Fishing Frenzy

I read a tweeting conversation the other day between a couple of chaps nattering about dreaming and one of them pointed out the weirdness of having the radio on after the alarm has gone off but you're not actually awake. That really lit a spark with me, as I remember some crackers I had when I used to have my clock radio and the News came on and I was in that second part of sleep, where you're not properly asleep but below that level where you're just coming out to alertness. The radio gets into the ears and what they are picking up gets woven into the dreams and it's magnificent.

permitting the mind to drift is a fantastic thing and it is often difficult to do. I used to do it when giving the car a good clean, when there's not a lot to think about what you're doing you can't beat just picking a train of thought and following it to see where it goes. I cannot do it now because my son insists on 'helping' with car washing and doing as much as he can. But shortly, when I go back to angling, I will have the time and space to just sit back, watch the fishing tackle and watch the mind disappear into itself.

I completely believe it helps to keep the supple as I used to find myself going down side roads and making all sorts of connections, testing my memory and trying to work out problems. Also it's a superb way for going over sections of your life, places visited and people met. Of course it can be troublesome as well, looking back over one's career and thinking "where did it all go wrong?" :o)

Perhaps it's me, but the openings I have to be able to permit the imagination to drift is getting ever rarer. It's another reason why halting fishing was a stupid thing to let happen, especially as the normal period for the mind to meander when it happens, if it does, is at the wrong end of the sleep timetable, and it keeps one awake which is not what's needed at all.

A working imagination is a vital part of the fishing tackle, not only because you have to adapt to the situation of the day, but also the season of the year. angling in summer is straightforward, particularly around June when the season has just started and the fish have forgotten about being caught before and the freshly hatched fish never have been. Later though, angling becomes harder as the fish wise up, the weather affects how the fish feed and where, so you have to be able to adapt.

Using a variety of baits and tackle for fishing is crucial as very often a period of experimentation is needed before finding the best recipe for what will tempt the fish into going after the trap on the hook. And, then when happy with the setup it's a chance to sit back, take it easy and set the mind go. And don't push it! It will not work if you decide the journey or force the pace, all that happens then is that you're left wondering what's on the tv later.

So, the point is to include your brain along with the fishing tackle as, as well as the sheer pleasure to be had fishing, it's a bonus to be able to keep the brain in tune, the memory freshened up and enthused.

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