I Resent . . . .

[Guest Peter Waller]

This comes out of the thread on Traditional Angling. I suppose, for me, the halcyon days of angling were a few years ago. All I asked was to be left alone to enjoy my fishing. I was happy with the way, in general, that angling went about its business, no busy-bodies interfering with the way things were. Any rule changes came from above, which seemed quite reasonable. I was quite happy with the close season, quite happy to be limited to only two rods. But then my fellow angler started to interfere. Well meaning I don't doubt but, non the less, interfering. What made it worse was that the interferers were probably acting in 'their' best interests, not 'ours'. I wonder, at the back of the minds of many posters, who have objected to those who are politically motivated, whether this resentment factor is not the trigger for ill feelings coming to the surface. There are those who have said that we should all become involved in angling organisations. I wonder, there is a lot to be said for apathy. It might mean that the apathetic amongst us are generally happy with the way things are, or were before being interfered with.

[Guest trent.barbeler]

Peter,

I Resent?

 

There has been a lot of talk and even open criticism concerning apathy in angling/fishing. I personally have never understood this. Surely apathy is the all important ingredient in embracing fishing days and fishing ways.

 

I love the picture of the working man being up before dawn on a Sunday morning going down to the garden shed, collecting up his mixture of fishing tackle then quietly disappearing through narrow streets under smoking chimney's onward into the country side on his way to some quiet idylic watery place.

 

Some people it seems, consider apathy in angling/fishing to be a bad thing.

For heavens sake why?

 

Apathy IS fishing. It is the very reason why we all go to fish in the first place.

 

Life generally, is full of pressures that were not placed before the working man/woman in days gone by. Where does all the time go. Life seems to speed by like a runaway train and before you know it, we will all arrive at the last station on the line of life.

 

Apathetic fishing is one of the things that the angler/fisherman employes to slow down the speed of modern life. A few hours every week spent thinking of nothing else but being there just fishing.

 

There is no doubt that you are very unhappy about your own fishing and the fishing practices of others. You are also very unhappy about some/all of the people who work behind the scenes within angling politics. Well Peter, from your last postings there seems that nothing that I can ever hope to say will change the way your eyes see angling/fishing. You seem to be entrenched within a world I just cant see.

 

Sadly, "I Resent" is wholly appropriate in the way you seem to see our sport.

[Guest 'eelfisher']

I couldn't agree more with lee's reply to Pete's 'I resent' thread.

How strange that some of us are now forgetting why we go fishing.

To some it was to become known, to others it was to follow in others footsteps...to me it is about going into a differnt world, away from the stress's of working and family life.

When I am fishing, actual or just being there on the banks, I am on my own and at ease with life.

Steve.

[Guest Graham E]

I think there are a few comments here that hit at the "Spirit of Angling" for many of us.

Sitting on the bank, enjoying the wildlife, wildlife and fauna in your favourite swim.

The occasional passing friend or stranger to share a few words. At peace, away from the hubbub of modern life and knowing that the next pull might be a gudgeon or even a 10lb bargeon.

Then along comes the "MAN"

peep, peep, setup and cast and cast again. All rods out covering at least 100yards of water. Time to go home and reflect.

Ols fashioned maybe, spirit of angling certainly.

[Guest Alan Pearce]

Agree totally about the spirit of angling and wish that it could always be so simple. However there are so many external forces at work that can, and will if left unchecked, spoil or deprive us of the sport which we adore.

 

Having just returned from a couple of days fishing a 100 acre plus water reminded me that six years ago this magnificent reservoir was nearly lost to coarse fishing if it hadn't been for a long and hard battle by a small group of us who often fished there, now it is open to all for a £5 day ticket. Unfortunatly for the pike angler there is still much to be done as the new management appear to be making things more difficault rather than easier for the pikers. But following a conversation today with the fishery manager, and a little help from the PAC I'm confident we can have this element of the sport back on track for next season. As for the superb tench and bream fishing its all systems go, the recent discovery of some huge carp has drawn some new anglers to the water, and guess what, every one gets on well with each other.

 

Apathy nice, but potentially dangerouse.

 

Alan.

[Guest Dave@brynhall]

Hi Trent.barbeler,you've hit the nail on the ed!Every minute @ work is spent dreaming of being apathetic

Dave

[Guest DCB]

I used to think that apathy in angling's participants was the root cause of our sport's problems.

No longer.

Apathy lies with much of the leadership.

When you all agree that apathy at grass roots level don't you mean that we take part in an escapist sport? Escapism is a positive and apathy is a negative.

We should be proud to be escapists - a rare breed in todays PC society.

[Guest poledark]

A great deal of the blame for the decline in fishing standards and the ability to simply enjoy fishing must be laid at the door of Angling Times, constantly calling anyone who caught the biggest or the most, a Star.

 

What is it that make some anglers think that by forming a "Group" or "Study Group" composed of a little clique of friends they suddenly become the only ones who know anything about fishing?

 

As Peter says,most rule changes came down from on high and most of these changes were made by men of wisdom and experience, not by pressure groups pushing for their own advantage.

 

Why on earth would anyone want or need to fish with 4 rods I cannot imagine, no doubt I will be told that I have no imagination. On the contrary I have a vivid imagination and can see that inability cannot be cured by adding extra rods.

[Guest poledark]

i

 

[This message has been edited by poledark (edited 16 April 2001).]

[Guest Paul Williams]

Poledark,

Here we go again....i fish with anything from one to three rods...why o why must you have a go at me? i can fish a waggler on stillwater, a stick on a river, a feeder with a bowed line, a feeder with a bolt rig, floater fish, lure fish....i might not be any good at any of them but i can pick up my gear and go do just what my mood dictates isn't that what it's all about? i don't care how you fish, why the hell do you worry about how i fish?......i know when i need 3 rods i NEVER take another anglers space, but i have had guy's with one rod try to take mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!