What Makes a Good "Fisherman"

[webby]

Most blokes i know enjoy having a yarn, The majority also like a drink. When they get together, the combination of these two social habits invariably leads to a certain amount of bullshit and exaggerated matters on the piscatorials.
I must admit, I enjoy these beer 'n' bull sessions almost as much as fishing itself sometimes, especially if the company is good. And despite the criticisms levelled at us by outsiders and our better halfs if your unlucky to have one, "dont you blokes ever talk about anything else", fishos are not unique in their conversational single-mindedness.
All you have to do is eavesdrop on a bunch of computer jocks, or rev' head or footy fanacits.
Lately, i've been involved in a few of these beer 'n' bull sessions when the topic has turned to the question of what makes someone a really good fisherman.
We all talk about good fishos and bad fishos, but what is it that makes the difference.
Has the cricket score bag man got it over the specimen hunter, the lure or fly fanatics, or is the real gun the bloke with the patience and skill to catch a monster on light line, or maybe it'll just always be "different strokes for different blokes".
Whats your honest opinions without any of the 'bull'?.
regards

[SeaHunt]

Hi Webby,
I dont think I am qualified to answer this one , but that has not stopped me before.
So for me it is patience and persistance.
[smiley=wut.gif]

[jeffo]

most decent fisherman can catch the fish when they are around and on the bite... a GOOD fisherman can find them when they are few and far between or entice them into biting when they are off the chew...thats IMO any way.
i think consistancy also makes a good angler.

[PinHead]

The answer to your question is very simple and indisputable Webby.

How good a fisherman is, is gauged by the amount of Green Ginger Wine taken on each fishing trip.

[michael_Brewer]

dunno ay.... ask rob?

[northsboy]

LMAO MICKY B! I would have to agree with jeff,to be able to find the fish when they are few and far between.....which i cant do :-/ :-/ :-/

[bungie]

Its subjective. You are a "good" fisherman, or you have a "good" time fishing

[SeaSaw]

I reakon a good fisherman pays attention to detail and thinks about things from a fishes perspective.

A good fishermans hooks are never sharp enough, bait is never fresh enough, bait presentation can always be improved. He/She knows the time, location, moon phase, barometer, season, prevailing weather conditions, tide times, for every fish ever caught. He/She can instantly call on this memory bank to help decide where and when the fish will be there.

Hmmmm, that sounds like it could work, might have to start doing that myself one day. ;)

[nofrills]

hey webby

i reccon a good fisherman knows when to stay home.

an old mate of mine used to say
"better to be sitting at home wishing you were out there"
than "out there wishing you were sitting at home"

cheers scott

[allniter]

I reckon a good fisherman can only come with age and experience.
I often ponder how guys like Webby, Mackmauler, Reefmaster
and Nugget can consistently catch targeted species.
We all know which species is in season at different times of the year - but to plan a trip and come back with a successful catch most of the time , is only mastered by a small percentage of people.
For the serious fisho, i guess a diary is a must - started way back when, listing tide times ,moon phases, etc. etc.
Even Lucky Phil seems to zip out for a few hours at a certain spot and zip back without spending a lot of time waiting-
obviously he has caught bream there before in years gone by.....
Reefmaster i think has been blessed by his fathers experiences at D.I. point which he has passed down to his son.
Unfortunately, instead of my father teaching me how to catch snapper or jew , he taught me how to catch 200 winter whiting at the pelican banks 20 years ago........
Guess who had to fillet them........
But now i know where to catch fresh bait!!!!
My 14 year old son is slowly learning to remember different spots for different times of the year, and can still recall the best fish details - what bait he caught it on, what spot, even which way the tide was running.
So me thinks a "Good'' fisherman is only good because of time already spent with his rod in his hand , remembering all the details from years gone by , then he knows when, where and how to target and return with a decent catch - most of the time.
#[smiley=sleeping.gif] [smiley=sleeping.gif] [smiley=sleeping.gif] [smiley=sleeping.gif] # # #
Sorry for waffling on....
regards darren
Oh, the "age" part, is in no way a crack at webby !!
well o.k. maybe

[Daintreeboy]

Time and effort play a big part, as does paying attention to detail. Some people have a knack of catching good fish most of the time because they've payed attention over the years on what works best. When they're not biting and you can still catch a few, that sorts out the old 90 percent rule.
Cheers, Mark.

[bugman]

You guys have got it all wrong.

The mark of a "good" fisherman is one who can make "good" friends with the "best" fisherman.

Webby - when are we going out?

Bugman

[bidkev]

I used to think of myself as a good fisherman "way back when" in the UK. I could find and dig worms as well as the pros (did it professionally myself for a while). I kept a diary, could target species successfully to the point that I was always in the frame when my local boat club ran a competition.

If there was big cod to be caught, I would target those whilst others were rummaging around for a bag full of whiting and I invariably succeeded in outdoing 'em at the weigh in. On one occasion I targeted dogfish and weighed in with 46 of the scavenging buggers whilst others weighed in the odd flounder. The club passed a rule that dogfish couldn't be weighed in in the future as "they are to easy to target" If that was the case, how come with 70 odd boats fishing, no bugger else weighed 'em in? I left after that and have never joined a club since.........clubs are alright......it's the bloody committeemen that bugger it up.....especially when they don't get to weigh in :-)

Nobody fished in my area back then if there was an easterly (offshore wind) as it was considered shite for fishing. I could go out on certain night tides with an easterly blowing (light) and catch fish at the rate of one every 30 seconds. Guys would come onto the pier and see me leaving "bagged out" and they would be full of hope and catch nothing. All that stuff gave me such a wonderful feeling, particularly as I was young and they were old timers.

I may post some press cuttings here at some time if I can get round to scanning them.

Nowadays, none of that matters. I'm happy just to get out there. I want to learn, yes, but I don't want to obsess over tides, moonphases, lure colours etc. Just being there is enough for me.

I respect, and in someways envy the guys here who know their stuff and persevere at improving their catch rate, and I am grateful to them for sharing with us. I know what that feeling of acheivment can mean to others but to me, it is not now of primary significance in how or when I fish. I don't keep a diary and I don't care for moon phases or state of tides. If I feel like fishing (most of the time :-), then I go. I don't think to myself, "Oh, it's a shit tide and the moon is wrong" I simply up sticks and get out there (when the deckie allows me ;-), whether it's in the boat or chucking a squidgy in my local creek.

I still want to learn and adapt, but not to the point that it detracts from my "being at one" with the sea. myself, or my family.

To answer your question. I don't consider myself to be a good fisherman (now) but I still find the fishing is good to me.....if you can understand that.

cheers

kev

[sir_noelus]

Well, I don't think it's subjective, becaus the two interpretations of 'good' are two different contexts/questions :-X. To answer the question though, one could say something silly like "The mug who goes fishing catches more than the expert who stays home". However, I always wanted to call myself a good fisherman on the basis that I could go most places, catch most species, most of the time. 8)
Nearly too old to complete the exercise, I take pleasure in having fished lakes, streams, estuaries, beaches, rocks, game fished, etc etc, with baits, lures, flies,with generally an element of success. But I still don't call myself a 'good fisherman' using my own criteria :(. Noel

[easyrider525]

a good fisherman? i have all the must haves and then some. i take all the care in presentation and the right ways and use all the very best that i can afford. i've studied books tides moon phases and asked a million questions to the right people. i've listen learned and taught myself. my persistance and stubborness to be somewhere at the right time and tide has paid off sometimes. and i will keep doing so forever more. but to the question asked, simple answer..
one who catches fish and enjoys the whole thing for what it is.
pure bliss...................

[Cheech]

Seems like perserverence, patience, time at it and attention to detail are the main ingredients according to most of the posts.

Have all these apart from the time at it. The future is looking pretty good then. 8)

[Heath]

It is a culmination of things.

What I class as a good fisherman is someone that has forward visions for the sport. Someone thats alway willing to listen to others ideas and learn from them, even improving on them.

Being able to find fish etc all comes from actually learning, listening and improving continually. Putting in the effort, studying the species, their habits, their cycles.

Whats also important is also sharing your ideas & theories.
If you work on the saying " You only get out of something what you put in " Sharing your info with others is a sure fire way of gaining information back.

NO your not getting any of my secret spots. :P

[Gazza]

the ability to have your drag set right on the Alvey ,and not spilling a drop , as you calmly reach over to flick the strike-lever ,skulling the rest where possible, or gently placing ya coldie in ya crotch ,and not even blinking #:o :o :o

;D :D :D :D
p.s. this works better sitting down [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[easyrider525]

and yet, having read all this, it still amazes me that someone who just lobs up to where ever takes out his pack of frozen prawns throws a prawn on willy nilly casts out his line and then manages to catch that elusive kilo plus bream or that magical double figure lizard. yep... ya gotta love fishin

[webby]

Gazza though you were up fraser teaching Dave the finer arts of beach fishing ;D
regards

[bidkev]

I used to think of myself as a good fisherman "way back when" in the UK.
<snip>
I may post some press cuttings here at some time if I can get round to scanning them.


kev

OK. Just found the photos section and have posted some reminisces there. *may* be of interest, particularly to any Old fart (ex) pomms.

cheers

kev

[MTpockets]

My interpetation with certain things is to compare....

Good Golfer is one who can go round in par.
Good cricketer is one who can make runs and or get wickets.
Good racing car driver is one who can drive a race car without bending it.
Good lover is one who can make love (huh?)

So a good fisherman is one who can catch fish.

Now if we talk experts it would be....

Expert golfer is one who can win tournaments.
Expert cricketer is one who can make a ton and or take 7/25.
Expert driver is one who can win Bathurst.
Expert lover is one who can satisfy a woman over and over and... (huh?)
Expert fisherman is one who can catch any fish he targets at the correct time with the least bother knowing where when and how to be better than the next guy.

My answer is a good fisherman is one who can catch a fish.... and most importantly, have fun doing it.
cheers
Les
That makes us all good fisherman :)

[jeffo]

i like it! ;D

[Volvo]

:)What makes a good wine?? lol..Time , patience, persaverence n learning from the past or your mistakes....
Each species habits and what phases of the moon it wants to come out n play ;).
And a little insanity to be able ta sit out for hours on end waiting for em to turn up lol..
Cheers

[Fisherman02]

hmmmmm good topic brian
i reckon the thing that makes a good fisherman02 ::) ;D
is patience, the ability to look at potential spots through the fish's eyes i.e is there a food source, shelter, etc and also the motivation to go out there time after time even when u are unsucessful and try to catch fish. I also think a huge part of being a good fisherman is helping others who are starting at the the sport and are less experienced, people like brian, phill, brett, fred are a few that are more then willing to help out more often then not for nothing in return!
cheers jack
p.s this is not advertising ROFLMAO

[Lucky_Phill]

Well Brian, you have got some interesting responses so far.

Most people have encompassed the spirit of the question.

I'll go the other way. ( of course ! I hear you say ;D )

We have good & bad, so what makes or is a bad fisherman.

Bad fisherman, isn't the guy or gal that comes back from a trip with an empty esky. Isn't the guy or gal that always gets a tangle. Isn't the guy or gal that looses the big one, everytime. Isn't the one that has a dis-organised tackle box., need I go on ?

No,.

The Bad fisherman is the one that leaves his plastic bait bag in the water. Takes undersize fish. Gets on the booze ( too much ) while on the water. Shines million watt lights at every boat. Doesn't use anchor lights correctly. Is impatient at the ramp. Never logs on for offshore trips. Risks their lives on rocks while land based. Doesn't have all safety gear in their boat. Fishes in " restricted " areas. Fudges the rules of a fishing comp. Doesn't pass on tips to other fishoes, wether they be friend, neighbour or relative. And the really bad fisherman, is the one that comes back from a trip and whinges and whinges about every aspect of the trip.

Shoot, many, many fishoes have came back empty, but still had ' experience '. And said "just great to be out".

A GOOD FISHERMAN, is anyone who is NOT a Bad Fisherman.

I might just jump down off me soapbox, before the fruit & vegies start flying. ;D ::) 8) ;)

AND, on the other side. A fisherman can fish for Leisure, Sport or Profession. Is a good Leisure fisherman as good as a good professional fisherman ? etc.

Always food for thought.

Cheers Phill

[Reefmaster]

Oh bugger Phill im a bad fisherman after your response, i dont log in and out when going offshore. ;D I will get in the habbit one day ::

I think what you have writen there phill is pretty much on the money (besides that log in and out Bull ;))
Cheers Greg

[bidkev]

<snip>

Always food for thought.

Cheers #Phill

That post sure was Phill......good 'un mate.

cheers

kev

[Lucky_Phill]

Well Greg, I'll clarify my Log in statement. Not necessarily with the VMR , but with the wife, Mom, Dad, neighbour etc. Just someone who knows where you are going, and when you should be returning, what type of boat you have and how many people are with you. Simple really. I'm sure you fit into that category ;) ;D.

But you often read/ hear in the media, " person lost at sea, etc, where to look ? how long has he been out ? was 2 days overdue from a 1 day trip. DOH !

Yes Greg, get that VHF or Log in at ausfish.com.au ;D

Phill ;) ;D :P ::)

[Reefmaster]

I love your humour phill ;D Is it the older you get the more humour you have. ;D ;) :P
Cheers Greg

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

don't the "good guys" wear the white hats ? #;D ;D ;D

taking good to mean capable ...

After much consideration I #would say 3 traits

1. Passion - as with any pastime / occupation. Passion is #the greatest motivator.

2. Experience - include in this local knowledge. Bring an offshore pelagic expert inside only a matter of 10km from his hunting ground & the whiting expert will fish all over him in the river.

3. Intelligence - the ability to apply a series of unrelated events to a desireable outcome - the application of knowledge. That's good fishermen are interesting people - regardless of their occupation they are intelligent people & most often than not - quiet, modest people.

i actually think that patience belies the efforts of potentially good fisherman. They believe if they persist they will succeed, rather than analysing why they aren't succeeding & actively adjusting what they do accordingly.

chris

ps currently I don't think I am a "good" fisherman, Although capable I find my primary passion to be my young family - on saturday night I went home with them rather than fish thru the night; I had worked all week & hadn't seen the boys to bed at all. I don't regret the decision for a minute.

[Jeremy]

I like some of the responses so far, but I agree most with Jeffo. Anyone can catch fish when they are biting. A really good fisherman can be measured by their consistency and ability to catch fish when no-one else can. Even better if they can do that with a variety of different fish, not just one species. I think a good fisherman should also be able to catch fish in unfamiliar territory, although it is hard to beat local knowledge.

Jeremy

[seqfisho]

Hi Guys,

Havent logged on for ages, and have only started fishing again after a 6month break, dunno why really just always had something else to do, now I still have that stuff to do but it takes a back seat to having a fish. I think that most of the guys on this site are good fishos, whether they catch fish like mackmauler or webby or nugget, the guys here are all in for the same thing (I think) that is to share the experince and common bond of people who have a passion for fish and fishing.
The results are a personal thing, some guys get a kick out of big numbers and some get a kick out of big sizes, and so long as it's within reason there is never any problems with that.
A long time ago I came to the realisation that everyone has dud trips and everyone has great trips, its just that the majority of times that someone writes up a trip is if its a good one, lets face it, its none too interesting to read about a trip where it rains the fish were off and the boat broke down.
Most guys and I would be interested in hearing from mack, webby and others on the ratio of duds to rewarded trips as a lot of guys seem to thing that every time they go out they score.
I beleive consistancy is the key to increasing your results, simply the more often you fish the more likely you are to produce the reults.

Regards Glen.

[mackmauler]

Gday Glen, when we score its a team effort, what i can offer is some of the above but cant do everything all the time, even a total novice who takes the time to take the old bait off every drop or spots a marlin tailing is right up there with the best given the situation, as long as its been nice weather and the crew were awake we have NEVER missed in the last year or so ;D many thanks to the boys who get up at all hours to fish with me 8) cheers #Rob

[Cloud_9]

I think Phill is spot on a good fisherman is not a bad fisherman.??
but have to agree with the need for a log or jurnal of your trips.
i use a program called ####### i fill in after each trip .
where, when, tide , moon, wind , brom, catch , gps spot, very detailed , helps to look back at time to see what you where catching last year.

Cheers Cloud 9

P.S. still trying to get better at what i love! FISHING ;D

[raefpud]

A good fisherman has respect for the other people around him, and has a great deal of respect for the environment he fishes, and is aware what goes on in the environment around him - he can limit his catch and not catch his limit, and gets more satisfaction releasing a whopper than keeping a whopper. A good fisherman speaks a universal language and can find company or conversation anytime anywhere in a boat or on the land as long as he has rod in hand. He knows his way round his local tackle shop but gets lost in a supermarket - knows the name of his tackleshop assistant or owner but has no clue who his bank manager is. A good fisherman is hardened to his environment and can handle extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, early mornings, late nights, cuts and scratches, being spiked, bad smells and warm beer.
A good fisherman is a genuine aussie bloke with the time of day for anyone. He has patience, persitence and consideres his hobby or sport of fishing as also an art.

Shall i keep going?

I dont think its about catching fish at all, I think its more about the person and the environnment they choose to be in, and being at the mercy of mother natures creations.

[propdinger]

i agree raefpud
[smiley=wiseguy.gif]but one thing i dont agree with is warm beer :P has to be cold even if it gets put in with the fish ice slurry (always can wipe of the scales )....

[saen]

How good a fisherman is- if youre able to convince the missus everytime
LMAO!!!
because my girl is getting really pissed off at me for going fishin so much

i suppose youre good when you can catch fish when no one else is-catching fish when there not on the chew?

[webby]

Thanks for the responses, some interesting thoughts.
My Opinion are simple ones.
Expert..No such a person in the fishing world.
Good Fisho..1. Enjoys what he's doing, wether successful or
not.
2. Sets himself a higher then legal size.
3. Only takes what he wants.
4. Knowledge of the species he's targeting.
When/where/how.
5. Willing to share (to a degree ;D)

Bad Fisho 1. "after anything thats biting"
hope you no what it mean by that.
2. Shows no consideration for others.
3. Shows no consideration for rules and
reg's.
4. Whinges and wines after every trip, blaming
everyone else but himself.
5. Could give a shit about the future, and only
worries about the present.
As i said there only simple points, that descrimates between both.
Or maybe as i said in the original post its just "different strokes for different blokes".
As for Glens question, Mate, I dont class myself as anything above the ordinary, yes i catch fish, but many years ago, i too spent many a sleepless night and came home empty.
Blonk me in a freshwater environment and i'd be like a dog chasing its tail.
The only way to improve ones self is something i learn a long time ago, Exploration, Dedication, Enjoyment.
regards

[Dug]

A good fisho is some one who enjoys fishing just as much if he or she catches nothing. It is just the joy of being there.

[Gazza]

That's what I tell the wife all the time ,different subject ::) :-X

[GiddyUp]

!!!SIMPLE!!!Well said Dug