Where Has the Sport of Fishing Gone?
It alarms me that fishing appears to be abandoning the sporting element that once made this past time great. Maybe it is because we have too many fish or too many anglers because hunting has gone the opposite direction.
The men and women who stalk big game do so now with primitive bows and arrows, cameras and even paintball guns.They’ll be reduced to spears and slings before it’s done and the entire reason for it is to put sport back into the hunt by handicapping the modern practitioner. Fishing, on the other hand, seems to be moving the opposite direction.
We’ve all seen it or been a part of it. They advertise robotic fishing lures on television as a can’t fail technique. You and I realize this is a scam and doesn’t work. But that doesn’t keep Madison Avenue from probing the current “fish at any cost” way of thinking.
Closer to home we now have braided line that virtually can not be broken. This modern technology is the darling of the fishing guide. Few modern anglers are skillful at casting a lure or bait, hooking a fish or avoiding mistakes while fighting one. That used to be part of the game and anglers spent hours reading and learning how to tie knots, practicing casting and mentally rehearsing mistake-free battles with big game fish.
But the growing number of fishing guides and the birth of braided lines has changed that; as has our busy world. Anglers no longer need to learn to cast or become skillful at fighting fish. Any klutz can cast the super thin braided lines. Meanwhile, because of its small diameter, a guide can load heavy braided line on a reel and it will still cast like silk thread. Most guides cast for their clients so angler casting errors are negligible. Hence there is no need to practice this once-vital art. The heavy test braid fools the angler into thinking they are fishing with light tackle yet they are free to make all the mistakes they want. The braid is so strong and tough that even the biggest clown can’t screw up and break a big fish off.
In this process light line class world records have fallen by the wayside and that was long the mark true sportsmen (and women) sought to attain.It’s hard to blame the guides. A lot of them have inadvertently spoiled anglers. Consequently, clients expect to put a bunch of fish in the boat. Arming them with unbreakable line insures that. But it does diminish the sport.
“That stuff casts so well; you can drag it over things that will cut monofilament; it’s so tough it ought to be illegal,” legendary fishing guide Scott Moore said in a weaker moment.Still, he’d probably be right there in the line of protesters if a proposal to ban the braid came down.There are drawbacks to the magic braid, however. It tangles around guides and billows in the wind. Pinpoint casting that allows a bait or lure to be cast and worked to a specific fish or spot can’t be done with this line. It’s also expensive.
Braids would never work on a bonefish flat where casting the bait to one small area and keeping it there is important. The wind would blow belly into the line and taking up this slack would move the bait away from where it needed to be. Florida Keys fishing guides can’t use the stuff; nor would they. Anglers there still believe in chasing world records and catching huge fish on very light lines.
There is still hope out there as fly rod anglers are growing and these outdoors enthusiasts are using the ultimate handicap just to make things more sporting. But everything was more fun – and more sporting – when we had to practice casting and tying knots and dreaming of how we would do battle with the great fish; never knowing just who would win the game.
So what do you think?
By Guest Writer: GB Knowles
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Gb braid gives great results , Maybe one or two knots is all that is needed. There are many of us who still learn and teach about this great sport of fishing. But it is a computer world now.
YOUR ARTICLE IS SO TRUE. A GROUP OF FREINDS AND I HAVE TALKED THE SAME TALK. SO WE HAVE STARTED A INSIDE TOURNEY TOO SEE WHO CAN CATCH BIGGER ON LESS. WE HAVE ENJOYED THIS FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW.OUR FEELINGS ARE IT HAS TOBE A CHALLENGE OR YOU LOSE THE FUN AND THE SPORT. THE SPORT OF FISHING IS NOT ABOUT THE FISH YOU PUT IN YOUR COOLER ITS ABOUT THE FIGHT
I belive the story is right. The majority of people want instant gradufaction. Instead of enjoying the thrill of hunt and angling your catch. I feel you should go back to the basics just so you don’t lose touch of what fishing is all about. Loving your surroundings,exploring,storytelling about past adventures and always the possibilities of whats out there for you to hunt and see. Ask yourself if you didn’t have all the new gadets would you still enjoy it.
When in Rome, do as Romans do. That is the mantra as fishing guides need to produce to stay in business. The point of contention I have with the braided lines is that it tangles wildlife. The person without a accurate cast tangles into the mangroves. The birds wade through the mangroves and get tangled. The birds also eat the bait off your line and get tangled. I am consistently trying to catch terns, gulls, egrets and pelicans with braded line wrapped up in their wings or feet from people who just cut it off. That is a death sentence to these birds. It is a constant appearance. I spend a extra 1/2 hour or more untangling, holding down the bird and involving my clients in the removal process. They get some pictures, gain a little on karma and the fishing gods and feel like they experience something most have not. We let the birds go no worse for wear to hopefully live out their lives. If you hook a bird, hold its head in a towel or shirt, pin back its wings and remove the line. Hopefully there will be less of our feathered friends with dangling line out there.
David,
Your points are very valid and it is great that you have such a great consciousness for the environment.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.
Best-
Lucy
I could not agree with you more regarding the need to put “sport” back into fishing. While the modern equipment is partially to blame I think there is a historical problem also. Many fisherman, particularly the old-timers were brought up to believe that the reason for fishing was to fill a cooler, or two or three, etc. We call the meat fisherman. Unfortunately their offspring inherited this attitude. I married into a family of such attitudes. As a catch-and-release fly fisherman my sanity is extensively questioned not only by my in-laws but many others. They can’t believe I fish for Snook with a 6 wt rod and 10# tippet. Their Snook rod is a broomstick and 80# test line. Along with equipment, an attitude change is essential.
In the age of catch and release and conservation, the big fish on light line has been looked on as a no-no by sportsman. The braid offers the “feel” of light tackle equipment while at the same time landing fish in short time because of the strength of it. Braid has probably been an inadvertant benefit to conservation by being able to whip big fish quick and suitable for release.
The sport of fishing is alive and well with true sportfishermen. I can understand your frustration observing “tourists” fumbling with their equipment and trying to catch and kill as many fish as possible, as their guides count the money.
I don’t think it’s the braided line at fault here, I think it has more to do with ignorance and greed. When I fish off the beach, I am constantley asked why I release my fish. I hear people that pass me by mutter, “that’s good eating” when I catch a big ladyfish?
Braid, in my opinion, is fantastic stuff. I love the sensitivity, line capacity and I don’t have to replace it like I had to with mono. It casts great too, but then again anyone can cast with a spinning reel.
Vic
Sarasota (formerly So. Cal.)
I enjoyed the article and you raised many valid points. The sporting element has been diminished. However, there is a positive to braid. The strength of braid enables you to boat fish more quickly, allowing for a safe and quick release, leaving the fish unharmed.
Hi Mike-
Thanks for your feedback. Yes, you do have a valid point worth considering… The good thing here is that both views have merit and that we all strive to be better sportsmen.
Best-
Lucy
im divided on this topic. i personally use both mono and braided lines. i use braid for my lures so i can retrieve them if i snag on something. with mono, i would have lost the lure and left line in the water. i like the sensitivity of braid, which is awesome for when u have to work a lure real slow.
i dont think its fair to blame the current problem on braided line. i personally dont think it diminishes the sport, as it has its disadvantages also. rods and reels have evolved and advanced steadily in time. are we now considered unsporty if we choose to use the lastest combos?
i think it goes far deeper than that with many variables in play. who is to deciede what is “sporty” and what is overkill? does the persons fishing abilites come into play, like a handicap? how many fish is a safe amount to keep before you are considered a “meat fisherman”? is it the legal limit or less than that? if someone uses an 8 ballbearing drag system instead of a 5, is that person less of a sportsman?
too many questions that cannot be answered by this riddle.
Hi Mike-
I agree. The topic is one worth considering and while we might not all agree, at least we have the ability to at least consider each other’s opinions.
Thanks for taking the time to write us and share your view.
Best-
Lucy
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