chav professor
Well-known member
Found an interesting quote by the very eminent late scientist, Professor Barrie Rickards and it makes interesting reading.
'Science must, then, play a part in angling, as it plays a part in all our modern living. I am a scientist, a geologist, but I am firmly convinced that angling is not a science. Its an art. it adopts any useful criterion, adds to its repertoire, and welds it to the hunting instinct that is our natural heritage.
Accept and recognize that heritage, add science and you have an equation which succeeds; begin with scientific theory and you will make a poor angler.'
It is a thought provoking point of view from the standpoint that I am a scientist and apply elements of science in my approach - well, by saying that, I can justify or reason my approach in a number of circumstances.
I am also firmly of the belief that fishing is a difficult medium to apply scientific reasoning to draw firm conclusions as the variables that are beyond my control and the permutations of interactions between the many variations are infinitesimal.
It is possible to measure some of the variables: temperature, barometric pressure, light values, water turbidity, flow rates etc But I could never tie them together in a satisfactory way in-order to make logical sense. Beyond looking at general trends in the weather and the conditions as I expect to find them.... thats good enough for me!
Quite possibly the most useful tool to inform anglers of how fishing may be effected is to get down the river regularly and follow the five day weather forecast - beyond that, its instinct.
Then take into account the behavioral elements of our quarry, they are influenced by metabolic rate, morphology - (certain fish are better adapted to deal with flow or oxygen levels), angling pressure, predation, competition for resources, reaction to food availability etc.
Having an understanding of these elements means you can predict the potential movements of fish, where you are likely to find them and wether they are likely to feed. I constantly question myself during fishing...
why did I expect to catch a fish from that particular spot, why was it a successful day - equally, why did I blank.... what was i do doing wrong if you like!
I find that i rely on instincts more than anything else. I don't really give any real thought to any of the above in any great detail. An angling friend calls it his sixth sense. Sometimes I arrive at the river and get a gut feeling its going to be great!!!! Thats your sixth sense.... learn to listen to it and act upon those little hunches.... thats your brain collating all these past experiences quietly in your sub-conscience without you thinking about it IMO.
We only use the weather forecasts because we are so out of tune with the natural world. I am certain that in nature, animals have an anticipation or react to the urge that life is going to get tough - time to feed! A fishes urge to do something is all about instinct and nothing to do with conscience thought - quite possibly reacting to subtle changes in barometric pressure or temperature fluctuations.
The controversial bit..... why is angling considered by many to be an 'art'?
The contemporary English definition uses the word in relation to a practical skill, the application of that skill, or something produced as a result of that skill, such as painting,sculpture.
However, looking at the the Latin origin of the word, 'ars' from which we derive our word it relates to a skill, activity, handicraft, profession, work of art.
The Ancient Greek τεχνη [techne] shares a number of the meanings, usually given as art, handiwork, craft, skill, manner, system.
Its the elements of skill, activity, manner, system and creativity that puts fishing into the category of an art form! Even 'Chavs' are known for moments of creative genius
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK so you want to apply science:
Start of by exploring a theory... Decide upon a singular factor you wish to investigate. Construct a null hypothesis; a statement that the variable you wish to explore will make no significant difference. this variable is the 'thing you are going to change'.
Identify all the possible variables and design an experiment to ensure these are controlled - then decide upon an outcome you wish to measure - the outcome variable.
Of course, you are going to need a control..... that is a baseline to compare results in order to distinguish if the 'thing you changed' made a significant difference.
Collect sufficient data to ensure confidence in your results - publish and peer review!
A good example is that there has been some excellent research into chemoreception for example and a lot is known how fish detect certain chemicals in their environment.
Having said that Iassak Walton did not need to know that his meatballs preserved in virgin wax were protein-rich baits. Proteins were not 'invented' then! but he readily observed that the fish liked his idea of good food for them!
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But look out folks, I am bringing out my new 4th generation 4Gee smart phone 'Chav' App...... it scans the river detecting subtle variations in depth and flow, factors in temperature, barometric pressure and an encyclopedic knowledge of fish behavior. it identifies the most likely fish holding spots and gives a percentage chance of success and failure for any given species. You should be able to down load it just before Christmas.... or better still......
On the basis of being scientific...... more often find it safer to stick with gut feelings and instinct - the 'sixth sense'. If I think it works, its good enough for me!!! Many of the ideas I apply in fishing are grounded in the context of scientific concepts.... but by being creative and adapting to given situations, I rely solely on subtle skills that can be best described as the 'art of angling'.
I guess thats why Barrie Rickards opinion rings true for me........ Discuss
'Science must, then, play a part in angling, as it plays a part in all our modern living. I am a scientist, a geologist, but I am firmly convinced that angling is not a science. Its an art. it adopts any useful criterion, adds to its repertoire, and welds it to the hunting instinct that is our natural heritage.
Accept and recognize that heritage, add science and you have an equation which succeeds; begin with scientific theory and you will make a poor angler.'
It is a thought provoking point of view from the standpoint that I am a scientist and apply elements of science in my approach - well, by saying that, I can justify or reason my approach in a number of circumstances.
I am also firmly of the belief that fishing is a difficult medium to apply scientific reasoning to draw firm conclusions as the variables that are beyond my control and the permutations of interactions between the many variations are infinitesimal.
It is possible to measure some of the variables: temperature, barometric pressure, light values, water turbidity, flow rates etc But I could never tie them together in a satisfactory way in-order to make logical sense. Beyond looking at general trends in the weather and the conditions as I expect to find them.... thats good enough for me!
Quite possibly the most useful tool to inform anglers of how fishing may be effected is to get down the river regularly and follow the five day weather forecast - beyond that, its instinct.
Then take into account the behavioral elements of our quarry, they are influenced by metabolic rate, morphology - (certain fish are better adapted to deal with flow or oxygen levels), angling pressure, predation, competition for resources, reaction to food availability etc.
Having an understanding of these elements means you can predict the potential movements of fish, where you are likely to find them and wether they are likely to feed. I constantly question myself during fishing...
why did I expect to catch a fish from that particular spot, why was it a successful day - equally, why did I blank.... what was i do doing wrong if you like!
I find that i rely on instincts more than anything else. I don't really give any real thought to any of the above in any great detail. An angling friend calls it his sixth sense. Sometimes I arrive at the river and get a gut feeling its going to be great!!!! Thats your sixth sense.... learn to listen to it and act upon those little hunches.... thats your brain collating all these past experiences quietly in your sub-conscience without you thinking about it IMO.
We only use the weather forecasts because we are so out of tune with the natural world. I am certain that in nature, animals have an anticipation or react to the urge that life is going to get tough - time to feed! A fishes urge to do something is all about instinct and nothing to do with conscience thought - quite possibly reacting to subtle changes in barometric pressure or temperature fluctuations.
The controversial bit..... why is angling considered by many to be an 'art'?
The contemporary English definition uses the word in relation to a practical skill, the application of that skill, or something produced as a result of that skill, such as painting,sculpture.
However, looking at the the Latin origin of the word, 'ars' from which we derive our word it relates to a skill, activity, handicraft, profession, work of art.
The Ancient Greek τεχνη [techne] shares a number of the meanings, usually given as art, handiwork, craft, skill, manner, system.
Its the elements of skill, activity, manner, system and creativity that puts fishing into the category of an art form! Even 'Chavs' are known for moments of creative genius
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK so you want to apply science:
Start of by exploring a theory... Decide upon a singular factor you wish to investigate. Construct a null hypothesis; a statement that the variable you wish to explore will make no significant difference. this variable is the 'thing you are going to change'.
Identify all the possible variables and design an experiment to ensure these are controlled - then decide upon an outcome you wish to measure - the outcome variable.
Of course, you are going to need a control..... that is a baseline to compare results in order to distinguish if the 'thing you changed' made a significant difference.
Collect sufficient data to ensure confidence in your results - publish and peer review!
A good example is that there has been some excellent research into chemoreception for example and a lot is known how fish detect certain chemicals in their environment.
Having said that Iassak Walton did not need to know that his meatballs preserved in virgin wax were protein-rich baits. Proteins were not 'invented' then! but he readily observed that the fish liked his idea of good food for them!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
But look out folks, I am bringing out my new 4th generation 4Gee smart phone 'Chav' App...... it scans the river detecting subtle variations in depth and flow, factors in temperature, barometric pressure and an encyclopedic knowledge of fish behavior. it identifies the most likely fish holding spots and gives a percentage chance of success and failure for any given species. You should be able to down load it just before Christmas.... or better still......
On the basis of being scientific...... more often find it safer to stick with gut feelings and instinct - the 'sixth sense'. If I think it works, its good enough for me!!! Many of the ideas I apply in fishing are grounded in the context of scientific concepts.... but by being creative and adapting to given situations, I rely solely on subtle skills that can be best described as the 'art of angling'.
I guess thats why Barrie Rickards opinion rings true for me........ Discuss
