Casting at the sun: an observation

[Mark]

Three or four times a month fishing is far enough for me, sometimes it can be once or twice a month.

[Snape]

I go in fits and starts and sometimes go months without wetting a line but other times get out several times per week. I find I have to vary it though. After a couple of trips fishing for carp in a week I find I don't fancy it again for a while. How CY and the others went back to Redmire every 3rd week from mid June to Oct is beyond me. I find that when I have had a week at Redmire I am happy to leave it for at least a year but I guess they were hunting unknown monsters and they knew they were record fish in there then.

[Mario]

I must admit I have obsessive nature I have been totatly obsessed with fishing at times going every day to my local lakes I think if I could get down the river every day If I could i would but I cant so I go once or twice a week but sometimes I get obsessed with other hobbies such as cycling and art and my other pass times suffer then but I have a health problems that prevent me holding down a job so it help my condition that I have these things to get me through the day I also live on my own so no one suffers if I go fishing for the day I think if it your home life suffers that's when you have a problem my outlook in life is that you have to make the most out of life and if means getting out fishing go gor it your a long time dead

[RBTraditional]

The total fishing syndrome only leads to misery.....divorce and all of its horrors...losing your home , your kids and for some their jobs........been there got the tee shirt.
I have always been fishing mad since the age of five, and up until my mid twenties went at least once a week. After I married I somehow became obsessed with big pike and carp, which took me away from the home every weekend from Friday evening till Sunday afternoon, all of my holidays were spent chasing leviathans, midweek evenings meeting with fishing mates in the pub or on the bank, hundreds of miles and thousands of pounds spent chasing the dream........I just didn't realise that I had become so obsessed......... The aftermath was a terrible time I my life, but I had only myself to blame.... I look back with sadness and deep regret that I spoilt something so very precious.....
Now fishing is a pleasure again, I realised that I have caught as many big fish as one man needs in a lifetime and have a much calmer approach to everything......
I met a lovely country girl six years ago, who I firmly believe saved me from myself, she understands my need to fish and now I understand the need to share time with the one you love, I still fish quite regularly, but rarely go all night, I allow myself one fishing week with my best mate (for the last 40 years) each year.........life has re-balanced.... I spend time looking after my lovely old cottage and garden, have days out with Eira and take an interest in her interests and passions, which have now become mine as well.............life is good again...........

[Marc]

My other half, as understanding as she can be, would do her ends if she woke up and I'd just vanished and returned (before mobile phones) a week later. I suppose in Chris' situation it payed the mortgage, where as I'd get the sack and the boot.
I used to think I was obsessive, right up until the moment he states that he had nothing to eat so started eating his stale potatoes. At that moment my life felt quite balanced.

[Julian]

As stated, it is probably condensed to a degree.
In terms of Redmire the rota at the time was something like every third week or thereabouts, so two weeks in between to do other things. Plus he fished there in two stints with a gap of a few years in between (I'm working from my dodgy memory here, so any corrections welcome).

It's still something of an obsession though. For me, there isn't a day goes by that I don't think about fishing in some shape or form and that builds as a days angling approaches, but after that day I'm satisfied and don't have an urge to go again immediately. If circumstances allowed me to go whenever I wanted I think once a week would probably be more than enough.

You're totally correct, one week on two off. Although he does write that he spent the two weeks obsessing about going back and forgetting all his old carp haunts. Still a fascinating read.

I think I could do a week, anymore than that and I think I would become a bit cabin feverish. Even then I'd have to change venue or quarry. I don't want to read to much into a book, I just found one section to be a bit intense, which I'm sure was Mr Yates trying to get across how intense his fishing had become. As I say, fascinating.

If you read CY's Four Seasons diaries you will see that he spent a lot of days fishing other pools and lakes in the two weeks in between each of his Redmire week long sessions throughout the period mid June to late October each year (1977 to 1981) and apparently he use to fish even more frequently back in 1972 and 1973 when he was first on the Redmire syndicate.

[Nigel Rainton]

When I was young someone told me 'never turn a hobby you love into a job, you will grow to hate it'.

[Aitch]

I can vouch for that sentiment.....

[Mario]

I think your right there should be a balance

[PerchBasher]

The total fishing syndrome only leads to misery.....divorce and all of its horrors...losing your home , your kids and for some their jobs........been there got the tee shirt.
I have always been fishing mad since the age of five, and up until my mid twenties went at least once a week. After I married I somehow became obsessed with big pike and carp, which took me away from the home every weekend from Friday evening till Sunday afternoon, all of my holidays were spent chasing leviathans, midweek evenings meeting with fishing mates in the pub or on the bank, hundreds of miles and thousands of pounds spent chasing the dream........I just didn't realise that I had become so obsessed......... The aftermath was a terrible time I my life, but I had only myself to blame.... I look back with sadness and deep regret that I spoilt something so very precious.....
Now fishing is a pleasure again, I realised that I have caught as many big fish as one man needs in a lifetime and have a much calmer approach to everything......
I met a lovely country girl six years ago, who I firmly believe saved me from myself, she understands my need to fish and now I understand the need to share time with the one you love, I still fish quite regularly, but rarely go all night, I allow myself one fishing week with my best mate (for the last 40 years) each year.........life has re-balanced.... I spend time looking after my lovely old cottage and garden, have days out with Eira and take an interest in her interests and passions, which have now become mine as well.............life is good again...........

I’m glad its worked out for you RBT.

Others have not been so lucky. There was a youngish chap in my club who became totally obsessed with catching big carp, spending days in his bivvy and travelling hundreds of miles in pursuit of 40 and 50 pounders.

A number of us tried to have a friendly word with him, but it was useless. One member who works as a drug and alcohol counsellor said his addictive behaviour (albeit without the physical damage) was near identical to that of his clients

His marriage suffered and his wife divorced him. To get the time he needed to fish he pulled frequent “sickies” at work and eventually lost his job. The cost of specialist tackle, syndicate fees; fuel costs and the like drove him into debt.

I see him occasionally and he’s a shadow of his former self