Choosing the right bait: At the beginning of the project we had a day of training with Martyn Lucas on the different bates, flies and rods that anglers use. As Martyn was the only angler on the project his knowledge and understanding was crucial to our understanding the preparation that anglers go through in their attempts to catch fish.
Martyn explaining the use of different flies to the project: These were flies that Martyn had made himself and these were just some of his own collection. Anglers often talk of the time and effort that goes into making flies a process that is often designed to mimick insects that fish eat in the wild. The process of designing flies that accurately mimick insects evolves over the lifetime of anglers and reflects their knowledge of both fish and the insects they feed on.
Getting away from it all? Although many anglers talk of wanting to get away from the pressures of life by going river fishing many also find solitude and quite on stillwaters. Non-commercial stillwaters such as the one above can offer many of the physical features of rivers that attract anglers while being more convenient and offering a better chance of catching fish.
Not quite! For some anglers it is not possible to quite escape the demands of the modern world.
Fish in keep net
Time for reflection
Fishing with pals: Although many anglers talk of angling as a way of getting away from the pressures of their everyday lives angling is also a very social activity for many. It is the social side of angling where skills and tips are passed on to others and where anglers can discuss their interests and passion for the activity with other like minded people. Time spent with friends and family in a common pursuit is considered cricial to anglers well-being.
Unless stated otherwise all photographs are copyright of Michael Carrithers