Experts stand out among the casts of thousands

Feb 19 2008 by Moc Morgan, Western Mail

EXPERTS are to be found in all walks of life – and fishing is not an exception. What is the hallmark of an expert angler? I daresay it is the ability to catch fish under all kinds of conditions – and especially if those around him have blanked.

I have had the pleasure of meeting a few experts and one factor that is common to them all is the ease with which they perform. There is no obvious physical effort attached to their performance and their timing is always perfect.

I have shared a boat with expert anglers on several occasions and found that although both of us are using identical tackle and even the same type of flies, the expert would be taking fish while I could not even get an offer.

This happened to me last season when I was fishing Llandegfedd reservoir. My boat partner was Dean Kibble, from Oakwood, one of the most successful fishers on the angling competition scene in Wales for the past few years.

Llandegfedd reservoir, some three miles from Pontypool is a truly beautiful reservoir – an environmental gem in what was at one time an industrial desert. It has rural surrounds with fascinating fauna and flora. It caters for fishers, sailors and anyone who loves the countryside and the great outdoors.

Dean was in control of the engine and as he knew the water well decided to take up position near the dam wall. He opted for a slow sinking line and after casting it out waited until it had gone down some three feet before beginning to retrieve it very slowly.

Anglers pay considerable attention to their casting ability and do their utmost to cast out a long line, but it would be wise for them to remember that fish are not caught when the line is in the air. This happens when the line is being retrieved in the water.

On this particular day it seemed that Dean’s style was being replicated by most of the fishers in the nearby boats.

But this is where the expert comes into his own. In the next hour Dean had taken his limit of six fish and hooked another half a dozen or so.

No one else had taken a fish. This happens consistently with Dean – not only on still waters but also when river fishing.

If you are fortunate enough to fish alongside an expert and he is catching fish while you are not – you invariably try to copy him by mirroring exactly what he is doing.

When sharing a boat you can observe at close quarters. You take note of the expert’s casting technique, his retrieving technique, the depth of the line, the fly patterns being used – and of course the speed of retrieve as timing is so very crucial. You hope that by pure imitation you will get the same results.

Unfortunately this seldom, if ever, happens.

Experts seem to have that extra “something” – a quality that is not quantifiable. Some have suggested that it is down to their PMA – Positive Mental Attitude. There is no doubt that one’s mental attitude does have an important role to play. It is pointless to approach a task with a negative feeling – one must always aim at success. However when you are in the company of an expert your positive attitudes tend to diminish in the face of the huge successes coming his way. How can you remain on a high when your boat partner catches fish galore and you sit there with nothing.

On that day I even tried to fish using Dean’s rod, reel, line, leader and flies but to no avail. In fact it made things worse as I was now losing all my confidence and sank to such depths that I just knew I would not catch a fish that day.

Trying to find a cause for the differences in results is well nigh impossible – yet there must be a reason.

Having been the team manager for the Welsh National Fly Fishing Senior Teams since 1972, I have kept records of the top Welsh anglers at international competitions. Some of these competitors were certainly what we would consider the experts.

However the records show that what the “experts” had were “purple patches” which lasted a few years, during which they caught fish galore. Thereafter their names disappeared from among the front-runners.

The “purple patch” syndrome is also evident in other sports.

I recall asking one expert what he was putting into his fishing that made him so successful.

He hesitated for a while and finally said, “Oh I’m not too sure – could be a little bit of my soul – perhaps.”

I wonder – I am still wondering!