Weaknesses?

[Graham Whatmore]

If you read between the lines of what the more experienced (older?) anglers on here write then you see their more philosophical attitude coming out. They've done it all before, experienced the highs and the lows and have learnt to accept what the day brings to them and enjoy it for the pure joy of going out fishing. You still would like to catch that big fish of your dreams and you will try your damndest to do so but you prefer the dream to the enormous effort needed to do so.

Is it idleness? I prefer to think its the fact that you have learned to enjoy your fishing and lost some of the competitive attitude you once had. Its funny how the swims nearest the car park become more attractive when you get older as well!

 

[Malc Bason]

I don't know about philosophical attitude so much Graham. You have mentioned two things that could be considered a weakness:

1) Loss of competetive attitude;
2) Carp park swims.

If I chose the carp park swim myself for any reason other than watercraft, then I would consider it a weakness.

I think a lot of people are just happy to get on the bank and dangle their angle, I too often come into that category. But the waters I usually fish, mean if I don't work hard at it I won't catch.

Perhaps we can sometimes see a weakness in others' fishing more than they can themselves?

 

[Jeff (AKA Cheeky Monkey, Spud, Jay Dubya, Woody .]

"If I chose the carp park swim myself for any reason other than watercraft, then I would consider it a weakness."

It is, a definite weakness of the body to go much further. )


Don't know if I ever had much "competitive attitude". Nature was always the opponent and against her, you have little chance. She's been doing it for 4,000,000,000 years at least.

 

[The Monk]

must say I`ve always had a weakness for women,especially big bow fronted ones, which has caused serious problems with my fishing at times,

just as a tip here, keep your fishing dairy well away from those people at the CSA

 

[Malc Bason]

lol

 

[Paul Deans]

?Big bow fronted women!?

A most fascinating reason for you to miss out on fishing sessions Monk,
Why not submit an article on the subject ( incl. pictures of course! ), maybe the combined help from the forum could be of service if we could ?see? the problem more clearly?(you could pad the feature out a bit by throwing in a few carp fishing tips with the pictures!).

 

[David Craine]

My weakness is packing up to go home, allways.. just one more cast.

 

[GrahamM]

Graham has got it exactly right for me, in a nutshell I don't care as much as I once did about what I catch. Being out fishing is enough pleasure in itself.

But good luck to those who still have the fire in their bellies to catch the biggest fish they can. My fire is now just a warm glow; pleasant all the time, but only occasionally the inferno needed to consistently catch big fish of a variety of species.

 

[GrahamM]

By the way Malc, excellent thread, just the sort we need more of.

 

[The Monk]

cheers Paul, I would but thee type of ruffe slapper I get involved with could plummit these excellent threads to the point of no return

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)]

My weakness is packing up early, especially when I've managed to catch the fish I have been targeting.

What runs through my head is the thought after catching a few fish: "What more do I have to prove after all these years? I can still do it."

I do tend to fish a lot harder when the fishing is hard too.

But other than that, I am much like Graham.

 

[Malc Bason]

Experience and age apart (I'm 50 now so no youngster), could it be that the difference lies between those who are happy to catch whats in front of them, and those who target single species?

I certainly never worried about too many things prior to targetting carp. As long as my float was at what I considered to be the correct depth, and the shotting pattern was about right I was happy with my fishing.

Having targetted carp for nigh on ten years now, my attitude has changed. I suppose if I fished somewhere that did not offer me too much of a challenge (yes I have fished them), then I would'nt wonder about it too much.

But now I do think about any weaknesses I may have, I do have to really think about what I'm doing, and on returning from another blank session, it just makes me wonder even more.

 

[Mike Redding]

I have the really annoying habit of having moments of utter clarity, when I realise exaxctly what changes in swim, feeding patters or tactics would improve my catch rate.

Sadly these moments of clarity come the day after fishing, once my brain has had time to mull the session over. If only I could improve the timing of these brainwaves!

My other problem is, due to limited bank-time (such as after work quickies), I tend to fell I have to go armed with a preconceived idea of how best to tackle my chosen venue in order to spend more time fishing and less time faffing. Improved flexibility would probably, for me, be a good thing.

Mike.

 

[The Monk]

time of course is the key to successful angling and being able to change when condition dictate. For many years I spend a good deal of time bivvied up on the bank long stay and catches of course are generally very good with this approach, recording all catches however show a different picture highlighting the most productive feeding periods, these periods change however as the season moves one and in the case of some lakes, the fish move on the wind, i`ve experienced this on a number of waters over the years and even when bivvied in for a week or so, you really do need to move as conditions dictate, through lazyness though I must confess I havent always done this and as such failed to catch fish, when its been obvious that the fish had moved to another area of the lake.

 

[Malc Bason]

".....need to move as conditions dictate, through lazyness though I must confess I havent always done this and as such failed to catch fish, when its been obvious that the fish had moved to another area of the lake."

Yes, I must confess to that one as well Monk!

Reminds me of an article by Rik and Stu:

http://www.fishingmagic.com/news/article.asp?SP=&v=4&UAN=3238

 

[Budgie Burgess]

Lack of drive and reluctence to try new things!

Yes I agree its definately an age/time spent fishing thing!

How many of us wish we had the same drive/motivation/enthusiasm as we used to when younger but with the knowledge we have now!?

 

[The Monk]

yes very true, its a funny thing to learn fishing, its not something you can rush to do, a bit like learning to play the guitar, its something which takes years of practice and experience to advance in. Motivation and enthusiasm may however be in the domain of youth as we near our later years our ideology and values change, things which used to be importants no longer take priority, which is good inthat the pleasure aspect of angling takes a much firmer grip as opposed to the competative catch at all costs attitude. Basically you older the get the more you chill.

 

[Fred Bonney]

My weakness,is on the day, staying put, and not thinking about, ways of improving things I'm doing.
It could be laziness,it could be, I'm just happy to be out in the countryside, watching the world go by.
Once a month, in the pub friendly match, is when I think the most about my fishing,but, my approach is still to try and catch the bigger fish, rather than a netfull.


I think I agree,it's an age thing!

 

[captain carrott]

Basically you older the get the more you chill.

bugger i'm asleep half the time now.

don't want to get to the stage where i turn up tackle up and doze off thus missing the whole session.
or am i old before my time, i've never done anything other than intend to enjoy it, being there is the thing out in the open wtaching the world go by if a fish turns up that just makes things better.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

I'm going to be controversial here, I think you get more out of your fishing when you get older than you do when you are younger because you still have the drive/motivation/enthusiasm that Budgie mentions but it is directed towards enjoyment/pleasure rather than catching monsters.

Since getting older I have sometimes been fishing with my mate and not even had a rap but I've still enjoyed the day out and I couldn't have said that 20 years ago for sure. Getting older has its plus's as well as its many minus's, though it is a pity it doesn't take longer to get here!!!