The art of concealment.

[Derek Gibson]

This aspect has always played a major role in my fishing. So much so that we even rubbed down the high gloss varnish on any new rod's in an attempt to reduce flash. Lines were also dyed in sections along their length to eliminate visibility, ledgers were painted in order to merge in with the bottom content.

Clothing was chosen for the exact same reasons, ''nothing'' garish or brightly coloured. The sale of ex army parka's during the sixties through to the eighties bear testimony to this. Complete the set up with a pair of polarized glasses and you were good to go, always providing of course any potential swim was approached with caution

These are tenants that I follow to this very day, and they have served me extremely well. Though I appreciate that to the long range guys (and my goodness it does seem highly popular doesn't it).

Fluoro carbon lines I'm told eliminate the need for faffing around dying lines, ledgers are commercially produced that mimic pebbles, and rods with a matt finish. Clothing and footwear are now produced in all manner of foliage patterns. Yes, todays angler is well catered for.

All is for nothing however if your chosen swim is approached like a bull elephant in must, as I have witnessed several times recently. Hence my reason for typing this.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Clothing was chosen for the exact same reasons, ''nothing'' garish or brightly coloured.

I remember one ex member who espoused the same sentiments Derek, but he made one small typo error . . . . . he misquoted the old saying of, "wear drab clothing and practice to be silent"

Poor old beggar actually wrote "wear drag clothing . . . . . etc " and never ever lived it down LOL

 

[binka]

I try and tread a sensible, happy medium with these things and will generally approach and fish a swim as stealthily as I can where I feel it's necessary, I'm not known for bright clothing but I'm not a walking bush either.

It does seem to me to be an ever increasing thing of the past though with all manner of things now seen on the banks, from the bloke who wants to hold a conversation from the other side of the river to those that sound as though they're emptying a dustbin whilst setting their gear out.

 

[sam vimes]

Shape, shadow, movement and noise (or at least vibrations from footfalls) are all things I'm very conscious of when fishing, especially for particular species. In much the same way as I experimented when shooting, I'm not remotely convinced that clothing makes any difference at all. I used to go in for the whole camo shebang when shooting. The reality was that I could wear dayglo clothes with reflective strips provided you kept movement and noise to a bare minimum. I know, I tried it.

When fishing, I'm happy to wear drab clothing, but don't bother with camo. However, I do have a waterproof shooting coat which has blaze orange sleeves and shoulders. That will go fishing at times and I've no issue with wearing it.
I wear drab (greens usually) because I've got plenty of such clothing from a previous life. I definitely won't go to the extremes of dulling a varnished rod. I'd accept that, in extreme cases, a flash of light might spook fish. However, the times that such a flash might come off a rod are rather minimal.

 

[terry m]

The camo debate is one that makes me smile.

The detractors are of course entitled to their opinion, but for me the logic is simple. If I am going to buy clothes for fishing, why would I not buy clothes that blend into the background?

 

[rayner]

Far too technical for me, if technical is the right word.
I've never been the quietest on the bank. I do try to avoid casting shadows or sky lining but dying lines would be a step too far for me.
If I'm bomb fishing I will chat to friends, if on the other hand I fish the margins I don't want any company.

 

[tigger]

Imo there's times when stealth, soft footfall and dull clothing is best applied but for the largest part of angling I see no need for it.
It seems to me that any excuse to go over the top is jumped on by anglers. I'm totally confident that my gloss rods and alloy reels have never frightened any fish away. I think the opposite and they seem in aw at the quality of my centrepins and rods and que up to be caught on them and have a closer look at them whilst having their picture taken .

 

[sam vimes]

The camo debate is one that makes me smile.

The detractors are of course entitled to their opinion, but for me the logic is simple. If I am going to buy clothes for fishing, why would I not buy clothes that blend into the background?

My logic is that I don't because full on camo is relatively expensive and largely ineffective. If I wanted to conceal myself from humans, I'd have camo all day long. I've found that it isn't necessary when it comes to concealment from my quarry when fishing or shooting. Camo certainly won't impact negatively, but it does hurt my pocket. I've no desire to look like a tree, or action man. Besides, The wearing of MoD camo by civvies isn't too popular in my neck of the woods, with other civvies, or the service types. I still have wardrobes full of the stuff, but it rarely sees the light of day.

 

[thecrow]

On the small clear river I used to fish I preferred to get into place fairly quietly but mostly keeping low and use the natural barriers on the bank to hide me only standing when playing/landing a fish.

Not all anglers agree with this strategy as one swim I fished produced plenty of barbel for me up to around 13/14 lbs unfortunately someone saw me catch one and the next time I went to fish there all the reeds had been knocked down and the watcher was installed in the swim, when asked if he had had anything he said no, I wasn't surprised as the gin clear river was a maximum of 3ft deep and any fish would have seen him miles away.

On camo clothing, I don't see anyone wearing it

 

[binka]

Shape, shadow, movement and noise

I think that movement has to be the biggest spooker for me, both of person and of shadow.

I've stood right over fish and they've been perfectly happy as long as I'm still but the slightest movement and they're off.

 

[flightliner]

I try to be unobtrusive when I can but there are times when it's hard to be. A Trent hi bank thats maybe fifteen feet above water where my gear needs taking to isnt easy to avoid casting a shadow with the sun behind me but thats maybe an extreme case.
I do take the odd precautions with some tackle items tho, for as long as I can remember I,ve painted my bank sticks with any colour paint suitable, blacks, greens, browns etx to help things blend into my surroundings.
My old trusty shimano 2•5 tc rods have abbreviated butts, sometimes slippy so I taped them up with elastoplast for years but having worn off I replaced it with some green version last winter that I found , much better as it has a dimpled finnish that grips far better than elastoplast, the green bit is purely incidental.
Clothing , well yes, the odd item, trews mainly as well as the goretex raincoat and trews that are indispensible to me when its pouring down with rain when I'm running a float down a river for Barbel or any other fish.
The big advantage of the ex army trews (not the goretex) is they dry out pretty quickly if I,ve walked thro long wet grass, not the gucci kit the us army have but very servicable for me.
Maybe my most extreme example is when I'm piking on a pit in the wintertime and dont want any company, I've noticed other pikers from afar but it's often their drop off indicators painted in hot orange that gives them away first, , not wanting said attention I'll sometimes cover mine with the odd dockleaf.:wh

 

[tigger]

I think that movement has to be the biggest spooker for me, both of person and of shadow.

I've stood right over fish and they've been perfectly happy as long as I'm still but the slightest movement and they're off.

Yeaph your right Steve, I was stood still watching some barbel sucking snails off my welly but I got a midge in my eye and blinked, they saw my eyelid shut and open and they where off!

Being serious though movement is the give away of your presence. I know things like the colour of your face and hands are a give away, when pigeon shooting the birds can suss you as they can see your hands and face, unless your behind a hide or some cover but I don't think it applies so much to fish....although it might.

 

[binka]

Many of Angling's great forefathers were big followers of the art of concealment.

I think there are a few old and grainy pictures knocking around somewhere but you're unlikely to spot the angler in them...

 

[barbelboi]

Fishing mainly rivers and streams I learnt from a very young age that the slightest sounds from bank side movement would send enough vibration into the water to spook fish. As,of course, making yourself visible to them. Keeping out of sight is far more important than ‘camo gear’ to me although I do tend to wear ‘drab’ clothing and keep low. Grey seems a good colour – heron’s have got away with using it for millions of years.....................

BTW Derek, I've been using pebbles, or similar, as ledger weights for a great many years - not particularly for their camo qualities but because it's a lot less expensive to drill a hole in a stone, araldite a swivel in not worry about losing them fishing tight to snags............

 

[Keith M]

I've always tended to wear drab green or brown clothing and minimising my movements whenever I go fishing as like others I believe that not advertising my presence to the fish is quite essential but I don't wear camouflage clothing; however when I used to see anglers like Jan Porter wearing his bright red 'head to toe' clothing catching more fish than everyone else around him then I've sometimes wondered if it has always been that necessary to wear drab clothing mind you red might show as a dark grey or black in the fishes visual spectrum.

Keith

 

[peter crabtree]

Admittedly not a new concept but one that seems to be catching on with match anglers is white or grey topkits... Whether or not they help I don't know but I'm not rushing out to buy some...
Drennan are selling them for margin fishing, Seeing Ghosts

obviously to try and make their topkits invisible while the angler sits close by in a Drennan outfit which is bright turquoise and black?

 

[fishplate42]

I can confirm the camouflage patterning does not work. I have a camouflage pattern hat and a bucket for, my particle mix, that also has a camouflage design printed all round it.

The first time I used both, the bailiff not only found me to collect my day ticket money but also asked if he could check my particle mix mg:

The best camouflage is probably to wear last year's design of clothing as the fish will think that nobody would be seen dead fishing in that...

Ralph

 

[tigger]

BTW Derek, I've been using pebbles, or similar, as ledger weights for a great many years - not particularly for their camo qualities but because it's a lot less expensive to drill a hole in a stone, araldite a swivel in not worry about losing them fishing tight to snags............

Rather than mess with drills etc I just use a strip of bike inertube with a bit of line round it and a swivel attached. If the stone gets wedged it just slips out of the innertube ......although I usually just use a lead weight bought from ebay LOL.

 

[bracket]

I am a past master at concealment. This is best illustrated by an example two days ago. I walked into a pub, there were three staff on the bar and five customers. It took 6 minutes before I was noticed and served. That is because I am 6' 1", 13 stone 8lb and almost totally invisible. Pete.

 

[barbelboi]

I am a past master at concealment. This is best illustrated by an example two days ago. I walked into a pub, there were three staff on the bar and five customers. It took 6 minutes before I was noticed and served. That is because I am 6' 1", 13 stone 8lb and almost totally invisible. Pete.

Well you are what you drink - so you'd be a bitter man?