Information Overload

[fishplate42]

For the best part of the past couple of years I have been gathering information regarding all forms of fishing with the exception of Sea and Fly fishing.

I have bought magazines and books, scoured the internet for articles, forums and videos and talked to as many people as I can about fishing. Two years ago I had not even held a rod, let alone a fish.

I can't go fishing as often as I would like and therefore I end up with a whole list of things I want to try out when I get to the bank. The result has been a complete and utter overload of information that I am not getting time to put into practice and what was pleasurable was rapidly turning into a chore. My last trip out proved that for me. I just had too much gear, bait and expectation.

Since then I have had a good sort out. I have got rid of all my old magazines, just tearing out a few pages of stuff I refer to. My new methodology is to buy one magazine at a time and read it thoroughly, putting anything I find of interest to the test before buying another. I was in fear of missing something but as you have all said before, most of the techniques are repeated over and over again.

The other problem is that fishing is so season dependent that if I do not try something within a few weeks of reading it, I have probably missed the best time to try it and am constantly playing catch-up.

I now have the latest AT and the August edition of Pole Fishing. I have no intention of buying a magazine regularly any more. I will try a couple of things mentioned in this edition of PF and then look for something else that catches my eye on the shelves, whenever that may be.

Ralph

 

[ciprinus]

Ralph, after reading your post i was left gobsmacked and wondering just what you are trying to get from your fishing?
i have always looked to my fishing to provide the solitude and relaxation that we all need at times to reset our internal clocks, to achieve this all i need is a stick, a little string and a bent pin with maybe a worm or two (these last are by no means necessary).
of course the tackle i take is much more advanced than above but that is for other folks perception not mine.
surely you are turning up at the bank so wound up with anticipation and so burdened with unnecessary gear that you have no chance of reaching a state of nirvana at all.
to repeat the original question, what do you feel you are trying to get from your fishing?

 

[lepirate]

It is easy to ruin your enjoyment of a fishing session by trying too many different ideas. Work out what you enjoy, work around that until you relax and have a great session. Forget the newest trick, the latest fashion, just go with what works for you until you are totally comfortable with your fishing. Then maybe, the odd change or modification can be fun rather than a chore...
Dave.

 

[steve2]

I think the best thing you can do is stop buy magazines, they are just advertising the latest must have and you are falling into the trap.

 

[fishplate42]

With respect, I think you are all missing my point. Two years ago, in my very late 50s, I decided to take up fishing. Until then, I had absolutely no concept of what fishing (angling) was. I had no one to ask, as none of my family or friends fished.

To try and learn I had to turn to the internet/magazines and books just to find the VERY basics. I found an old Matt Hayes (See HERE) that showed me the basics and I had bought a starter set and additional rod/reel to get started.

From there I have been trying to discover as much as I can about angling so I can decide what I like and what I don't. But, for someone like me, I have now accumulated so much information it gets confusing. Like I have said, I have disposed of all those back-numbers and now just read for a specific task and try that.

You may be past the magazine stage, and maybe that day will come for me, but I can still look through a magazine and find stuff I did not know. I must admit, I find the blatant product placement irritating and a bit insulting but I am sure they have to do that to stay profitable and I just ignore the constant reference to brand name and harvest the relevant generic information I require.

Of course, the reviews are just advatorial and have no practical use to me other than to make me aware of what's available out there and what others are talking about.

My point was that the whole subject is too vast to try and understand in one go and now I have a broad overview of what fishing is all about it is time to select one thing at a time and work on getting that right.

My intention is to go back to the basics and apply the knowledge I have acquired over the past couple of years to waggler float fishing and see just how much better I can get at it compared to my initial attempts. Besides I can do that with very little gear!

Ralph

 

[peterjg]

Fishplate42: as you quite rightly say this fishing pastime is huge.

I'm 62, around the same age as you. I have been fishing all my life, I've waded through loads of magazines, books, blogs and what have you. I've kept a fishing diary for decades, done well over a 1000 nights, studied papers on baits and fish behaviour. Tried (and recorded) loads of different baits and bait mixes. Anyway the bottom line is that it is just not possible to learn it all and be proficient in all aspects.

It has already been suggested (correctly); find a species or a type of fishing which appeals to you, which you enjoy and is interesting. Your fishing will develop and improve, it really is the most fascinating pastime. My son grew up fishing and still loves going (he is limited by his own business and family), I hope, as soon as they are old enough, to take my two grandsons fishing.

Fishing evolves, from wanting to catch anything and everything, to specialising. I then started to carp fish, but now all I fish for is roach, hopefully of a decent size. I am now also interested in bird watching and photography, missed loads of bites watching birds! Fishing can be as serious or as relaxed as you want it to be.

 

[fishplate42]

Fishplate42: as you quite rightly say this fishing pastime is huge.

I'm 62, around the same age as you. I have been fishing all my life, I've waded through loads of magazines, books, blogs and what have you. I've kept a fishing diary for decades, done well over a 1000 nights, studied papers on baits and fish behaviour. Tried (and recorded) loads of different baits and bait mixes. Anyway the bottom line is that it is just not possible to learn it all and be proficient in all aspects.

It has already been suggested (correctly); find a species or a type of fishing which appeals to you, which you enjoy and is interesting. Your fishing will develop and improve, it really is the most fascinating pastime. My son grew up fishing and still loves going (he is limited by his own business and family), I hope, as soon as they are old enough, to take my two grandsons fishing.

Fishing evolves, from wanting to catch anything and everything, to specialising. I then started to carp fish, but now all I fish for is roach, hopefully of a decent size. I am now also interested in bird watching and photography, missed loads of bites watching birds! Fishing can be as serious or as relaxed as you want it to be.

Peter, I get what you say completely. I have a friend who has just (at the age of 70) taken up stamp collecting. I have collected stamps all my life and over the years have specialised my interest down to one period of one country's stamps. My friend is full of enthusiasm and is collecting the 'whole world' - an impossible task and as much as I try and tell (advise) him that the hobby would be much more enjoyable if he specialised a little, he is as happy as Larry.

I do not have enough years left to gain the experience of others on this forum but I think I have just come to the point where I will start to prune down my expectations a little. It will be a slow process as there is still that "whole world" out there to have a go at.

Ralph

 

[john step]

Ralph,
firstly, everyone on here has much to learn as you can never, never know it all.

Secondly. Do you remember when you first came on FM you admonished me for using the words "so many wasted years"?

I was actually quoting Geoffrey Palmer the actor who found angling later in life.

I think you may now appreciate what I was getting at, with the depth and breadth of different disciplines of the angle.

Do it slowly and enjoy. Dont get sucked into the must have tackle trap. Fishing isn't as technical or complicated as the magazines would have us believe...to sell stuff.

Trying to learn it all is not possible but trying to and getting frustrated you may burn out and give it up. I hope not.

John

 

[fishplate42]

Ralph,
firstly, everyone on here has much to learn as you can never, never know it all.

Secondly. Do you remember when you first came on FM you admonished me for using the words "so many wasted years"?

I was actually quoting Geoffrey Palmer the actor who found angling later in life.

I think you may now appreciate what I was getting at, with the depth and breadth of different disciplines of the angle.

Do it slowly and enjoy. Dont get sucked into the must have tackle trap. Fishing isn't as technical or complicated as the magazines would have us believe...to sell stuff.

Trying to learn it all is not possible but trying to and getting frustrated you may burn out and give it up. I hope not.

John

Hi John,
I may not have got my point over in my original post very well. For most of you, angling, in whatever form, has been a slow progression over the years. You have not only honed your skills over that time but you have been slowly and progressively introduced to new methods and tackle. When I came into the hobby, this was not something I had contemplated for years. Not something I had any prior interest in at all. As I have said before, I did not know there were different types of rod, let alone technique. Until I caught that first fish back in September 2014, I had not even held a rod, let alone a fish.

Over the past couple of years I have been gathering so much information it had become confusing to say the least. My last trip out brought that home to me and I can now sit down and look at fishing in a whole new light as I have some knowledge of want is involved and just where I want to simplify things. my original post was acknowledging that fact.

If I did came across as reprimanding you for your comment "so many wasted years" I apologise as I am sure I had not intended to. I can't find the post so I can't explain myself and if I offended you it was not intended.

Ralph.

 

[mikench]

I understand your comments! I am a bit of a hypocrite in that I say one thing and then do another in wanting to get by with the minimum of tackle but then going to buy something new. However that alone is enjoyable and in truth spending £60 or so or less on a rod or a reel is hardly profligate and cheaper than a cut colour and blow dry at Percival and Sandy or whatever they are called. My wife would disagree!

Education or the pursuit of knowledge is both enjoyable and good for you. You sound a bit like me who ,before launching into a new hobby/ sport/pastime wants to read all about it, acquire facts and background knowledge and then research into the various types and makes of "stuff". Isn't that enjoyable and productive. At 62 I want to fulfill new ambitions, explore new horizons and enjoy myself. I too have bought the mags and the books and have read them all cover to cover. I am not fooled by the articles by the "professionals" who advocate their sponsors tackle or their own- they would say that !

I plan to take a rod, reel, a packet of hooks and some floats and try trotting on a river next week. However I know my failings and will end up with 3 rods, 3 reels a chair and god knows what else just in case. I will not beat myself about it though because I love it. Just setting up my feeder rod with a bead, a feeder , a hook length and a hook( hopefully in the same order on the line) gives me a sense of satisfaction and then when I catch something , well...

Variety is the spice of life so enjoy your fishing, photography and stamp collecting. They could even be all done at the same time: just collect stamps of the world featuring specimen fish!

Tight lines

 

[theartist]

Not all the information and tips in the angling periodicals will work and some can be detrimental on a given day. Ok most is good advice but at the end of the day its down to opinion and often two succesful anglers will have two opposing ways off doing something. Simplifying it all and fining it down is the way to go. They have to make enough content each week to fill alot of pages so there's always a new thing coming out.

I'm a bit of a one trick pony when it comes down to the style of fishing i adopt but it's succesful so i dont change much at all or try anything radically different. Most of all i enjoy it so much and that's all that matters.

If you are going down the waggler route then that's good as you'll get enough bites to keep busy and you'll get plenty of good fish and have lots of fun although stick float is worth learning at the same time if fishing running water,

 

[fishplate42]

...Education or the pursuit of knowledge is both enjoyable and good for you...

You have said something I omitted to say. I get just as much enjoyment out of the 'homework' as I do on the bank. I do enjoy studying my subject and making my own rigs and baits. To me that is all just as important as the fishing itself.

I broke the No.4 section of my pole the first time I used it. Everybody said I should go and have it mended 'professionally'. For me it was a challenge. I decided to have a go as a replacement could be bought if it didn't work. I I did and it worked fine, see HERE.

I didn't do it to save money (although it did) I did it because I wanted to. It is the same with rig and bait making with the added advantage that once you have worked out how to do it you can make exactly what you want without compromise. It gives me a sense of achievement and a great feeling when I hook a fish on my repaired pole, using my home-made rig and bait.

Ralph

 

[mikench]

Likewise. Just tying a hook to a length of supplex or whatever , adding a loop (with a loop tyer of course) and then putting on your chosen bait and casting requires concentration, particularly with cold hands in a gale. I feel as much satisfaction as when a deal comes together or when I really help someone with an issue.

You know how to communicate with fish don't you; you drop them a line:wh

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Ralph,
Although I fished (a very loose description) from about 9-12, I really started in May 2010 when I finally gave up on football. My late Father in Law had taken up Carp fishing after retiring and a good friend also turned out to have fished so I had people to learn the basics from. I started on the waggler on pools and have pretty much stayed "on the float" ever since. I'm no expert, even with one discipline, many on here can vouch for that and feeder fishing/ledgering is for me, a weapon of last resort. I too started buying magazines but, with a new method featured every week, it seemed that to try every one was going to be cost prohibitive so after a few months I just stopped buying them. After a few months I was pretty much fishing solo, so, while practise has not made perfect it has improved my technique. My first "fish-in" was the ill-fated 2012? Itchen expedition, by some miracle no-one drowned or got frost bite and the rain, sleet, snow, wind and raging river distracted most of our hardened river anglers from my inept trotting. After looking like blanking, Graham Elliot kindly donated both his banker swim and a proper float to trot with (I lost it first cast mg I think only two or three witnessed me strike into an underwater snag and then deposit another float into a tree as I finally freed my line. Ended up with a solitary Chub of around a pound and vowed to do better next time.

This forum has provided me with top class advice, both on-line and at fish- ins (which are well worth a go), a group of friends who tolerate my inexperience (even though I've been trying to fish properly for six years now) and the chance to even pass on some of my limited knowledge. Several recent threads have highlighted the need to cut back on the amount of tackle and bait we take with us, an Aldi rucksack stool and three rod quiver normally cover everything I need and however much gear you take there is always something else that might have worked better (but probably wouldn't!)

In terms of seasons, IMHO, Tench and Crucians are the two species that need to be targeted in the summer, most others can be caught all year round (dependent on the close season obviously) If the majority of your fishing is with the pole then you will be mainly on pools so opportunities to fish for Barbel and Chub will be limited.

To sum up, decide which method has given you the most pleasure (not necessarily the most success) and stick with it, it's all about fishing, not catching

Ian

 

[greenie62]

.... I too started buying magazines but, with a new method featured every week, it seemed that to try every one was going to be cost prohibitive so after a few months I just stopped buying them.....

And Ian - how could you possibly afford the magazines - with all those floats to replace?!mg:

 

[103841]

I won't repeat what I've said over on the MD site Ralph but what I have learnt is getting education from magazines is OK up to a point, the best learning tool as I suspect you have already experienced is to be with a good angler by the water putting theory into action in an instant.

Failing that when I'm not fishing I walk along the river watching how the water is flowing, looking for fish, enjoying the surroundings and wildlife and chatting to any local anglers I come across, can't get that info from Internet, books or mags.

 

[fishplate42]

...chatting to any local anglers I come across, can't get that info from Internet, books or mags.

True, I have learnt so much more from other anglers but I still do get some information from magazine. I just don't pile myself up with them. My problem is that I do not have a local river to wander along other than three little rivers that are no more than a few inches deep and seem to have very few, if any fish.

I get to meet people at commercials and when I join in the friendly matches. My trouble right from the very beginning was I knew no one that fished. I had to try and find out what was what. That I think I have done and armed with my thin (very!) layer of overall knowledge I can concentrate on the areas that interest me, most of which I had no idea existed two years ago.

Ralph.

 

[rayner]

You've answered the question yourself.
Too much information can clog your brain. start simple then try other things later.
Just catch fish.

 

[john step]

Hi John,


If I did came across as reprimanding you for your comment [/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT]"so many wasted years" I apologise as I am sure I had not intended to. I can't find the post so I can't explain myself and if I offended you it was not intended.

Ralph.

There was absolutely no offence taken. I did have a little chuckle to the effect " wait and see".
Just go fishing to enjoy whichever type you do.
It doesn't have to be complicated.

I don't think you will have enough time left to learn too many disciplines to the standard you would like. Enjoy what you have?
I have been at it since the age of 8. I am now retired and cannot find the time or more importantly the energy to do everything I wished for.
There was so much more...if only I had more than one lifetime!!

I am a useless lure angler. I bought some method feeders I have yet to try out. I still have to have a go at trotting on the river this year. Before I know it the winter will be here and the perch, pike and zander will be calling to me. So little time