No passion for angling?

[Graham Elliott]

Not having read the other contributing posts. I fully understand what your saying.

Once upon a time as a youngster, I recall the sleepless nights before the following days early start & getting up with my brother at 4am brings back wonderful memories. Even cycling to the nearest angling shop to buy 5 or 6 pints of maggots was very exciting for us both at the time.
Fast forward a few years and around 18 yes old fishing the Windrush, I caught an opening day 6lb plus chub, and my first ever barbel, unfortunately it was a humped back specimen, and full of ulcers, so not the most thrilling of captures, but a barbel nonetheless.
Heading to my 20's 30's I had a few barbel days with the likes of Trefor West, and our very own Graham Elliott (affectionately known as the silver fox on here a few yrs back) catching a few barbel with Trefor down at Lacock on the Bristol Avon, and with Graham on the Kennet, where we caught one barbel from memory, but I ended up with fish well into 14lb thereafter. So it was the likes of Graham and Trefor that gave me the specimen hunters addiction I had in me & was thankful for having it!

Now, I've not fished seriously for barbel in a few years, mainly due to declined numbers of that species where I am, but there's still a few knocking around....some may recall I lost my brother 3 yrs ago now, all of a sudden whilst he was on holiday with his wife and kids, and having him repatriated took over 6 weeks, so understandably my fishing sibling is no longer around and I lost all enthusiasm for the sport...
I'm only starting to seriously think about making a return now, but with my brother passing away impacted me so badly, to the point of just thinking what I needed for a days fishing was too much for me to think about... I just couldn't do it!

So as life's changed I'm not as passionate about angling as I once was, this current pace of life is ridiculous, where you don't feel you have the time or energy after work to get out to fish. But I do know that once I do sort myself out, it'll be the best thing I've done in the past few years!

I'm going to fish without expectations as well, and come away from the specimen fishing mentality , as I think that too started to impact on my enjoyment for the sport. And I was setting too higher expectations on my self and started to not enjoy being out bankside.

No. I'm going to go out, fish in the shade of an old tree, hold the rod tightly and have a snooze if I so wish, whilst listening out for a kingfisher, Swifts or Swallows above, or get awoken by a 16lb plus barbel. I'm just going to get out in the countryside and find some peace & quiet!

Lovely Julian.

Different types of fishing is the key.
Fly fishing for Zander, Trout, Carp and Pike.
Float fishing for all types. Including the challenge of Mullet.
Spring chasing tench, feeder or float.

And as you say, relax.

 

[Jon Young]

One thing I would add on the nature side is I love seeing all the different animals barring rats and otters. The mice I can handle although I don’t like being sat shoulder to shoulder in undergrowth when it gets dark and they’re russling about right next to you. Otters I don’t like for obvious reasons but I hate when they creep up on you in the dark, see you then dive under the water making you jump out your skin

 

[Neil Smart]

With you on that Jon, just to think many civvies would give their right arm just to glimpse an Otter in the wild.
But they are incredible and for me although can ruin a session they are now embedded into our rivers and we can hope there is now a sustainable balance.
It's not what you can see it's as you say all that rustling that normally ends temporarily with a conversation with a bank stick.
As a body of eccentric society misfits Anglers are well placed in seeing things others don't from swimming grass snakes to big cats, and I I wouldn't change a bit of it, thank God for fishing.

 

[Stephen Crowhurst]

I don’t think a day will ever come where nearly standing on a Pheasant and the resulting chaos does t make me jump.

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I don’t think a day will ever come where nearly standing on a Pheasant and the resulting chaos does t make me jump.

I'm sure they must account for the deaths of a lot old people each year.

 

[Carl Massey]

You can have both. I’ve just spent nearly 48hrs on the tidal Trent with my 9 year old daughter. She loved it - the camping out, the food, taking photos of nature and the sunsets and enthusiastically showing me the pictures. She’s been Carp fishing with me a couple of times and always comments how good food tastes when we’re outdoors, our morning bacon sandwiches especially…

We watched the lambs playing around us and saw a Fox swim right across the river early one morning. Virtually no sound other than the animals and the occasional train horn from the East Coast Mainline a few miles away. Just us and one other angler on the 1.5 mile stretch. Has to be like a military operation in the packing and preparation though, but there’s plenty of time to wind down. I wouldn’t do this for a single night.

She’d already decided she wanted to come again before we’d even caught anything! We did catch a few though.

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Great picture Rob (and daughter)! I think that certainly sums up fishing as there’s achievement but more just the pure joy of it all.

I started this thread after contemplating live (my live really) while sat in the conservatory watching that spider weave it’s web. How something so small and innocent can make something so wonderful. Why, in this mad world humanity can’t come to terms with living with one another. It’s really quite sad. This post is / was my way of reaching out and seeking a little justification for my going fishing. Why I’ve spent a “few pounds” getting some really nice fishing gear again after having a break for some time. I was more questioning my own passion for angling now than really asking your good selves. I like Julian have lost people very dear to me, and most recently one of my parents. Grief is a strange thing so upon reading his lovely words about his brother and his struggles to go fishing I really do get it.

Fishing instils all those good things in life as I have many great memories of catching, and losing some big fish (we never forgot those do we). It is certainly my way to escape the senseless world out there and for a few hours just sit on the riverbank and reset.

The next best thing to fishing is talking about it and I feel like this forum feels like stepping into the nice homely country pub, let’s call it the Barbel Arms. I haven’t met any of you but I sort of know a little bit about you. Thank you for all the knowledge so it’s time to go fishing again. I tip my cap and raise a glass to all.

Tight lines.

 

[Chris Belcher]

Agree with Graham . . . mixing it up is key, as is fishing to conditions / seasons etc

As a carp angler primarily I love all the tech / bling / home comforts at my disposal and will happily blank for 48hrs+ without a care in the world . . .as long as I'm presented correctly I'm quite happy waiting it out for a biggie whilst cooking / reading / listening to LBC / drinking endless cups of t / the odd half bottle of red and vaping too much whilst I watch the world go by. . .spring & autumn are key periods; winter is too wet/muddy & cold to sit it out irrespective of how good my Fortis bag is and I've wasted far too much time historically for little return . . .

Summer / Winter I'd generally much rather be doing days on the river or maybe evenings on an intimate estate lake - love an early start (and finish) in near darkness and the simplicity of travelling light / watching a pair of tips without always knowing whats on the other end (hopefully a PB barbel or chub) or freelining mixers on the top using a braided mainline and a soft rod (for carp) always keeps me interested . . .

Trotting for all species is def still a passion as this was how I started as a boy . . .there's nothing more hypnotising than wading out as far as you dare and watching a float meander down a glide / run in search of a monster - for me its arguably still one of the purest forms of angling

More recently I've really started to enjoy my holiday fishing abroad - I'm not talking about a week chasing fat mud pigs at Etang du Whatever (although I have had lots of awesome French Carping adventures tbf) . . . this is about sneaking a 5x piece travel rod and a small bag of lures / terminal tackle in the suitcase and sloping off when shes nodded off on the sunbeds . . . chasing mullet in the harbour with a float / lure fishing for bass / chatting up the hotel restaurant for a small bag of squid and then lobbing out a simple heli-rig off the marina wall and touch ledgering for a whole host of creatures, some of which (as a sea fishing noddy) I've no idea what they actually are . . . . .awesome!