Casting at the sun: an observation

[Capebreton]

I believe in Lord Gray's book ,Fly Fishing, he says something along the lines that fishing is often best enjoyed and needed by people who have demanding jobs and the contrast when at the water is appreciated .

[Dave Burr]

Sums it up very well Capebreton.

[Nigel Rainton]

GregF,

I became obsessed with work, to the exclusion of everything else.

Ironically, 'Casting at the Sun' caused me to take a hard look at life and I consequently took early retirement (twice).

[Paddex]

You tried but failed - no biggie, its all part of life's rich tapestry and there is no way of knowing how life would turn out had you not taken that course.

Ever tried.
Ever failed.
No matter.
Try again.
Fail again.
Fail better.
Samuel Beckett
some of my failures are among my most treasured experiences
this is a great and touching thread, gentlemen,
I love this forum and the members for their frankness and honesty
and for sharing their experience of life
thank you

[Julian]

GregF,

I became obsessed with work, to the exclusion of everything else.

Ironically, 'Casting at the Sun' caused me to take a hard look at life and I consequently took early retirement (twice).

In that case the first time wasn't really retirement - what sent you back to work?

[Julian]

I had my 'breather ' from fishing when I gradually went fishing less and less at the start of the 90's then stopped altogether for eleven years. Since 2003 when I started fishing again I have really wanted to make up for 'lost' fishing time.
Casting at the sun and some of CY's other books influenced me to the extent that I was determined to retire early so I could devote more time to fishing. That's what happened as I retired in November 2011. However some health issues have stopped me from fishing so often this year but I'm very optimistic that by next year I will be fishing as frequently as I would like to.

However as others say its all about balancing things in your life - three good sessions a week is the most fishing I would want to do ( and then only in the warmer months)even though I am retired - there's always other things in life that are important and matter greatly as well.

[GregF]

GregF,

I became obsessed with work, to the exclusion of everything else.

Ironically, 'Casting at the Sun' caused me to take a hard look at life and I consequently took early retirement (twice).

Early retirement.... I fantasise about that every day!

[Gary Bills]

I do have an obsessive nature - as a child I would have "fads," and this aspect of my character drove my parents mad. This Friday, all being well, I'm off to "Clay Farm Pond" to fish my favourite areas and see what turns up. But I don't want to be drawn in so deeply again, having released some the tentacles of obsession this summer! I think that fishing is a philosophy, to some extent, and that is why it can obsess us so deeply. It can become the measure by which we measure all things, at least, I've found it so. I became obsessed with pike in the Nineties, in the same way that carp fascinate me now. But I've given myself a mental talking to! Leaving "The Other Pool" recently, having caught five carp into double figures - a good session - I asked myself, "Is this all you are?" Since then, I've paid a little more attention to my career as a journalist; I've been more attentive to my family and I have resumed various creative writing projects. After all, it has been seven years since I edited "The Review of Contemporary Poetry" for bluechrome, and nine years since my last large poetry collection was published. Now I'm working on several books for children - I may not get these into print, but I'm loving the journey.

[Nailbourne]

This has been a fascinating topic, with a lot of insight. Have also had a relationship break up over an obsession (not fishing).
It's interesting to re-read the likes of Dick Walker, Fred J, etc, up to 50 years after their seminal books were written. They were not obsessed with just one species; they recognised a challenge - catching big carp, tench, chub, whatever - and focussed on it exclusively until the problem was solved. Then they moved on to another (RW rarely fished for carp after the 1950s). Nor were they full-time anglers - they had careers of their own, and fishing was still a hobby, albeit it a serious one. They come across as far more rounded personalities than some modern 'names'.
Having had an almost complete lay-off from fishing for thirty years, it's been interesting to do a 'then and now' comparison. As a former (obsessive) carp fishing teenager, just two examples:
1) I bought a book on 'Modern Carp Fishing' written by a 'name' (only £1 from a charity shop, thank goodness) that was so formulaic, so focussed on bait, rigs, tackle. It wasn't money wasted - it'll make good kindling!
2) At a local commercial carp lake, in June of this year, over 36 carp were caught over 25lb. I doubt whether, during the twenty years from 1950 - 1970, that number of carp of that size were caught in the whole country! At this lake, a 30-pounder isn't a specimen, it's average.

Hence my joining the TFF!

[Dave Burr]

Never forget that 'Obsession' is a woman's word for a mans enthusiasm or interest.