Fishing is a recreational activity for most. Go out and have some fun. Why is there so much jealousy and competitiveness about fishing? I see it in fishing at beginner , intermediate and expert levels.
the beginners are fairly innocent. They just want to catch a fish. If everyone catches one and you don't you look like a dummy. Also , if you are going to catch one , why not hope its a big one. So I understand the basic desire to catch as much or more than the next guy when everyone is just getting started.
The intermediate guys are amongst the worst in terms of competitiveness. They seem to need to pass through the intermediate stage quickly and be recognized as an expert. The catch one big fish and tell the whole world about it. Does a big fish make you an expert? The intermediate guys also tend to be the most vicious about criticizing beginners and want to make sure that its hard to get away from the beginner label because that makes the intermediate level guy a more select group among the fishing population. For the intermediate guy who feels a big fish makes him special , I like to tell the story about a friend of mine's brother. He was somewhat learning disabled. What is now called a resource kid. Not retarded but not a rocket scientist. he was taken fishing by his brothers. the only fish he ever caught was a 63 pound striper amd he won the governers award.
I find that most real experts lose a lot of the competitiveness. There are some who are truly experts who get more competitive because they need to be called the best but most guys who get good at the sport just start to enjoy it. They keep their noses clean but do give help if asked nicely. They catch lots of fish that an intermediate guy would brag about and just let them go with nobody even knowing they had a good one on the line. They know that sometimes you have a big night and sometimes you get skunked and often it has nothing to do with your own ability. They know how to fish and they know it and don't care what other people thing or do or say.
Yes there are commercial fisherman who's competitiveness is expressed in terms of dollars they earn and who have the slips to back up their bravado but how often do you hear a commercial guy bragging about what he caught and where and when and how. So for the purpose of this discussion i am thinking only about recreationaal fisherman.
So for a start ,I would say that I know about the competitiveness because I was very competitive about it 20 years ago. It seemed important to catch a lot and make sure people knew I did it. I would argue about techniques and tide and time etc and it seemed really important to be right and know a little more than the next guy.
Now I just worry about the next fish and hope that I can continue doing it for a long time. Who cares who else caught what. I know lots of good fisherman who feel the same. I have seen many transition from beginner asking how to tie a knot to top guns who catch many and big fish year after year.
So anyway , why do you think fishing brings out so much competitiveness in people Do you think its important to be an expert to enjoy the sport? Do you think that a big part of why people fish is for recognition by others or do they do it for themselves and their own enjoyment and/or peace of mind?
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