What does it take to be the TOP angler?

[Renrag39]

I am a 'Top Angler' incognito, don'tcha know?

 

My real camouflage is blending in with the hoi polloi to look ordinary and useless, but in reality, and without the use of phoneboxes, on the deepest darkest corners of private syndicate lakes, I transform into the 'Fish Ninja!'

 

Believe it or not, they let me control trains in my day job...

Edited January 16, 2012 by Renrag39

[Tigger]

What is it with you? Have a chip on your shoulder do you, got bullied at skool (M8), whatever it is get over it and stop being a keyboard warrior and grow the feck up.

 

 

OK Neil, sorry m8

 

Please don't swear at me I feel like your bullying me M8'ey

[Phone]

Renrag,

 

Actually, I could'nt be (have been) a Top Angler if it was handed to me on a platter. As for enjoyment? You know, (just Phone talking) there are guys that are so competitive I doubt they have "fun" at much of anything. I know a number of wantabes at angling who are also amature golfers, same deal in every case.

That's not to say they don't enjoy themselves - but - they seem never satisfied - they're not pleasure hobbiest no matter what they say.

 

Of course, there are execptions.

 

Phone

[Sportsman]

Renrag,

 

Actually, I could'nt be (have been) a Top Angler if it was handed to me on a platter. As for enjoyment? You know, (just Phone talking) there are guys that are so competitive I doubt they have "fun" at much of anything. I know a number of wantabes at angling who are also amature golfers, same deal in every case.

That's not to say they don't enjoy themselves - but - they seem never satisfied - they're not pleasure hobbiest no matter what they say.

 

Of course, there are execptions.

 

Phone

 

I think that there is a great difference between celebrity or famous anglers, who may not be particularly skilled in some forms of the sport, but present well and talk a good game and the very highly skilled anglers who no-one has ever heard of. The problem is that to be that highly skilled they have to be very focussed and specialised so may not have a wide skill set but they are very very good at what they do.

As for enjoyment, some get satisfaction from just "being there", others from solving a particular problem whilst some have to prove themselves in competition and only get satisfaction from winning.

I am a "being there" sort of angler but I do enjoy catching more than blanking. I am not particularly results led though, which is why I seldom weigh or photograph fish (I seldom catch anything worth weighing or photographing )

There is however great pleasure in doing something well, like casting a tiny dry fly to a rising fish and landing it exactly where you wanted it, watching a high pheasant throw it's head back, instantly dead, from a perfectly executed shot or even watching a golf ball scream off down the middle of the fairway when you finally get all of the elements of your swing right at the same time. I think that the pleasure comes from the fact that these things don't happen all the time.

 

I have been very competitive in only two sports in my life. As a youngster I played table tennis at a pretty high level, representing my County and I also shot clay pigeons at a County level and had a couple of trials for the England team.

In both cases winning was everything, enjoyment came only from beating others.

I am glad I don't feel that way about my fishing

Edited January 16, 2012 by Sportsman

[Phone]

Sportsman,

 

Ping-pong ehh? Next time I'm in France I'll kick some butt. (See, I can talk the talk, just can't deliver.)

 

You make some VERY good points - and - I like it that it is from your experience. Winning really is EVERYTHING isn't it?

 

Phone

[Steve Burke]

I think it depends on the branch of angling we're talking about. In match angling the most competent anglers naturally rise to the top. What sets them them apart I don't know as I've done more or less no such fishing. It's probably a combination of factors, with one of them being the competitive streak Phone mentioned.

 

Competition with other anglers doesn't interest me; competition with the fish does. I suppose I could loosely be called a specimen hunter in that I seek out difficult fish, and these are often (but not always) specimens.

 

I've been lucky enough to meet and fish with a lot of specimen hunters, including not a few top "names". Some of these names aren't in reality outstanding anglers. In fact some of them are distinctly average and not as good as many on this forum. They just fish the circuit waters that contain specimen fish, fish the going swims with the going baits and with the going tactics. As a result they catch a lot of big fish, and if they choose to publicise their catches they become well known.

 

In other words if you want to make a name for yourself as a specimen hunter, or simply get an impressive list of big fish, without doubt the single most important factor is to fish the best waters. This is far more important than spending money on the best tackle.

 

On the other hand many of the top names I've met are truly outstanding anglers. They've been successful for a variety of reasons, partly because they've sought out the best venues. However one other factor stands out time and time again.

 

That is that they've all been "thinking" anglers.

 

In other words they think for themselves rather than accepting conventional wisdom. If they aren't succeeding they don't sit back and wait for things to happen. Instead they make things happen by thinking up ways to improve their results. This to me is what sets them apart.

 

Take them to a water they've never seen before and in a short time they'll have cracked it. That to me is a sign of a top angler.

[Rob Ward]

I think it depends on the branch of angling we're talking about. In match angling the most competent anglers naturally rise to the top. What sets them them apart I don't know as I've done more or less no such fishing. It's probably a combination of factors, with one of them being the competitive streak Phone mentioned.

 

On the other hand many of the top names I've met are truly outstanding anglers. They've been successful for a variety of reasons, partly because they've sought out the best venues. However one other factor stands out time and time again.

 

That is that they've all been "thinking" anglers.

 

In other words they think for themselves rather than accepting conventional wisdom. If they aren't succeeding they don't sit back and wait for things to happen. Instead they make things happen by thinking up ways to improve their results. This to me is what sets them apart.

 

I've only ever fished Matches at club and junior level but I'd say that's pretty much the same, Steve. The anglers who stood out would ring the changes until they caught even in adverse conditions.

[poledark]

Rods on matching pods, I like it Why have one rod pod with 4 rods, when you can have two matching double rod pods. And you say you are not a tackle tart. Only a complete tart could come up with such an awsome idea.

 

That's the best idea I have seen on AN in a long time Sadly it may well be.

 

On that basis , I must be the top man. I have used 2 matching pods for several years, helps to space the 4 rods out a bit.

 

Den

[Dales]

On that basis , I must be the top man. I have used 2 matching pods for several years, helps to space the 4 rods out a bit.

 

Den

 

Even with out the matching rod pods, your are a top rod Den.

[poledark]

I know that Dales but I didn't want to say it :)

 

Den