Articles and stories on fishing in general

Posts and other content that look at all things fishing in general, salt water and fly fishing.

19
Jan
2015

Five New Fishing Quotations and Sayings 19 Jan 2015

Five more fishing quotes and sayings, and the total rises to 1230, all available on the Quotes Page.

Number 1226

“Nothing in this world so enlivens my spirit and emotions as the rivers I know.  They are necessities.” – Nick Lyons

Number 1227

“There is a cost to a fish being caught, even if it is promptly released.” – Paul Guernsey

Number 1228

“You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?” – Ernest Hemmingway

Number 1229

“You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother.”
– Ernest Hemmingway

Number 1230

“…buying a fly rod in the average city store, that is, joining it up and safely waggling it a bit, is much like seeing a woman’s arm protruding from a car window: all one can readily be sure of is that the window is open.” – Robert Travers

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing humour, fishing quotes, Life & Stuff
24
Jul
2014

Five New Fishing Quotations and Sayings: 24 July 2014

Here we go again, five new pithy and fishy quotations and saying, bringing the total up to 1210.

“Celebrity chefs are the leaders in the field of food, and we are the led. Why should the leaders of chemical businesses be held responsible for polluting the marine environment with a few grams of effluent, which is sub-lethal to marine species, while celebrity chefs are turning out endangered fish at several dozen tables a night without enduring a syllable of criticism?”

– Charles Clover

“Fish,” he said softly, aloud, “I’ll stay with you until I am dead.”

– Ernest Hemingway

“It takes a man who is a thinker. To catch the big one, hook, line and sinker!”

– NA

“Floods of humanity, lakes of peace, rivers of gold, the tides of war; all we are and do is linked to the water of life.”

– David Mead

“As with a faint star in the night’s sky, one can better understand fishing’s allure by looking around it, off to the side, not right at it”

– Holly Morris

See all 1210 Fishing quotations and sayings…

Posted by Tony Bishop in environment and conservation, fishing quotes
28
Jun
2014

Atop the Angling Mountain: The Five Stages of Fly Fishing

“I don’t remember when I first heard the phrase, but for a while now experienced fly fishers have been regaling new anglers with tales of “The Five Stages of Fly Fishing.” These are the levels we all go through at one point or another in our fly fishing careers; at least if we stick around long enough to move up the ladder…”

Nice article on the Hatch Magazine site, on  the five stages of fly-fishing – guess we all go through them or are going through them.

Mind you I am not sure that the five stages only apply to fly fishing – pretty sure they match all forms of fishing and fish.

Posted by Tony Bishop in Articles and stories on fishing in general, fly fishing
31
Jan
2014

“Damsels in Distress” on a New Zealand Stream

Absolutely amazing footage…

“ My wife and I were fishing with friend/guide Dean Whaanga in New Zealand when a combination of bad weather and good timing resulted in a fish giving us the experience of a lifetime. I crawled on my stomach with my camera to the water’s edge, hit record, and watched what was one of the coolest moments I have ever witnessed.”

It only runs for two and a bit minutes, but my guess is you will repeat view several times. Watch in HD and full screen.

See it here.

Posted by Tony Bishop in Fishing Travel, Fishing Videos, fly fishing, New Zealand Fishing
10
Jan
2014

Understanding line weight.

lineweight

This short but very clear video explains why it’s ok to up-line or down-line your rod depending on the distance you’re fishing. Use the rating on the rod as a guideline and find the line that suits YOU.

I was especially surprised by how little weight difference there is between fly-lines – how about the weight of a business card for one line type/weight.

Posted by Tony Bishop in Fishing Videos, fly fishing, fly fishing gear, fly fishing how-to
06
Nov
2013

Overhyping the Fear Factor Doesn’t Help Fishing

Kirk Deeter, of Field &Stream, wonders whether the fishers of tomorrow are getting the right message.  

“I gave another elementary school talk the other day, and was once again blown away by the enthusiasm 10-year-olds have for fishing. They asked many great questions, but there was a pattern that left me feeling concerned. funnyshark

"Have you ever been attacked by a shark?" (Nope… but I’ve watched them jump and thrash when I’ve fought them on a fly rod, and I’ve had them brush against me when I’m scuba diving.)

Have you ever been bit by a rattlesnake? (No… but I am afraid of them, so I try really hard not to step on them.)

What fish scares you the most? (The trout that’s rising, and I cannot figure out how to catch it… I think I’m losing my mind.)

Have you ever seen a big fish kill anyone? (No, not any people. I’ve seen big fish eat little fish, and birds, and that sort of stuff.)

Have you ever been attacked by a "river monster?" (Not yet.)

Look, I get what the show "River Monsters" is all about…”

Read the whole story.

Posted by Tony Bishop
11
Aug
2013

Extreme fishing: from Vladimir Putin to Robson Green, sport at its most macho, or is it?

“Angling used to be about mystery and tranquillity. Now it’s about landing the biggest river monster you can battle from the depths, and it’s becoming a big global business, too.”

Very insightful article in the UK ‘Guardian’ about ‘stunt fishing’.(Link fixed)

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing media, Fishing Videos, Life & Stuff, weird fishy stuff
24
Jul
2013

Five New Fishing Quotations and Sayings: Jul 24 2013

Here we go with some wit and wisdom wrapped around fishing – quote numbers 1151 – 1155.

“I can think of nothing material that has been substantively improved for the angler in the past fifty years, except his waders”
– Gordon Wickstrom, Late in an Angler’s Life

“The choice between the rainbow – often easier to hook and harder to land, and the brown – always harder to hook and sometimes easier to land, is a matter of taste and style, and there are no rights and wrongs in the matter.”
– Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

“One man’s fish is another man’s poisson” 
– Hoo Izit

“Thank you, dear God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough. Thank you for the rain. And for the chance to wake up in three hours and go fishing: I thank you for that now, because I won’t feel so thankful then.”
– Garrison Keillor

“When I die, I want one of life’s great mysteries revealed to me: if some slob can carry a full 12 ounce can of beer half a mile to stream, why the hell can’t he carry it out when it is empty?”
– R. Chad Chorney, Blood Knot Magazine

Now 1155 fishing quotations here.

Posted by Tony Bishop in fishing humour, fishing quotes
14
May
2013

The ‘UK Grip’ – A Trout Killer Too!

badgripuk

Some people who read my recent article on ‘grip and kill’ when taking photos of trout have pointed out the style of grip shown above – I call it the ‘UK grip’ and it can be lethal.

Those who follow UK trout fishing magazines and websites may have noticed the prevalence of photos with the trout being held as seen in the photo above. I did a quick flick through a pile of recent top selling UK magazines and websites and as rough estimate well over 50% of fish are held by the UK grip.  I believe trout are held this way to show off the fact that the fish is a ‘full-finned’ or wild fish, not a stocked fish.

Many (most?) stocked fish have their tails and fines damaged by other fish and the concrete walls of the stock pens. So to show off the fact the fish is ‘full-finned and tailed’ you need a grip that does just that. That grip which I have called the ‘UK grip’ is great for showing fins and tails, but is it good for the trout? No.

The UK grip means that the tail of the fish is not firmly held by fingers encircling the base of the tail – to do so would ‘hide’ the tail. So the holder must squeeze the fish as shown above. If the fish thrashes about the grip around the heart area has to increase. All bad news for the heart and other organs.

This practice needs to stop, and fishing media can stamp it out almost immediately. Magazines and websites need to stop showing fish held in this way.

Posted by Tony Bishop in environment and conservation, fishing media, Fishing Videos, trout information, weird fishy stuff
07
May
2013

Trout Dying To Get a Good Photo

We all should know the rules for releasing a trout with the best chance of survival, but there is one rule that is almost never included in articles about successful releasing.

So, you have landed the fish as quickly as possible to limit capture stress and you are about to pick up the fish and a get a few ‘grip and grin’ shots before release.

But, grip and grin, can all too often turn into grip and kill, and it is all down to where you grip, and how you grip, the trout that can determine its survival.

Link corrected – Read the full story and see the grip and kill photos.

The worst example of ‘grip and kill’ in these shots – almost certain lethal damage to heart, liver and gills. Photo of worst grip and kill grip
Posted by Tony Bishop in environment and conservation, fly fishing, fly fishing how-to, trout information