Paul Arden | Thursday, 17 September 2015
It always surprises me, when someone tells me that they "can't cast for shit, but catch lots of fish!" I'm thinking, "I know a hell of a lot of places where you won't catch any fish!" Of course there is casting and there is casting. And there are certainly anglers around, instructors even, who despite casting very nice loops, think catching fish is incidental to being there and not the purpose - which is fine of course, we're all different. Some anglers will tell you that their casting is "functional, not pretty". As far as I'm concerned that's all that actually matters - my casting is "functional" too. It's only that for Snakehead it need to be "highly functional"!
I read recently that anticipation feeds the brain dopamine (also known as dihydroxyphenylethylamine - yes I do my research thoroughly 
). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers. I think this explains why those of us who love to catch fish, don't consider patience to be a virtue. Indeed it's an encumbrance to our need to catch more fish! Furthermore, it also explains why taking shots at moving targets - that appear randomly, at any moment and from any direction - is the most addictive form of flyfishing - because it gives us the highest level of anticipation!
And the final part of this amazingly insightful Front Page that I'm bringing you today from the jungle, is to let me tell you, that of all the shots I've taken in my life, not only is Snakehead the most challenging, but it also by far the most addictive!!!
Fuck it is SO exciting!!! I know I keep going on and on about this bloody fish but it is everything I do and everything I think about (apart from Ashly of course - she reads these Front Pages too - and I have both thoughts going on in my head at the same time... Ashly and Snakehead, Snakehead and Ashly - Snakehead bigger than Ashly... that I'm wrestling into the boat using my Hot Torpedo 8... and then fighting with to get the popper back... actually, talking of which, Ashly is visiting again this coming Sunday and this time I'm going to guide her onto Snakehead! She is actually frightened of them - as in fact am I - but the only way to overcome this fear is by sticking it to them again and again!)
I've been experimenting more with sunk line tactics this week, and while I still haven't landed a single Snakehead on a sinking like, I have had one follow to the surface and another pull (and lost three flies in stumps). So that's an exciting development in this department and I'm pretty sure that given enough time - and I have plenty of time - I can open up an alternative method to catching them. It simply does not make any sense that I'm not catching them deep, where they are feeding - and I need to solve this puzzle. This should be the *main* way to catch them!
I'm going to spend the rest of the week fishing the fast sinking line. If I can find some answers then Ashly will be in a much better position to catch a big Snakehead of her own. Her casting is not nearly fast enough yet for the surface shots, even off babies. But with lots of dedicated practise it will be. Now if she can only get addicted to Snakehead, then my job teaching her casting will become very much easier.
Can't wait for the next World Championships by the way, I reckon I'll finish the accuracy contest in under 30 seconds!!
Cheers,
Paul
PS Good stuff on the Board!!! Join up today! People come and go - and if people keep going and no-one starts coming then I'll end up just talking to myself and I do that all the time on the boat already! 