What Is Angling?

[zedhead]

kleinboet has just made me realise a controversial thought!

 

I also enjoy taking in the wildlfie whilst fishing, sometimes to the extent that the rod is packed away and the binocs become the major equipment, this is deviating slightly from the thread but, whilst we all go out fishing, some of us enjoy watching wildlife as a we do so, what makes fish different from wildlife?

 

As in, why do we feel compelled to catch fish as opposed to catching kingfishers or dragonflies? What makes us want to catch fish when in some instances, we could just watch them?

 

anyway back to the major point, Angling is a bloody nightmare, as it consumes a lot of time, thought, effort and my bank balance!

[kleinboet]

Zedhead, the answer is that when you are fishing, you are fighting an adversery that is in a totally different atmosphere to yours. A true angler is very aware of the fact that exposing it to our atmosphere (Air) is detremental to it, and endeavors to put the fish, in good health, back to its own atmosphere (water), as quickly as possible!

This can be repeated time after time.

A true angler RESPECTS his fish!

Edited August 5, 2007 by kleinboet

[Sportsman]

Fishing is what I do when I am doing it and what I think about when I am not doing it.

I have never been angling in my life! I can just imagine phoning up any of my mates and saying

"hey, fancy going angling tomorrow?"

I'd never live it down!

The comment about catching the fish "time after time" is one that worries me for some reason

[UK_Ozzie]

Im not becoming the fish, I am the fish

[Newt]

As quite a few others have noted, sport/pleasure fishing is very hard to quantify and for me, the only constant regardless of venue and method used is the fact that I never really KNOW what is going to bite. Sure, I know what I expect and what will probably decide to play on a given day, lake, lure/bait but there is always the fun of the unexpected where something larger and more toothy than I expect might show up.

 

I think that bit of the unknown is a big part of the attraction for me. I almost never fish ponds where the size and species are known and when I do, the occasion is always more a social outing than a fishing one.

 

Depending on the mood, I may spend a day in my boat actively fishing or on the bank more passively waiting on a fish to come to me.

 

With the boat and chasing after large or small preds, concentration is essential and the surroundings get very little attention although I often take a break from casting to look around and enjoy the sights. The concentration differs with lures where it is tactile or with floats where it is visual and while I know which I want to do, I really can't say why it is one or the other on a given day. I do know I prefer pleasure sessions to tourneys since it does allow for non-fishing time and a chance to see what is happening around me.

 

Fishing from the bank or at anchor is a more passive way to spend some time at the water with time to daydream or simply look around. There are the same needs to pay attention to tactile if holding a rod or visual if watching rod tips in a rod rest but absent a fish on, only a small part of the brain is needed so plenty of 'thinking' time that is rarely spent in any serious thinking.

 

Night fishing is a change since the eyes rest and the ears take over so I can speculate on what is making a particular sound in addition to wondering what fish will decide to take part.

 

This was an interesting topic to write on and as nearly as I can tell, I have to say that it is the 'unknown' element that makes fishing the only sport that has really kept my attention over the years.

 

Golf, pool, and the like are matters of skill with all factors known. It is highly unlikely that a golfer will have an oversize ball suddenly appear and have to play it. Equally unlikely that a pool que will possibly prove too light to deal with a particular shot without a chance of breaking.

 

Hunting (shooting for you folks) is more of a challenge but my senses (aided by some nice tools) are basically adapted to the same environment as my quarry and I can't release an animal after shooting it.

 

Give me a lake or river, a chance to outsmart creatures well adapted to an environment I can never really understand, and a time when all the cares of everyday life can be pushed aside and I am content. Fishing, for me at least, allows that as no other pastime I know of.

[corydoras]

Nice post Newt. That is one of the things I like too, you never know just what you might catch, and I love fishing at night too.

[haighy]

I don't think the complete angler exists, there is not one of us that is not constantly learning our sport. One of the great joys for me is learning and improving (hopefully!) alongside my children. Their catch, my catch, whoevers catch, the satisfaction is the same. I've enjoyed participating in many past-times over the years, but i have never before come across one which i almost constantly think about. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't start fishing at a younger age.

[Rusty]

As far as the technology goes I think that the way tackle has developed over the years has made angling far more accessible to people wanting to take it up. You can get everything you need to get started in one package for relatively little compared to 35 years ago.

 

I can remember visiting my local tackle shop as a youngster in the early seventies and drooling over rods & reels all of which were made by ABU, Daiwa, Intrepid or Garcia Mitchell. All were out of reach on my £1.25 a week paper round wages and if I wanted a Heron electronic bite indicator? No chance unless I saved for a couple of months.

 

Fishing tackle is a lot cheaper now and doesn’t present the financial barrier it once did but although I do think that we can have an easy time catching fish these days is not necessarily because of developments in tackle. In my opinion it’s the venues which have had the biggest impact on our pastime.

 

I grew up in the Mr Crabtree era and would read the books from cover to cover before heading off to my local lake convinced that I was only going to catch Tench that day. I couldn’t fail because I’d read the book, the fact that nobody in living memory had ever caught a Tench in that lake didn’t matter. As for Carp, well this hallowed species was only ever dreamed of, I wasn’t worthy of actually catching one.

 

Then during the eighties managed waters started to appear, anyone remember the Leisure Sport complex of lakes? There was always a huge waiting list and if you were lucky enough to get in you didn’t ever give up your membership. While you were waiting to join you could read Rod Hutchinson’s books about Redmire pool, a mystic syndicate water full of monster fish in a secret location. Does it still exist?

 

Fast forward 20 odd years and if you want to specifically catch carp there are limitless choices of water all of which will guarantee day long sport. If you want try for 30lb fish then no problem just book into Linear or Orchid lakes in Oxfordshire.

 

There’s no doubt in my mind that we are much better off in terms of equipment availability/cost and the choice of venues we now have. If you must have the latest kit and want home comforts whilst camping at a lake containing large fish then all of that is easily available to you. The key point, however, is that if you want to stalk a stretch of the Thames with a cane rod and Hardy centre pin then you can still do that as well.

 

We are living at a very good time if you’re an angler.

[mcboffuk]

I just spent a week 'angling' which I am fiercely passionate about and missed more bites in that week than my whole life because there was a pair of Kingfishers nesting nearby! For me it's about being outside and the hunt!

[beaks]

I don't like wilkopedia as anyone can edit it, but as for a dictionary:

 

angle

 

• verb 1 fish with a rod and line. 2 seek something desired by indirectly prompting someone to offer it: she was angling for sympathy.

 

— DERIVATIVES angler noun angling noun.

 

— ORIGIN Old English.

 

 

So basically it means anyone with rod and line, including boat fishing, beachcasting etc, but rules out trawling.