Traditional Angling Lifestyle
How did you get on with last week’s traditional angling imagery test? Were you ‘traditional’ or ‘modern’ on the imagery scale? Perhaps somewhere in between? Given that I’ve just published the book Traditional Angling, it might surprise you to know that although I prefer the images to the left, I occasionally use the tackle to the right.
Angling for fish, or something else?
Those who use traditional fishing tackle and dress traditionally when fishing do so because it appeals to their gentle nature. They do so because they like it. It looks good. It feels good. (More importantly, it feels right to them.) It’s an expression of love. They see and find beauty in it. It reveals something about them. And in doing so, their ‘style’ of fishing enables them to enjoy their angling more than before. That’s the simple truth.
Traditional angling, therefore, is the ultimate expression of pleasure fishing. It seeks to make our angling experience more pleasurable by appealing to our romantic side. The beauty is in the detail. From the colours of whippings on a quill float, the syrupy scent of varnish on a split cane bamboo rod, the coarse texture of a tweed jacket, to the refreshing taste of leaf tea brewed upon the riverbank, traditional angling seeks to lift our spirits at every opportunity. It’s passion for the heart, and poetry for the soul.
Of course, there are those who just succumb to the beauty of pretty things. Tackle ‘tarts’, as they are known, hoard and caress items of tackle much in the same way as red-light trollops ‘collects’ their lovers. Whilst the act is real, it lacks depth of connection for me. I dislike the term and the association, seeking instead to woo a more meaningful relationship with angling.
‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and one’s perception changes depending on one’s mindset and context. Tackle choice does not determine whether someone is a traditional or modern angler, but the aesthetics of one’s tackle can influence our experience at the waterside. It all depends what we’re fishing for and, sadly, our age and ability/desire to shun modern comforts.
How we fish depends upon the experience we seek
Most often I’m fishing for relaxation, connecting with nature, escaping the fast pace of modern life. When I’m in this mood (90% of the time) I’ll bring out the vintage gear and slow things down. But sometimes I seek a bigger challenge. This is when I fish large reserviors, loch-style fishing for trout, that require a different approach. I bring out the carbon fly rods and settle into a different style – and ‘image’ – of fishing. But I’m never eager, always fishing in a leisurely manner to appreciate and mingle with the nature around me. That’s the traditional angling mindset I spoke about the other week.
Angling to enhance the quality of our lives
As a lifestyle & countryside author I’m always studying things that enhance the quality of our lives and help us to explore the natural world. Fishing is one of the best things I’ve discovered.
Savouring time in watery places, while wishing for one’s dreams to come true, is an act that enriches our lives. It’s why angling will always be central to everything I do. Even when I’m doing and writing about things other than fishing, I know that angling forged my love of outdoor places, natural things, and country living. It’s my foundation, my core. I am, and will always be, an angler.
The constant thread of angling
Having fished for over 40 years, I’ve seen a lot of change in angling. Actually, I’ve seen a lot of change in my angling: different interests have compelled me to fish in different ways for different fish in different locations and with different levels of intent. But in whatever way I’ve fished, it’s always been for fun. I am fundamentally a pleasure angler – always seeking to enhance and deepen my love of angling and nature.
I like ‘slow’. I crave being able to do things slowly enough so that I can study, enjoy and appreciate them. A butterfly rarely sits still long enough for me. But then I’m an artist. I like to study and ‘absorb’ things in detail.
I’m at the extreme end of the artist’s lens when it comes to angling imagery. I fish for something more than fish. I seek to find the key to another time and place. It’s my way of connecting with an imagined past, to create continuity in my life. Why? Because I struggle with change.
The fast evolution of technology encourages impatience and tetchiness. People nowadays expect things quicker than is reasonable.
An opportunity to escape
I principally seek quiet and relaxing times when fishing. That’s why I seek solitude in natural places over and above opportunities to catch loads of fish in crowded places. I love freedom and adventure – travelling far into the quiet places of the countryside that liberate me to cast and write my lines. I want to escape and be free. I don’t want to be reminded that I’m only a phone call away from the ‘real’ world.
That’s why I like surrounding myself with traditionally styled things. They give us the illusion that we’ve stepped out of time. It enhances our sense of escape and freedom. If we're existing or fishing ‘between times’ then we’ve connected with something deeper – another dimension where time doesn’t matter and we're living in and for the moment.
Traditional angling image, therefore, presents a way to maintain continuity in our lives. It’s like pressing the pause button to enable us to catch our breath and enjoy things as they’ve always been. How rewarding when everything else in life, it seems, changes at a dizzying pace. We can escape all that, simply by recreating an image from our past that will always be there for us when we need it.
Natural things in natural places
The traditional angling image prioritises things crafted by hand from natural materials. They might be new, they might be old or old-fashioned, but they will be organic and sit nicely in a natural setting. Rarely will they be plastic.
Sadly, we live in a 'cling film world' that's saturated with man-made materials. It would be difficult to go fishing without using something made from plastic. The fishing line that connects us with our quarry is, great irony intact, man-made from nylon.
Look around you. Look deeper. How much is natural, and how much is artificial. From the socks on your feet, to the hat on your head, there’s likely to be some polyester weave going on.
And so it is with traditional angling image, where we might begin with absolutely pure intent to create an authentic ‘vintage experience’ but soon we start compromising by blending old and new. A modern chemically-sharpened hook, a plastic float ‘rubber’, a nylon-meshed net, a cordura umbrella or coat, a plastic-bodied camera, mobile phone, all taken to the water in a modern car. Being authentically traditional is nigh-on impossible. It’s just a matter of how and where we direct our gaze.
The organic angling experience
As a traditional angler I seek mostly to unwind and relax beside the water. I enjoy catching fish, but not at the cost of ruining the waterside ambience. I use mostly vintage or retro-styled tackle, crafted whenever possible from natural materials. My catapult and bank stick are made from forked sticks cut from the hedgerow; my rods are mostly made from bamboo and cork; my landing nets are made from ash hoops and my creels are made from woven willow stems. My tent and luggage is canvas, and my waterproofs are made from waxed cotton. These are natural things that make for an ‘organic’ angling experience. Their mass-produced modern equivalents are made from plastic and resin: artificial in the extreme. Durable and waterproof, yes, but alien to a natural environment. Putting them there is like placing a plastic carrier bag over the moon and asking us to go shopping at night.
Traditional Angling image...as a form of escapism
By using vintage or traditional tackle, and wearing retro clothing, traditional anglers like me convince ourselves that we’ve escaped to a different time. We’ve recreated our nostalgic view of the past to make a more rewarding present.
We’re the innovators who do things our way. But, unlike many anglers who think this way, we’re not of the ‘must catch to enjoy’ ilk. We seek more from our fishing – a deeper connection with nature and environment, and a more ‘compleat’ escape from the bustle of daily life into the tranquillity and timelessness of natural watery places.
Mixing it up?
One’s choice of style is entirely subjective. What we find attractive is dependent upon personal taste (good thing, else we’d all be fighting over the same person to marry). When it comes to angling image, it is possible to blend modern and old – if you want to. A great many items of traditional tackle are made brand new. It's just that they're handcrafted and are traditionally styled.
Angling image will always prevail for me. I feel more than a twinge of retraction when I see a split cane rod resting upon a plastic rod rest, or a tweed-clad angler wearing white trainers. The imagery isn’t right for me, as the beauty I seek is in the detail. I need to complete the illusion of timelessness if I am to escape to the magical angling world that I seek.
All in context
Angling, especially traditional angling, has a specific role to play in helping to balance our lives. Time outdoors, time relaxing, and time spent chasing fish, distract us from domestic challenges or work worries. These times are good for our soul.
The type of angling imagery we seek is a form of lifestyle choice. It fits with whatever else is going on in our lives. If we have a stressful or tiring week then we might opt to ‘escape’ by using timeless tackle and fish in idyllic surroundings; if we have a boring week then we might choose to spice it up at the weekend with a big challenge – and imagery to match. Either way, we’re likely to look forward to our time fishing – which energises us to live more ‘compleatly’.
If you like this blog, then you might like Traditional Angling, Fennel's Journal No. 6. You might also like to read other entries in Fennel's Traditional Angling Blog, and subscribe to Fennel on Friday where you'll receive either a blog, video or podcast sent direct via email in time for the weekend.