GOOD ANGLING

[seaside]

And the few people moaning about others writing about bass is even more boring and tedious.

 

Maybe the case Steve, but why start a potentially interesting thread asking people what they consider to be 'Good Angling' and then bring in the usual narrow areas of interest. The continual flame wars between parties on this forum are doing nothing to address the issues - it's just so much hot air.

 

If people just want to attack commercials for destroying all fishing or Bass, why not just start topics with those names - as if they hasn't been beaten to death already - and then at least some topics may get through without being hi-jacked.

[Steve Coppolo]

Maybe the case Steve, but why start a potentially interesting thread asking people what they consider to be 'Good Angling' and then bring in the usual narrow areas of interest. The continual flame wars between parties on this forum are doing nothing to address the issues - it's just so much hot air.

 

If people just want to attack commercials for destroying all fishing or Bass, why not just start topics with those names - as if they hasn't been beaten to death already - and then at least some topics may get through without being hi-jacked.

 

Why criticise anyone for posting a topic at all? Differences in opinion I can understand. Heated debate, I can also understand. But petty criticism just for the sake of it baffles me. Why say anything at all if it doesn't add anything to the thread except to start bad feeling?

 

Anyway, back to the topic of the thread.

 

As I mentioned before, a lot of what makes fishing enjoyable, in my opinion, is what goes on in the anglers mind. We've all seen the kid on the pier using the wrong bait, the wrong tackle, etc. Even a few friendly words of advice go unheard because he is convinced that he's going to catch the big one any minute. I've also fished with anglers who have got 50 years experience under their belt. Still using the same tackle as they were 50 years ago, and using the wrong bait because they once caught a big Cod on it in 1965. These anglers know nothing of the things that are working against them, and they don't care. They are optimistic and will enjoy their fishing no matter what. They become conditioned to not catching anything, so even a pouting or a whiting makes the day a successful one for them.

 

Then you've got the angler who has enjoyed past success. He knows to choose the tides carefully, he knows that he needs top quality, fresh bait. He also knows where and how to fish for different species. He's probably spent a fortune on good tackle over the years, or even bought a boat of his own, he's probably had casting lessons and read plenty of books on his sport. Yet now the days when he is successful are getting fewer and fewer. The size of the fish that he does manage to catch are getting smaller and smaller. He knows that the sea fishery is not being managed properly, he knows what a gill net is and he's also aware of over fishing, etc. So when he goes down to the beach, even if he's got everything right, he doesn't feel very confident.

 

I tend to think that nowdays, it's the more inexperienced anglers who are getting more enjoyment out of "just being there". Personally, I want more from my sport than that.

[big_cod]

Fishing is about haveing your own time to just chill ,relax and hope you are going to get one hell of a bite that nearly pulls your rod out of the stand i.

Edited March 26, 2006 by big_cod

[Jim Roper]

Good angling is catching something, with a rod and reel, that is worth taking home to eat,

[five bellies]

First off, how much of your license money actually goes back into your sport????

 

In Australia, we have a license to fish sea and fresh, depending on the state; Qld only has a freshwater license to fish any of 29 impoumdments in the state, of which, 75% goes directly to stocking the dam/dams of our choice and the other 25% is for admin purposes. We do not have a license to fish salt water, ergot, about 90% of the Qld fishos only go to the salt water....

 

Good angling is enjoying the environment AND your mates' company, as this pic indicates (3 inches of rain)

I'm the one in the red rain jacket. We had a great time in the rain......and NO grog.

 

 

What in the name of god is that? Also what type of fish is that?

[Sharkbyte]

Good fishing is making the best of what is avaliable, when I was a very young'un minow, gudgeon, small roach . . . 'happy days'. Towards the other end of life, I'v learned that 'making the best of things' is the way to be content, grey hairs come quick enough with out encouragment. Funny that, did not have to learn it when I was a youngster, it was naturaly excepted. I think some of us should do a little rethinking? Laying down rules is fine if it is practical, the sea is not a stew pond. Things will change, one way or the other, on the mean time, chill out, look for the silver lining.

 

For me its catching a few fish, looking forward to some lighter line fishing, and a bit of fluf chucking for bass and mullet, relaxing on my boat with Hazel, glass of wine, a little county music and watching the world go by. Roll on summer . . .

 

Surely it's this laid back attitude that has robbed the younger generations of Sea Anglers almost any chance of some decent Cod sport around here Cliff.

 

Just to nail my colours to the mast, I enjoy catching anything. In the absence of any decent winter sport at sea I have spent the winter months Perching and Piking. Some days I've enjoyed trying to catch a few lively's so much I've spent the whole day roaching instead.

 

I'm in total agreement that just being out soaking up the surroundings is the best thing about the sport.

[Guest CJS2]

We all get different things from fishing, gardening, golf etc. A good day to one is a poor day to the next guy, me I just love fishing, my boat and what I do in the periods that I am on my boat. A frustrating day on board my boat, with the fish not coperating, thats not a bad day, then again not a red letter day either. one analises why and how, this is like after tast in a good wine, and I look forward to next time. In fact the wine, company and happnings of the day as a whole may out way a lack of fish?

 

What about the day when one goes down the river in the evening, anchores up, watch the sunset Hazel dishes up a memerable salad, say smoked mackeral or stilton and ham with apricots . . . , no fishing, just each other company. Stay on the mooring and sleep on board, I get up at bird cherp, the early mornig mist rises from the water, one gets to see a stagering sunrise, waders and gulls of all sorts taking breaky', not a sole to disterb the tranquility. Bass fishing at its best on the right tide, one catches a couple of fish in the 3lb almost mark the rest are schoolies, and thats it, nothing better, back to the marina by midday. I have had a great weekend.

 

By the criteria set out in the inital post that should have been we should learn there is more to life, learn to live.

 

'A little bit of this and a little bit of that, and a little bit of the o***r'

 

Edited March 26, 2006 by CJS2

[Steve Coppolo]

Obviously we all have our own ideas about what good angling is. What makes angling good is another question.

 

Cliffs reference to golf made me realise where we might be getting confused a bit. I used to play a hell of a lot of golf. There were days when every tee shot found the rough, every short putt was missed and I'd lose about a dozen balls. That was bad golf, but it was still golf and I'd always go back for more. Every now and then I'd have a day when every tee shot split the fairway, every approach found the green and even the long putts were holed. That was good golf, and that's what made me go back after the bad rounds.

 

It's the same with fishing. Obviously we can't have good days all the time, but it's the memory of those good days that keeps us going back. It's just a shame that the good days have become a rarity. We have to take the good with the bad, it's all fishing and we still love it. But the question was what makes good fishing.

[Bobj]

What in the name of god is that? Also what type of fish is that?

 

G'day mate, that happens to be a tail-fin batfish, or moony (Platax teira). They grow to 60 cm and about 9 lbs

[five bellies]

G'day mate, that happens to be a tail-fin batfish, or moony (Platax teira). They grow to 60 cm and about 9 lbs

 

 

Cheers mate