Media release from Eastern Fish & Game

Be selfish - join a fishing club

By Colin Taylor, NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers       

Fishing is a strange pursuit compared to other sports like golf or tennis because the ‘competitors’ aren’t people – they’re fish.

As a result, the joys of fishing, walking up a river alone or bobbing on a lake revelling in the beauties of Nature, can be a little lonely…devoid of some very enjoyable human companionship.

As Scottish poet and expert fly fisher Norman MacCaig put it: ‘When I go fishing I like to know that there's nobody within five miles of me.’

But on the other hand, famous British poet John Donne penned the widely accepted truth: ‘No man is an island…’

The reality is that we all benefit from associating with our fellow beings, especially like-minded ones, and this applies just as much to anglers as any other sports and recreational group.

The fact is that most people are basically selfish and that’s why they join clubs – because they reap personal major benefits from them. Firstly, on club nights there’s the simple fun and pleasure of swapping notes with someone who’s set out on the same path as you.

And fishing clubs provide a forum where new and even old members can learn from more experienced anglers, and from each other. For example, both trout and salmon fishing clubs often host visiting experts to speak on and demonstrate the arts of fly-tying and different styles of fly-casting. These sessions range from beginner clinics through to honing the skills of highly experienced members. 

Some clubs have fishing cabins and huts that are rented out to their members at very low prices when compared to local motels and lodges, while others provide access to boats, books, and DVD libraries – and members’ only outlay is a modest club membership fee. Club members often get other benefits in the form of member discounts at selected tackle shops.

Like most other sports clubs, fishing clubs produce regular informative newsletters that contain invitations to join organised trips with helpful mentors. This includes up-to-date reports about the condition and performance of rivers, lakes and streams around the local region, along with advice about points of access for anglers. Some clubs carry similar information on club websites or on Facebook.

Importantly, from both a regional and national perspective, the ‘power of one’ is magnified many times through club membership when our beloved sport is put at risk. Members of fishing clubs are able to forge a united and powerful voice on behalf of anglers through the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers, in conjunction with Fish & Game New Zealand – when waterways are threatened by corporate greed, vested interests, and government and local council policies (or a mix of these!).

So be ‘selfish’and join a fishing club….       

Find a club in your area:

www.nzfishingclubs.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media