R
Ron Troversial Clay
Guest
About 1971, I happened to be on holiday in England and found myself fishing from the dam wall at Grafham.
By 11-30 am the morning I caught a limit of 8 trout, all nice fish from 2 lbs to 41/2 lbs.
I packed my tackle, filled in my catch return form and made my way back to the car park, sweating under the weight of a pile of trout I was wondering what to do with.
One particular angler asked to see my bag. I showed him. He told me that after "bagging up" like that he always took out a second ticket so that he could "bag up" even further. He also told be of a local fishmonger who would pay me for the catch.
Some time ago I was fishing a fenland drain in Cambs. I did well that morning and had 12 tench to 5 lbs and 4 bream to 61/2 lbs in my big keepnet.
At 12 noon I released the fish, but this did not go un-noticed. A guy on the opposite bank saw my catch and screamed to his three mates that a bloke on the opposite bank had "bagged up" with a "shedful" of tench.
The point is, why must we use such terms?
"Bagging up" to me seems to smack of the attitude that you must rape the environment somehow.
My old friend Tony Miles told me of the time he caught his 30 pound pike. After doing so he packed up fishing. It was his biggest pike and somehow it did not seem right to carry on.
A very well known pike angler actually thought that Tony was mad to pack up. He must strike whilst the iron was hot.
"Bag up" as it were.
And then there are the reports in the angling press. "Bag up" here. "Bag up" there. Go to Ireland and "bag up" in bream.
By "bagging up", what are anglers trying to prove? How good they are?
Modern angling should not be a case of proving how good you are by how much you can catch or by how much you can "bag up". Once you have caught a couple of good fish, you have proven everything in terms of your prowess, you don't need to rub it in.
Or perhaps I again am proving to be a stupid old fart. There have been times in the past where I have caught enormous bags if fish. Somehow these catches pale into insignificance when compared with the odd specimen where I had to use every iota of angling skill I possess.
Bagging up does not always give you the most satisfaction.
What do you think?
By 11-30 am the morning I caught a limit of 8 trout, all nice fish from 2 lbs to 41/2 lbs.
I packed my tackle, filled in my catch return form and made my way back to the car park, sweating under the weight of a pile of trout I was wondering what to do with.
One particular angler asked to see my bag. I showed him. He told me that after "bagging up" like that he always took out a second ticket so that he could "bag up" even further. He also told be of a local fishmonger who would pay me for the catch.
Some time ago I was fishing a fenland drain in Cambs. I did well that morning and had 12 tench to 5 lbs and 4 bream to 61/2 lbs in my big keepnet.
At 12 noon I released the fish, but this did not go un-noticed. A guy on the opposite bank saw my catch and screamed to his three mates that a bloke on the opposite bank had "bagged up" with a "shedful" of tench.
The point is, why must we use such terms?
"Bagging up" to me seems to smack of the attitude that you must rape the environment somehow.
My old friend Tony Miles told me of the time he caught his 30 pound pike. After doing so he packed up fishing. It was his biggest pike and somehow it did not seem right to carry on.
A very well known pike angler actually thought that Tony was mad to pack up. He must strike whilst the iron was hot.
"Bag up" as it were.
And then there are the reports in the angling press. "Bag up" here. "Bag up" there. Go to Ireland and "bag up" in bream.
By "bagging up", what are anglers trying to prove? How good they are?
Modern angling should not be a case of proving how good you are by how much you can catch or by how much you can "bag up". Once you have caught a couple of good fish, you have proven everything in terms of your prowess, you don't need to rub it in.
Or perhaps I again am proving to be a stupid old fart. There have been times in the past where I have caught enormous bags if fish. Somehow these catches pale into insignificance when compared with the odd specimen where I had to use every iota of angling skill I possess.
Bagging up does not always give you the most satisfaction.
What do you think?