Fishing Unplugged

Pronunciation: /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/ /ˌʌnˈplʌgd/

Etymology: < fish v. + -ing suffix1. < unplug v. + -ed suffix.
1. The action, art, or practice of catching fish
2. To free of an obstruction; unclog.

‘Fishing Unplugged’ is the best term I could come up with to describe how I fish; as low tech as possible, preferably mobile, and departing from the standard ‘sit and wait’ approach which many people adopt.  Think of it more as hunting, as opposed to trapping (with the important caveat that nothing dies at the end).  I’m not knocking the sit and wait approach, it has it’s own benefits, but I find the proactive hunting approach is more challenging and less prone to boredom.

Since 2008 I’ve caught pike to 19.5lb, carp to 14.1lb, zander to 8.5lb, chub up to 4lb and various roach, perch, bream etc using this method.  I think I’ve got a brolly somewhere, and even a cover for it, but I’ve only had it out once, because my approach relies on travelling light.  I prefer to stalk fish from the banks or in a rowing boat, looking for them rather than baiting up and waiting for them to come to me.

I’ve no doubt my chosen fishing method sometimes makes it harder for me to catch fish rather then easier, but as I prefer to catch fish that aren’t caught frequently, in swims which can be hard to reach, dragging a trolley into a swim wouldn’t work for me.

This part of my blog is about my continued efforts to catch fish the hard way, my successes and failures, and the lessons I learn along the way.  Happy reading, and tight lines!