Too many fish...???

[laguna]

Some folk here on Fishing Magic have their favourite species and will actively target them, myself included. Others don't care what they catch as long as they catch something, be it quality or quantity. Some dislike one or two species and that's okay, each to their own. Others.... well, not on here exactly that I am aware of, but I know this guy - who doesn't like catching fish any more. Or at least not too many in a short session.

Too many?

Lets just say, there is a guy I know who on occasion fishes with us who spends an extraordinary amount of time and energy lugging around his kitchen sink, hacking at vegetation, driving in bank sticks and tent pegs with the biggest mallet you ever set your eyes on, putting up this huge 3-man bivvy - all for himself for a days fishing.
No matter what the weather rain, hail or shine up it goes! Then after 2 hours of pratting about starts rooting through his luggage and then finally pulls out an important bit of kit..... he puts the kettle on!

Bearing in mind the rest of us drink from flasks and prioritise, we're usually up and running and fishing within 10 minutes of arriving. This guy, who after 2 hours hasn't even set his rods up never mind wet a line, is sat having a tea break!

And so then onto catching fish?
Sure why not, I mean that's why he's there right? It's the reason we all go fishing... to try and catch a few. Not quite.
After wasting what seems like an eternity setting up his stall, drinking tea and chatting on his phone, he finally gets a couple of his rods out from his holdhall and lays them in position across his bank sticks only.... he doesn't like how they're positioned so naturally he bangs the buggers in some place else more to his liking. But finally, he's in and he's fishing!

Except he isn't. He's just 'testing', 'casting' and 'adjusting', bumping his lead across gravel bars 'feeling'... gradually building up' a picture of the lake bed. Basically procrastinating.

All this messing around costs him, what we would call 'invaluable' fishing time. He tries to explain that 'prep time' is an important part of fishing, which would be true if your there for maybe a weekend or a whole week.... but for a day? I honestly don't know what's going on with him. I suspect he's a one species angler who's sick of catching his quarry... ?

Now I have to say, he wasn't always like this. About 10 years ago when i first introduced him to fishing I remember he was all set up, enthusiastically catching in under an hour. Which by today's standard is damned bloody fast! He certainly liked to 'reel em in' and he's caught plenty too. In fact he's a keen advocate of using our quality natural (as opposed to synthetic flavoured) real-food bait and has contributed somewhat to the development of our rig bits by giving valuable feedback. He really has had some stunning fish.

Now he just sits there fiddling with stuff inside his bivvy, cursing when he catches too many. I think he's lost the plot.

 

[steve2]

Now he just sits there fiddling with stuff inside his bivvy, cursing when he catches too many. I think he's lost the plot.

I don't believe he has lost the plot just like me he's reached the stage where catching fish is just a small part of the day.
There are waters I will never fish again simply because I catch or have caught too many fish from them.

 

[103841]

If he’s happy................

 

[nottskev]

I can relate to the idea that catching fish isn't the be all and end all. But people who grow into that outlook tend to, so it seems, take a more minimal approach to gear etc. It's unusual to read about an angler who goes to all the trouble of carting the kitchen sink around, setting it all up etc in preference to fishing - he seems to be mainly enjoying what's a chore for most. It sounds a bit back-to-front....

 

[108831]

I think that is now carping gets you in the end...

 

[steve2]

I think that is now carping gets you in the end...

I that is how carping gets you then you need to move away from it for a while.
Taking a break from anything not just fishing can bring you back refreshed and ready to go again.

 

[theartist]

Taking a break from anything not just fishing can bring you back refreshed and ready to go again.

I have to echo this as having not been fishing properly for a good three/four months you do see things in a different light. Questioning whether it's worth leaving the warm safe feeling of staying in overriding the urge to get out just to catch a fish a put it back? Working hard or finding time to go fishing again. Working for what, a better life?

With all the **** going on the country right now I came to the conclusion that angling, despite being bonkers is totally logical escapism, that guy is hopefully listening to birdsong right now watching things green up, bites or not, keeping his natural instincts despite doing it a bit different to other anglers. Whilst in the meantime we're either at work or watching what the worlds media companies want to sell us, both commercially and politically.

Whilst taking a long break does recharge you I'd advise you NOT TO under any circumstances within your control, there's a reason why you love doing it and the alternative is just the same old boring 9-5

 

[john step]

I think perhaps he just enjoys being out camping and under canvas and the rods are becoming an excuse to be out.

 

[mikench]

Too many fish ; I wish!

 

[laguna]

I think perhaps he just enjoys being out camping and under canvas and the rods are becoming an excuse to be out.

I think your right John.
He's always enjoyed nature and such like the rest of us but he's increasingly, when not sat in his bivvy, staring into trees, watching birds and rummaging in the undergrowth looking for critters?
I must point out he also likes to catch Tench but he never targets them, preferring to always use carp tactics - even on venues where there are few/if any carp at all.
He also talks a lot about aliens and spaceships hiding beneath the water which is a bit disconcerting.

 

[john step]

If thats true he needs help.

 

[mikench]

He also talks a lot about aliens and spaceships hiding beneath the water which is a bit disconcerting.

He is off his trolley !

 

[xenon]

What happens if you get him started on JFK or 9/11?

 

[terry m]

The world is full of people whose habits or priorities don’t reflect our own precisely.

That makes them (or us) different, it does not make either party right or wrong.

 

[bracket]

I firmly believe you get from angling what you want. When I was in my early twenties the only time I could get out was on a Sunday., mostly match fishing. On the Sundays I was not match fishing I would take a friend pleasure fishing. To me, at the time, he was an old man. Truth to tell, he was a collier in his late fifties. When we got on the river bank, usually the Trent, first thing he'd do was tackle up. Once that was done he followed a fixed routine : sit on the basket, light up a woodbine, read the News of the World. I recall one occasion when he finally got around to wetting a line, by which time I was absolutely bagging roach on the tare. "Charlie, I said, try some of these tares, their climbing up the rod" Na! he said, thou catches too many fish on them Pete. Point being, having spent six days of the week down pit all he wanted to do was something in daylight that had no connection with collar. Fishing allows him to do that and that was his enjoyment. Charlie died of silicosis in 1972, I went to his funeral at Wilford Hill and the wake afterwards. I found it ironic that a man who spent his whole working life mining coal for folks to burn, finished up frying. Pete.

 

[Another Dave]

If thats true he needs help.

Yes, help fighting the aliens, it's too much for one man alone.

 

[laguna]

At least he retains a sense of humour (I hope) when suggesting the mother ship could be hiding under the island in front us, and that all the fish we catch are possibly shape-shifting aliens. mg:
Actually that may be his problem, I will confront him about it. He doesn't seem to like handling fish lately hmmmm.... is it even possible an angler can develop an aversion to handling fish? I feel the same about bream snot, but carp???

At least such comments are consistent with "if you met a bird and she had a **** would you give her one"? to which you say no, and he then says; "I would, I just wouldn't tell anyone"! :kiss:

 

[mikench]

As long as it makes you happy/content/ relaxed it doesn't matter how you fish! I had a day on the bank yesterday and thought about the opening post on this thread! I had the pool to myself, it was grey and overcast but mild and with little wind! I took my time setting up and finally cast a line . I wasn't in any rush and had all day!

I had dispensed with a flask and boiled some hot water and made an expresso with my Wacaco. All was well. I sat and contemplated my tip( not that one) and for the first hour nothing happened. Frankly I wasn't concerned. I watched blue tits, collared doves, buzzards and a pair of Canada geese which nest on an island every year. In an adjacent field 6 ponies ran and frolicked without a care in the world!

I contemplated Chris's post and remembered camping as a kid, making a den and cooking something simple on a flame. A bivvy is a tent and like a den and to this day there is something perversely pleasurable about being under canvas when it's wet and windy. I sipped my coffee and later made a latte. I'd almost forgotten why I was there! I had 8 carp which arrived at timely intervals. I listened to the football and enjoyed a cheese sandwich! I didn't see a soul!

It's that what relaxing and mindfulness is all about! Chris your mate isn't daft at all and I retract my remark. If he is happy when "fishing" that is all that matters. I know of so many who are not around anymore to do this.

 

[steve2]

I contemplated Chris's post and remembered camping as a kid, making a den and cooking something simple on a flame. A bivvy is a tent and like a den and to this day there is something perversely pleasurable about being under canvas when it's wet and windy. I sipped my coffee and later made a latte. I'd almost forgotten why I was there! I had 8 carp which arrived at timely intervals. I listened to the football and enjoyed a cheese sandwich! I didn't see a soul!

It's that what relaxing and mindfulness is all about! Chris your mate isn't daft at all and I retract my remark. If he is happy when "fishing" that is all that matters. I know of so many who are not around anymore to do this.

My sentiments exactly. Sounds like a prefect days fishing.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

I'm lucky in that I have a small group of friends with whom I go fishing - not as regularly as i'd really like (modern life, parenthood, jobs, that sort of thing typically gets in the way....) - however, i'm just going to point out a single difference in approaches between me and one of these mates.

The night before I go fishing, I will be in the shed, probably for a good hour or so getting everything ready for the morning. I will tie up rigs (plenty of spares too) according to the type of fishing I might do, probably in two or three different hook sizes to cover different bait scenarios. I will prepare bait - for example if you dump a tin of corn into a couple of pints of micros then come the morning that will be instantly usable on either a method or open ended feeder, or just a loose feed to ball in. I'll rig the various different rods I might use and store them in ready sleeves so that on arrival, having selected a swim, all I need to do is launch in some of my carefully prepared bait, attach a hooklink (and possibly a float or feeder) and i'm IN!! Because let me tell you something, anytime I spend on the bank with all my gear NOT set up, NOT fishing... it absolutely eats me up. Cat on a hot tin roof stuff.

Then there's my mate. He will spend twice as long looking at various swims before he chooses one. When he does, he's quite likely to sit on his chair for a few minutes, just looking at it, taking it all in. Then he'll remove a rod from his holdall and slowly sift through his bag for the most appropriate reel. Thoughtfully, he will connect all the different sections together, carefully sighting down the rings to make sure everything is aligned. The he threads the line on. And so on. I once asked him about all this, showing him my carefully pre-set-up rods and bait that had me fishing a good 30 minutes before him. "Oh no, I couldn't do that. I ENJOY setting up my kit too much".....

That's the word he used, ENJOY!!! I realised then, it takes all sorts and each to their own.