The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

With my silken line and delicate hook, I wandered through a myriad of ripples and found, freedom.

It was an overheard conversation at a club lake a few years ago. A youngish angler and his wife or girlfriend set up in the next swim. From the tone of the lady’s questions,. “what’s that for?”, “do we throw them back?” and “Urghh…. Maggots” it was obvuously her first time fishing.

After about 20 minutes. I heard her say “Its to0 quiet and there’s nothing happening”, to which her partner replied (and this is the quote):

” That’s just the point” , - as indeed it is

My absolute very favourite fishing quote comes from the brilliant Fred J Taylor and makes me smile every time I hear it.

He was being filmed fishing in a howling gale, totally drenched and blinking the rain drops out of his eyes when he drawled:

"Y'know, oi'll be bloody glad when oi've 'ad enough of this...."

On seeing a passing skein I once heard Fred Crouch say "Geese are flying forwards, it'll rain tomorrow" but then he does like to wind people up

"When people look at water they see only reflections, anglers gaze into a world beneath."

Dave Burr wrote:On seeing a passing skein I once heard Fred Crouch say "Geese are flying forwards, it'll rain tomorrow" but then he does like to wind people up

"When people look at water they see only reflections, anglers gaze into a world beneath."

Excellent!!

Troutbeck

We always get some sort of weather at this time of the year.

My current favourite is the one just below:

Do fisherman eat avocados? This is a question no one ever thinks to ask.

Russell Chatham - Dark waters (1988)

Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once.

Lee Wulff - 1939.

This was so very forward thinking at the time.

Hermit wrote:Classic Venables. I was reminded again yesterday (after spending a fortune at Redditch Tackle Fair) of his immortal words 'tackle hunger grows with the feeding'. But there is hope, 'perceived tackle deficiency syndrome' has been identified by one of our modern writers, was it John Aston? Now I have a named condition perhaps I can be treated; but on the whole I think I'd rather stay poorly.

99% sure that isn't me .

My favourites- from the immortal Fisherman's Bedside Book by BB, from the story about Swancoote Pool I think - " Rare sport , this " (uttered after hooking another of the pool's carp )

and from the master, John Gierach - he described ownership of his first fly fishing gear as like "...holding a big jangling set of keys to a different reality" which sums up our sport better than anybody ever has done so , before or since.

Judging by the semi literate rubbish in this week's Anglers' Mail I am not confident we have a new Gierach , Ransome , Yates or Lord Grey in our midst just yet - I would shoot the person who first came up with the usage of a certain water having DONE a fish of a notable weight. But I am an old fart ...