Financial Hardships and Fishing

steph mckenzie · Feb 15, 2012

Due to ill health and being unable to work for quite some time i fell into financial hardship. To alleviate some of these problems and seeing as i was unable to go fishing i decided to sell most if not nearly all my fishing gear.
All that i have left now is a 13 foot float rod, a reel, a chair, a net and handle and some floats and other small accessories.

What i would like to know is : Does this miniscule amount of fishing gear still qualify me as a fisherman, and, how have you coped with the tighter, harder times that we as a country are now facing, and, how has it affected your fishing ?

mol · Feb 15, 2012

If you go fishing you are a fisherman.

I have quite a cynical view of fishing tackle, most of it is made to sell something to generate profit for a company and isn't necessary.

Bluenose · Feb 15, 2012

Do you still go fishing? Yes? Then you're still a fisherman regardless of how much money you have!

I think provided you have the basics, rod, reel landing net, and the basics of tackle to enable you to fish then the main way you can fish on the cheap is by thinking about bait! Worms for example can be free, bread is still a chap bait provided you buy the own brand stuff. Corn and various particles are still cheap when bought by the kilo and don't forget to freeze what you don't use!

After that it's a case of trawling the net, looking at old stock being flogged off in your local tackle shop or visiting ebay looking for the bits and pieces that wear out or need replacing!

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Feb 15, 2012

Depending on how often you fish and how you fish - a 13ft float rod, a reel,chair ,net, shot,hook and floats then you can fish for a good deal of the time- get out there and you might surprise yourself

dangermouse · Feb 15, 2012

Bluenose said:
Do you still go fishing? Yes? Then you're still a fisherman regardless of how much money you have!

That sums it up for me.

I started fishing again last year after a long lay off. I had an old glass match rod circa 1980, a landing net handle, a stool and a bait box. I managed to borrow a reel, some hooks and a few floats from my dad and bought a net, some shot and a few other odds and ends and went along to the canal. I carried my gear in an old rucksack and kept my floats etc in an old celebrations "tin". I still caught fish, they don`t care what or how much gear you have and neither should you, it`s all about enjoying yourself and that`s all that really matters.

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Feb 15, 2012

steph mckenzie said:
All that i have left now is a 13 foot float rod, a reel, a chair, a net and handle and some floats and other small accessories.

That's all I had for years - was I a fisherman? Of course I was.

The question is - how often does one have to go fishing to be regarded as a fisherman?

Peter Jacobs · Feb 15, 2012

I'd say that being an angler Steph is far more about a 'state of mind' than the amount of tackle that is owned . . . . . . . .

bruce1980 · Feb 15, 2012

As long as you go out and catch fish whenever you get the chance, you are a fisherman!
All my gear is the cheaper, low end stuff but it allows me to go out and catch fish!
Besides, I recon knowledge is more important than the name on your seatbox!

"You Will Never Be A Fisherman!"

steph mckenzie · Feb 15, 2012

It was said with a little Tongue in Cheek.

I was trying to highlight that all these Threads about whether the correct Tackle is used or whether you have the Best Branded tackle on the Bank means absolutely Sod All if you can't use them.

Barbel Wars ....... what a load of B@ll@cks.
Carp Wars is a load of B@ll@cks too.

As pointed out by the replies so far, it is far less about how much or how often but about getting out there and just fishing.
I know i will return to fishing once my health improves some more and perhaps when the better warmer weather arrives, that is not in doubt and i will enjoy it just as much as when i had a garage full of fishing tackle. I was just having a bit of a reality check moment to highlight what is more important to us as anglers, it's not the tackle or even the size of the catch but the fishing that matters most of all.

Regards
Steph.

little oik · Feb 15, 2012

Sorry to hear of your misfortune Steph
I have feeder rods and reels spinning etc ,however I would say 90% of my fishing is with a float .It is what I enjoy doing most .Ok I I have 4 float rods for different occasions and species etc but when all is said all done It is still only float fishing .You cannot beat it in my opinion.
By the way if you do not class yourself as a fisherman because you only float fish you do not say which methods you employ Stick, Waggler ,Slider and Stret to name a few .

waggy · Feb 15, 2012

To be honest, Steph; when I started back again 2005 I had nowt. Then my missus got me a bog-standard Argos set - cheap everything but adequate and I concentrated on learning to fish again and using free baits like worms, bread, left over sweet corn, spam, cheese, fish trimmings, etc and was amazed at how well I did. All I'd learned earlier in life came flooding back and I especially enjoyed catching on my home made quill and paper clip floats, wine cork floats for bigger stuff, home tied hooks, even homemade rod rests, disgorgers, etc.
I loved that period and caught some excellent fish.
Now I've got plenty of tackle and I'm thinking about basics again because lugging too much around and the indecision of too much choice, I find, takes the edge off the fishing itself.
A fisherman is someone who applies himself to catching fish, not someone with lots of expensive tackle.

sam vimes · Feb 15, 2012

Why anyone would give a tinker's cuss about what other people do, and with what tackle, is quite beyond me. Whether someone has thousands of pounds worth of gear or practically nothing has no bearing on how good an angler they are and what they choose to fish for is entirely up to them. So many folks see every aspect of life, including fishing and the acquisition of fishing gear as a competition.

barbelboi · Feb 15, 2012

Well Steph, that’s more gear than I took to the river today (rarely even take a lightweight chair to rivers). At the end of the day all the fish sees, if you keep your head down

, is your end tackle. It doesn’t care, or know, what rod and reel you’re using, etc. OK, we know that having certain tackle for certain methods makes getting the bait out and the playing of fish somewhat more comfortable but a 13’ float rod would certainly, IMO, give you enough options for an enjoyable session.
Jerry

caesarson · Feb 15, 2012

Fella, weather the car is loaded up with £5K's worth of fishing tackle heading for a water. Or I'm on some chalk stream with a willow branch, 6 foot of line and hook. I'm a fisherman.

maceo · Feb 15, 2012

So many folks see every aspect of life, including fishing and the acquisition of fishing gear as a competition.

Ahhh, another thing we agree on Sam.

agamemnon · Feb 16, 2012

4 years ago i ripped a tendon im shoulder and couldnt fish or work for almost a year, then my wife fell ill and we ended up on benefits. since then my fishing has been cut back to levells i didnt think possible, but i still manage to get down the bank as and when i can find time or cash.
gone are the days of 25kg sacks of boillies and tons of particle for a session. also gone are the 2-5 day sessions in pursuit of the monster fish. nowadays its a tin of sweetcorn or a dig in the garden for some worms. i might spend a couple of pound with the butcher or fishmonger for a bit of bait if i cant be bothered to catch my own bait. last year i brought 1 bag of boillies and didnt use all of them, yet i landed myself a new pb carp.
as to the amount of gear you have, i dont think it matters if you have 1 rod and a chair or a 3 rod set up on a pod. as far as im concerned fishing is sitting at the bankside chilling out and watching the world go past and forgetting about your troubles for a few hours. if some fool thinks your a noddy then so what. i fish for me and no one else matters

dezza · Feb 16, 2012

Ah but you have to be sponsored, otherwise you are not a proper angler!

I was looking through a magazine the other day and I noticed that where a short CV of the author was listed, it detailed who was sponsoring him.

As though sponsorship was an essential qualification as to whether you wrote an article or got it published.

And I think of the old days when some of the greatest anglers actually shunned any commercial contact with the tackle trade.

But I think this warrants a new thread.

itsfishingnotcatching · Feb 16, 2012

Ron The Hat Clay said:
But I think this warrants a new thread.

Sponsorship? Is it worth it?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was asked to start this thread by a FM member who is known to most of us, but who shall stay nameless.

I have been sponsored by two tackle manufacturers in my life, the first one being the Sheffield based company: Sportex, in the 60s. I received a variety of tackle items from them, including various cash amounts to cover expenses.

Remember this one Ron?:wh

dezza · Feb 16, 2012

itsfishingnotcatching said:
I was asked to start this thread by a FM member who is known to most of us, but who shall stay nameless.

I have been sponsored by two tackle manufacturers in my life, the first one being the Sheffield based company: Sportex, in the 60s. I received a variety of tackle items from them, including various cash amounts to cover expenses.

Remember this one Ron?

Yes but it wasn't sponsorship as it was today.

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Feb 16, 2012

Ron

more back peddling an a unicyclist

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