I always thought it was an American trait in sport to think more is better.
You only have to look at the final scores in basketball to realise the actual game play isn’t a large factor its how many shooting opportunities there are and who lacks the skill to score on every attack.
The more posts I seem to read on the forum the more I despair at the amount of fish people need to catch to satisfy themselves. I know we are all different but surly the art of the fly fisher is mostly in the hunt. We actively go and seek our quarry, fishing with light mobile equipment, patiently teasing out a rise in every nick and cranny, carefully selecting the next imitation to tempt our fish.
The fishery visitor seems intent nowadays of fishing with as many flies at once as is possible with ever increasing attachments and gizmos so as to expect at least one fish with every cast. Is it such a boring sport as to need these catch rates to jazz it up a bit or will many not be happy until it has turned into fresh water mackerel fishing.
Surly it would be more interesting on a small still water for instance to have just one fish. When it’s caught either return it to a holding pond and introduce another single fish or despatch for the table. What a joy to be the one to tempt that fish onto your fly to the appreciation and awe of the other anglers and the longer you don’t get it, the greater your reward.

I quite agree with you but i think its a case of i have paid for an 8 fish ticket and 8 fish i shall have still it takes all sorts.

Then buy seven from the shop and 'fish' for the other.

I agree if fishing a lure,but fishing a team of nymphs just seems more natural to me.And no i don't have a "i must catch my limit" attitude as i fish C&R,its just being out there fishing that matters to me

Neil

Well, for me, it's about pushing my skills and abilities to the limit and beyond, trying new tactics and tricks, and developing a reasonable feel for the waters thast I fish, both new waters, and familiar ones. The measure of success, is in the catch. Not neccessarilly the numbers of the catch, but the success in luring the fish out of difficult situations using cunning and innovative techniques. In fishing, there can be no other measure of the effectiveness of your techniques and tactics, other than to catch.
I love using unorthodox techniques, and get a great kick out of catching a fish by using a tactic or method that i have not tried before.

I suppose the two analogies used are at the extremes of the sport.
A single fish or a shoal of mackerel will never happen but I honestly think that if I caught a bucket full on every outing I would just get bored of it all.
It once took me over a year to catch one fish in a local stretch of river and since I caught it I have never returned to that area. I knew it was there but just couldn’t track it down once I had outwitted it the game was over. After all what’s the fun biscuits when the barrel is full.

i dont think anyone could disagree, skill is catching the harder fish rather than a number of easy ones,
amongst wild fish the harder ones tend to be bigger but if big stocked fish are as easy to catch as the rest then i can see why numbers become a way of rating how good you are, however mislead it may be.

The way I fish none are easy to catch...........

I once spent a whole day at a fishery in early February and only fished with classic dries. Now that was a challenge.

I dont like it easy......

..........arf!

What is this life if full of care

We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep, or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.



William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940


Maybe not:

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