Fishing Is Many Things To Many People.

[Neil Maidment]

I certainly agree with Richard's comment about walking the lakes and rivers. Even when I'd packed it all in, I still did plenty of bank walking and cycling (failed attempts to maintain some fitness) and really enjoyed that exploration.

I was probably kidding myself that I didn't miss fishing because funnily enough I couldn't walk over a bridge without wondering what swims below?

And generally, any angler I met on those walks and rides would at least say "good morning/afternoon" (I usually got off my bike when approaching an angler on the bank/towpath!).

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

I think I'd echo alot of the statements above - I started when I was about ten years old, was mad keen until my mid-teens when girls and music turned my head. I came back to the fold when I was about twenty, and to be honest, I think my enthusiasm for it has gone up every season since. Maybe there is an element of trying to capture the magic we felt as kids, but I've another theory. It doesn't matter what I fish for, when I do I give it my full attention and that involves thinking about it quite hard. And in doing so, I rest the bit of my brain that deals with the trials of life (work, mortgage you know the ones.....) So even though I put a lot of thought in, I end up feeling refreshed by the experience.

Bit of a blah blah but I'm convinced!

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

Jim,I think you are absolutely right.People's response sometimes when you say you go fishing is that it must be good as it gives you time to think about things.I tell them actually when I go fishing the only thing I think about is the fishing itself.It takes you out of yourself for a short period of time when all that matters is the control of the float or the pattern of feeding.On the very few times when I cannot leave the world behind, I generally just pack in for the day rather than let my fishing be affected.

Another attraction is that it provides a realisable challenge.Often the grand projects in life such as parenthood and career take a long time to realise and even when you think you have achieved something that achievement is often equivocal.With fishing the challenge can be realised in a single afternoon.I fancy catching a nice perch from the canal today you might say, so off you go with your lobworms and when you get your fish there is a great sense of satisfaction on a goal achieved however modest that goal may have been.

Finally, it is such a varied sport.I like watching golf but the thought of playing it has never appealled much as it the same game more or less wherever you play it.Fishing is so varied in methods,styles and fish that you could probably fish in a different way every day of the year if you had the chance and not really master any.

Good thread Neil.

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

When I look at how long I have been fishing I am appalled. It's well over half a century now.

And why do I go fishing and have done it for so long?

Quite simply I like catching fish!

And I am sure if the vast majority of anglers would give a honest answer to that question, they would say the same.

The other things such in the sport such as the surroundings, the appreciation of nature, an the beauty of the seasons come secondary.

Lots of anglers say that the capture of fish is secondary and all the other things are more important.

Most of the time I do not believe them.

 

[Blunderer]

There are lots of reasons I enjoy being at the waterside.

But I am constantly trying to recreate the excitement when you are chasing something big and mysterious. Suddenly you see activity in your swim and you know your tactics are working. Your heart races, you are so nervous you can hardly bait your hook. Then, in a rush, your rod is nearly wrenched from your grasp.

It used to happen as a kid when I saw perch under a tree. Now it takes a big carp, pike or barbel to give me that.

The more you catch, though, the harder it is to recreate that buzz.

 

[Neil Maidment]

I think I agree and disagree with you Ron!

I like to catch fish but I'm not too concerned if I blank. I used to get really peed off when I blanked but nowadays I can honestly say some of my most enjoyable days fishing have not involved actually catching a fish.

However, when I do go out, I go with the intention of catching so at that point of the day/session, all the "other stuff" is very much secondary.

My mind set usually changes once the day/session progresses and thats where the "other stuff" comes in.

In terms of concentration and thought, Jim and Nigel have it right. I rarely think about all of lifes other things when fishing or any personal issues that may be going on at the time. If I find that happening, I too usually pack up, go for a walk, have a pint or whatever rather than carry on fishing.

 

[matt]

I can, probably along with most of us identify with almost every post on this thread.
For me it's something I can achieve on my own without having to live up to someone else's expectations. Boss, partner, peer group. All other parts of my life in some way include other people and their demands and expectations or my feeling of duty towards them.
Fishing is mine. The only demands are the ones I place on myself. The only expectations are my own. The only targets are the ones I set for myself.

I equate fishing to malaria once you've got it, it's not going away easily.
It may lie dormant when life intrudes but then, when circumstances allow the fever returns and that is what it is a fever.
It consumes my thoughts, it makes me fidgety when I can't do it, I'm constantly searching for an opportunity to feed my habit.
If I could of applied myself to earning money in same way I have applied myself to fishing, I would be a rich man in monetary terms.
But hey fishing has made me a rich man.