BLOG: Lose the glamour, catch fish!

IS it just me or have modern day fishos become obsessed with using only the latest and greatest techniques and tackle? 

What ever happened to sitting down with an honest and not so fancy rod and reel, some of that stuff they used back in the dark ages - monofilament - and a fist full of prawns fished through a berley trail for bream?

Surely, bream still eat bait don't they?

Heaven forbid someone should dream of putting on a big hunk of lead and dropping a bait to the bottom and drift fishing a reef – seriously, have these bottom donkers spent too much time in the sun – are they bottom donkers or just plain bonkers?

By now those old timers that use handlines and finger stalls while drifting big slabs of stinky fish flesh must know that snapper prefer flashy pieces of plastic and metal, or do they?

Fishing manifests itself in different ways for different people – one person's prized technique may be cause for another angler to shake their head in disgust. I was recently privy to this elitist attitude when planning an evening session fishing for snapper. My sanity was questioned when discussing the plan of attack with my fishing mate. I had intended to anchor and lay out a berley trail while setting a couple of handlines.

"Handlines! ... what the? ... are you mad Omari"?

Fly fishing seems a novel way of delivering a light weight "lure" to a fish – the elitists may turn their nose up to using scents on flies but is it wrong if you want to maximise your chances? What if you wanted to fish an unweighted bait or micro soft plastic? Surely a fly rod would be a decent delivery tool?

And wait for it ... what about using bait on a fly rod... Gasp! I can sense the laser dots lining up my forehead and the bullets that will shortly follow – before you shoot, however, is it wrong to shun the glamour and try something a little different to maximise success, even if it may appear a little uncool or uncouth? Sacrilege to some may be a saving grace for others!

A packet of servo-bought prawns and a bustling suburban pier may be a far cry from the flashy boats and exotic locations we often hear and read about, however, for many young and novice anglers, easily accessed locations and convenient frozen baits provide the same joys and experiences that a hip fishing pro may recount after a day on the water. The thrill of the chase and personal satisfaction that an old bloke fishing handlines or a young fella using department store tackle experiences is no less important than the joys of chasing trout on a dry fly or snapper on cool soft plastics.

I don't think there should be "rules" to govern how we enjoy our fishing experiences.

What do you think, are some styles of fishing more important than others or is it ok to be uncool out on the water?