I was wondering if football's 'groundhopping' concept - visiting as many football grounds as you can in order to cross them off your list - has any parallel in flyfishing.

Do any of you make a point of clocking up as many new waters as you can each year, or do you merely travel beyond your neighbourhood to fish as and when circumstances allow?

I'm aware that 'groundhoppers' aren't always viewed in flattering terms by the wider footballing fraternity, so feel free to PM me your response, if you'd prefer...

__________________
Jeffrey Prest
Features Editor
Trout Fisherman

All the best for 2011 mate,

Horses for courses .....

For 2011 i'm planning to fish as many different rivers as possible....

__________________
www.te-ff.org/
Trout Fisherman Magazine.
Hardy/Greys. Fulling Mill.

Jeff, personally I don't obsess about visiting numerous different fisheries, but equally I have found that just fishing one or two waters endlessly is a bad idea...particularly if they are small stillwaters as opposed to reservoirs or rivers. Relative success through familiarity gives the angler an over-inflated idea of his or her own capabilities; you have no alternative to go to if the water "goes off" for any reason; and repeating the same tactics at the same times in the same places can get too easy and therefore quite boring.

What seems to work for me is gently expanding the envelope in terms of fisheries visited and skills accumulated each year.

In 2010 I caught from three small stillwaters (Avon Springs, Avington and Holbury); two reservoirs (Sutton Bingham and Farmoor 2), and three chalkstreams (Upper Avon, Piddle and Dun). I am aiming to add Haywards Farm, Pitsford, and the lakes and stream at Albury to that list in 2011 and am hatching a plan to fish 4 stillwaters in Devon on a holiday in 2012.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

Interesting, a kind of munro bagging or twitching for anglers.

From my point of view I don't fish as varied a number of fisheries annually as I used to, mainly because I am now a memebr of four different clubs/associations, two on the river two stillwater so by the time I utilise them it doesn't leave much time for anywhere else, although I do normally manage to squeeze in another two or three trips to other stillwaters.

Up here in Shetland we have hundreds of lochs and each year I try to fish different ones to cross off my list, but still go to a few regulars.This is usually dependant on the time I have available and the weather.

Interesting concept this, speaking personally, this winter I drew up a list of places within 2 hours driving of where I live and did a bit of research about what time of year would be best to go and am steadily working my way through them.

I fit this around the weather and all the other things that get in the way of fishing (work for one) and it makes it all a bit more interesting going somewhere different instead of just where you are a member. Once a month I set off not knowing what to expect and it is a bit more of a challenge to see if you can take what you have learnt on your local water and apply it, or reversing it, take some advice from somewhere new and, if it is succesful (or maybe not), use it on you own water.

As someone told me when I started this lark, you never stop learning, and that to me is part of the attraction. Another part is getting out of the house, but that really is another story!

All the best
OTT

__________________
'If you didn't waste your youth, you never had one!'. Bloke in the public bar circa 1970

That was the first thing I thought of when I read Jeff's post. I don't know if it would be feasible to compile a set of fisheries tables though because unlike mountains the list is always changing.

Personally, I do try to fish different fisheries, rivers and loch's even though I have my favourites but wouldn't say I consciously have a " hit " or "tick " list in mind.

If push came to shove and I had to categorise my piscatorial travels I'd probably fall into this category.

If I am holiday somewhere however, I will do a wee bit of research and try to pick off a couple of the best spot's regardless of what method of fishing is involved.

__________________
Tight Lines. :)

I would like to try ,if the good lord spares me long enough, to wet a line on most of the major stillwater trout fisheries in the UK and Ireland. I have most of the Irish ones done and a good few of the UK ones done.Some I will visit again others I'm not so pushed on but it is still nice to experience new water every so often. Still a good few UK ones left to do and maybe one or two a little further a field but hey, any day you get to fish anywhere is a good day.
Tight Lines
Trout Hunter

__________________
Trout,great to hunt,greater to release.

I DO!!
But on a global scale!
Have two or three of the boxes still to tick before i exit this life!
Kola. (2013 perhaps)
Argentina. (2012)
And mebbes iceland, but as the wife sees that as duplication, might not happen.
Have fly fished all round world for all species, having progressed from the all over Scotland bit. not arrogant, just done it!
regards
bert

I don't make it a point to fish as many as i can,however it is nice to try out new waters.Getting to know one venue is good,however it does become a tad boring constantly visiting one or even two regular haunts.
The above remarks are aimed at my stillwater trout fishing as i do not fish rivers for trout.
If i did(as were my coarse fishing days on my local river)i would be happy to stay on the same stretch of water.