company rules and offered clients days out fishing with him for bass, bream, flathead, and Bonito, to name a few, at zero charge. He was just a bloke helping out someone who was keen to learn.
Through Young Guns promotions, Todd was forever asked questions: How do I catch this? Or how do I do that? Inevitably, I would be talking to him on the phone, and he would be out on the water with someone he didn’t know, teaching them how to do what they wanted to learn.
NDIS programmes eventuated with Young Guns and Todd was a sucker (Ha ha). Young Guns continues to run these programmes but Toddy was not good at it. He constantly utilised his own unpaid time to work with those with disabilities. Wheelchair-bound, physically disabled and most recently, those with mental health issues.
Often, I would call him, and he would be out on the water entertaining someone from an NDIS program purely on his own accord, free of charge, and just for the love of seeing some of these people get to experience the joy of fishing and where it takes you.
Todd received the news no one wants to hear around 7 years ago, I’m sorry mate, its cancer. I realistically only came to know him about a year before that. As I alluded to earlier, Todd continued to work tirelessly throughout his entire ordeal when his medications and treatment would allow.
When it was discovered (as he hid it from everyone) that he was doing this, efforts were made to secure him a pension in terms of his health. Here is the kicker. Todd continued to work and teach without income. Yes, the business earned and programmes continued as normal, but Todd’s take was zero. He just wanted to teach. To be active, to fish, to help and to teach. In the last 7 years, you have never seen a bloke give away so many lures and so much fishing tackle as this man. It was seemingly just in his cancer-stricken blood to do so.
The numbers have never been tallied officially, but as a conservative estimate, Todd Young instructed, taught, and nurtured over 100,000 individuals from 2000 to 2024.
He and his family even took in individuals from time to time. Clients/students, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and, in particular, some Indigenous kids that were seeking not just fishing help but real help. A programme he was involved in in the Newcastle area was shown to have actually significantly reduced the youth crime rate in that area. (Statistics can be provided regarding this). An individual who has been most outspoken about such is a man named Brent Naylor. He is most willing to testify to any evidence regarding Todd and his contribution to society. Todd, Melanie and Young Guns have even received community service awards from NSW police due to their paid programs and unpaid work with troubled youth.