a days fishing or a days catching?

**Doppelganger** · 05-05-2008, 15:32

which do you prefer?

ive noticed a marked tendency over the past few years for anglers to take the relatively easy way out and spend thier days 'fishing' at well stocked lakes with a ticket in one hand and a stopwatch in the other.

now, im not saying theres anything wrong with this, its a good way into fishing for beginners, but what I dont like is the '4 fish for £20, catch and release for the rest of the day' that a lot of fisheries employ. I would usually be over the moon if I caught 4 fish in a single day (see other thread) and would be ecstatic if any of them were even half the size of some of the monsters lurking in what is essentially a well tended fishtank.

too many people have become lazy and want the thrill of catching a big fish without actually having to work for it. why get up and 5am and trudge 4 miles across wet moorland to reach a hill reservior with no guarantee you'll even see a fish let alone catch one, with all your needs on your back and the quite real prospect of the same trudge back with an empty bag and another down put down to experience when you can drive up to a well maintaned bothy and shop facility where you can purchase hot soup and maybe even hire tackle and spend a comfortable day waiting your turn at the most popular pegs and hoping you'll catch the £50 prize tagged fish, which of course you'll be obliged to kill.

i know fisheries need the catch and kill policy otherwise the pools would soon be over run by enormous but cautious fish, I just dont see it as a days fishing to spend hours at a shooting gallery.

give me a desolate moor and an empty bank anyday.

**udderman** · 05-05-2008, 20:08

doppelganger; sir, i'm sorry to spoil your days fishing as i'll be the man on on the other bank at that far out of the way hill loch spooking the fish.

as most fisheries are nothing but mere puddles these day.

i'm with you on that, i want a days fishing

**tagman** · 06-05-2008, 11:05

I agree with you, some trout fisheries are hugely overstocked. I much prefer those cagey browns on the river wensum to some tank reared lumps.

**penn2** · 06-05-2008, 16:11

YEP i'm with you all,I get to bored when I go to a stocked fishery with me chums but they love it.But they won't come wild trout fishing because they say it to hard and the fish are to small.
Well all i can say they i'nt got no b@lls.
I lease a resy off yorkshire water board [spring feed not peaty]whichs holds truley wild browns which have never been stocked,
These are some of the most beautiful marked fish ive seen in years.These fish range for a few ounces to double figures.yep you do see these big fish from time to time in the egdes,but soon as you even attempt to cast to them they've gone.Biggest so far is a 41/2lb fish i caught,but that fish is just as equal in the challenge of catching it as the 8oz fish you can catch.
The challange,the scenery and the skill of finding them is the secrect of a good days fishing,not just standing in the same spot thrashing the water to a foam knowing that the odds are well in your favour of catching.
It always gets me that peaople who don't catch on these fisheries always go away and say it not well stocked or its a crap fishery.
Well all i can say is fish a real water and become a true fisherman not just a catcher,thats why it called fishing in the first place,but unfortunatley its everyone to there own.
Well thats my bit said now, in a few hours i'm of to rhodes with me fly rods to fish for some other wild stuff.

**ickypimp** · 07-05-2008, 00:21

Here is my take on things... i am new to game fishing... still waters make game fishing more accessable, 20 quid for 4 fish is a bit optimistic imho, here it is closer to 50 quid for 4 fish... at the moment they are a training ground for me...

I dont ever see my self in a position to be able to afford the luxury of wild fishing... in this part of the world wild trout means the test and the itchen and a bankbalance of a small country to fund it...

**Goosey** · 07-05-2008, 16:32

I'd agree with ickypimp, at the end of the day, it's still fishing and some people get a lot of enjoyment from stocked lakes and if it means that they will keep their fishing interest up and perhaps later enjoy the beauty of fishing (or catching) on a 'wild' river, then that's a good thing. It's what happened to me and I still appreciate all styles and venues when it comes to fishing.

**Doppelganger** · 11-05-2008, 13:39

Originally Posted by ickypimp

Here is my take on things... i am new to game fishing... still waters make game fishing more accessable, 20 quid for 4 fish is a bit optimistic imho, here it is closer to 50 quid for 4 fish... at the moment they are a training ground for me...

I dont ever see my self in a position to be able to afford the luxury of wild fishing... in this part of the world wild trout means the test and the itchen and a bankbalance of a small country to fund it...

its a shame that trout fishing in england is so expensive, up to £500 for a days action on the test, and parts of that are stocked to keep up with demand.

£20-£25 quid is about average up here and its usually 4-5 fish for your money and a few extra quid will buy you catch and release for the rest of the time remaining.

**ickypimp** · 14-05-2008, 01:34

my missus booked out family holiday tonite, a week in the beacons, followed by a week in the lakes whivh includes a pass to fish on esthwaite water every day ... 2 fish c&r...

i am thinking wild rier action week 1 then the lakes own unique appeals including a day at malam tarn...

**Bin** · 14-05-2008, 07:17

Originally Posted by ickypimp

my missus booked out family holiday tonite, a week in the beacons, followed by a week in the lakes whivh includes a pass to fish on esthwaite water every day ... 2 fish c&r...

i am thinking wild rier action week 1 then the lakes own unique appeals including a day at malam tarn...

Ickypimp, do you mean the Brecon Beacons.
The first res. down from The Storey Arms (Beacons Res.) is mainly wildish browns with a smattering of rainbows. If you want trully wild browns head up the A470 to Rhayader and fish the Claerwen. With a bit of luck and warm weather the cochs should be hatching.

Bin

**ickypimp** · 14-05-2008, 10:30

Originally Posted by Bin

Ickypimp, do you mean the Brecon Beacons.
The first res. down from The Storey Arms (Beacons Res.) is mainly wildish browns with a smattering of rainbows. If you want trully wild browns head up the A470 to Rhayader and fish the Claerwen. With a bit of luck and warm weather the cochs should be hatching.

Bin

i do indeed mean the brecon beacons..... cant wait.. thanks for the tip off