The Biggest Question of All

Why do YOU go fishing?

Have you ever thought about why you actually go fishing and what keeps you going ? How many anglers have left the sport, for varied reasons, only to rediscover it again years later through their children or because there is once again the need for angling’s benefits in their lives. Is it the ‘hunter’ instinct that drives us in all weathers to line the countries waterways or is it something else?

I have repeatedly asked these questions of myself over the past six months after I, for no apparent reason, lost my desire to go fishing. Now this may horrify some of you and it did me at first, which is what lead to me having a good hard long look at my fishing and what it did for me.

Now those of you still in shock at the thought that someone would not want to go fishing one day after wetting a line for all of their life need not worry as this is not a medical condition so you can’t catch it, but it is a psychological condition that can develop over time if you are not guarded against it. I will now explain how my condition developed so others can be spared the consequences.

In the couple of months before Christmas my time is always at a premium with family commitments and the pressures of work. I also had a change of role at work which entailed me taking on extra responsibilities and studying for a qualification. This meant opportunities to go fishing were at a premium and with the adverse winter weather conditions I found myself making excuses not to get out when the opportunity arose. Whilst tidying out the garage (one such excuse) I looked at my life long accumulated mountain of tackle with my usual pride and realised that something was very wrong with me, seeing as it wasn’t getting used.

I started thinking about my fishing and why I went.

My fishing had always been goal orientated; by this I mean that I never went fishing just for fun, I was looking most of the time for a new personal best, whether it be a single species, best on a particular method or best total bag for a session. Angling had become almost like a second job, I just went and didn’t give a second thought why. Also like a job, my targets had meant my fishing had become pressured and I had gotten into the mindset that to be successful and enjoy myself I must be catching larger or more fish than anyone else. I also realised that the state of modern angling generally had left me feeling very disenfranchised with the sport. As I work shifts all of my angling is solitary, I do like a social on the bank but I increasingly found the anglers I was meeting on the bank and chatting to were leaving me with a very bitter taste of what our sport could become. By this I mean that most of the anglers I met did two things, they went fishing, and continually moaned and complained about fishing and that was it.

I have now re-evaluated my fishing and as a result my motivation and desire to get out on the bank is as strong as ever.

The first thing I did was take a break, which means I haven’t been fishing for three months and won’t go again until the 1st March. I have still kept in touch with angling through the papers, mags and of course Fishingmagic so I have not endured a total angling de-tox . I have also made enjoying my fishing the priority rather the end result. The venue, comfort and relaxing are the priority now.

I often daydream about fishing and when I do this, it is always the scenery and ambience that dominates rather than actually catching fish, and this is now the reason I fish. I fish purely to relax, not to compete with the bigger is best, or the longer you spend, or the more expensive is better brigade. I shall still fish alone at least half of the time as this allows me to unwind and gives me personal thinking time and space. Fishing is my release from the rat- race and taking the goal orientated aspect away from my fishing it will greatly enhance my enjoyment of the sport.

So I am now cured and raring to go and my advice to you all is to have a good long hard think about your fishing, and what you get out of it. Concentrate on the aspects of the sport that give you the most satisfaction and that way you will never think twice about going. For some that will mean being competitive and beating personal bests but for others it may just change their fishing for ever. If you do this, the next time someone asks you what type of angler you are the only honest answer you will be able to give is ‘pleasure’ because that is all we seek from our sport.