The Serious Alternative

The Serious Alternative Oh well, I've had a few weeks off, been away on holiday, and had time to reflect on a number of things, in particular with regard to my writing 'career', such as it is (was). This time of year, for me at least, spells 'fishing' more than any other. We can have bad winters, terrible spring times and abysmal summers, but the autumn always seem safe from change. There is never a false start, you know it's here when you see the leaves just starting to turn, the dew sparkling on the morning grass or highlighting the twinkling, beaded cobwebs on the hedgerows, those same hedgerows now laden with berries of all sizes and colours. You notice that slight chill when you step out of the door in the morning; you need to pop indoors to get a jumper before sitting out on the patio in the evening. Fire up that chiminea, fill a glass with something to help take the chill off and settle down to watch the bats flitting back and forth, or high in the sky, a skein of geese heading off into the glorious vermilion sunset. As for the fishing, those languid, sometimes oppressive days of summer are finally over. The rivers in particular are usually in their best condition now, the boat traffic begins to die down now the kiddies are back at school and those few glorious weeks before the falling leaves finally become a nuisance are almost a magical time. And so, perhaps not surprisingly, given the lead up I have just given, I plan to go fishing. But not just that, for the possibly bad news is that I have every intention of writing about those trips as well. The reason for this is that it has become apparent that all of my unstructured ramblings to date are missing 'content' and whilst they might occasionally be mildly entertaining, I am told by my editorial peers that they lack the vital ingredients of being neither instructive or informative enough to be considered as 'proper' articles. So what to do with this constructive criticism? I can of course just return to the status quo, and ad infinitum, try to continue dreaming up mildly amusing offerings. The problem with that is before too long, almost inevitably, repetition will creep in, and even an esteemed writer of the calibre of Dick Walker suffered with that at times. Or I can try to raise my game, if only to prove a point to myself, to see if I might possess the ability to write to what is deemed to be an acceptable level. But what to write about, given that I have in the past been less than complementary on the plethora of 'how to' or 'I did' articles that are relentlessly published these days, which in truth are nothing more than thinly disguised 'advertorials'? I have it in mind to pen a series of articles, nominally titled 'Ancient and Modern' where vintage or veteran tackle will be deployed alongside its modern counterparts, but with the emphasis on comparison rather than just outright competition. We are well aware that our all-singing, all-dancing, every bell and all the whistles, up to date gear is far better (hmmm…) than the equipment used by our contemporaries, but just how much have things really improved when it comes to the all-important question of the ability to catch fish? These pieces are planned to be contemplative rather than confrontational and will hopefully be devoid of cheap, throwaway comments, particularly in relation to the more venerable items of equipment, and will include illustrations to highlight differences, or possibly even similarities where they are found to occur. And where will these literary masterpieces be displayed? I owe a debt of gratitude and loyalty to both Graham and FM, and naturally I would hope they would find a home here on the website. Occasionally I might chance my arm and offer up a sample to one of the editors of the angling press (I have many contact names - now!) to see how my standards are progressing against their 'proper article' yardstick. As for the 'Alternative Angler', I am sure there will be times when the madness will take hold again and I can put together something that will pass for entertaining. Perhaps I'll be able to produce something when I want to, rather than doing it because I feel somehow obliged that I have to, which may help to improve the content of those ramblings too (doubt it though!). In that vein look out for the 'A Compassion for Angling' series which follow the trials and tribulations of two anglers struggling to cope in today's politically correct world with its Health and Safety and Compensation issues when they are applied to the (you would think) gentle art of fishing………..