![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Gareth-Yellow.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYou blink and the year has gained a momentum that leaves you wondering if the holidays were just a figment of your imagination. For every family man or those unfortunate enough to be committed to a partner who just can\u2019t comprehend your infatuation with fish, ‘the holidays’ can be a relative phrase. Obligation might seem like a heartless term, but be honest with yourself, how much time did you spend doing exactly what you wanted to do in December? Life is all about compromise, but if you weren\u2019t allowed to throw a line over the festive season, then you need to get in touch with that pig-headed brute that climbed down from the trees and grow a set!<\/p>\n
A fishing resolution is a simple one, spend more time doing it. Which, considering we\u2019re already looking back at January and you still haven\u2019t bent a rod, your year planner is in need of some resurrecting<\/p>\n
We\u2019re lucky that most fish have a season, so at least we can plan our campaign on what to target when. Understanding that your time is the most significant constraint, coupled with the post-festive season finances, you want to take a good look around at your local options to wet your appetite, hopefully not resorting to the Koi in your neighbor’s pond.<\/p>\n
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Being \u2018invited\u2019 to an event is always a guarantee for some quality fishing time, but don\u2019t wait for that call, create it, get the lads together and make it happen. Should you be in that unenviable position of having to justify a boys weekend, you can always pitch it as having been selected, which brings me to the most important aspect. Join a club! You don\u2019t have to attend all the meetings, or even read the newsletter ( although it will generally improve your fishing), but it gives any fishing trip some legitimacy on the face of it\u2026..hell, start your own club, that way you get to control the whole process.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/TCC-Group.jpg\")
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Then you have to plan at least one big excursion. Now, this isn\u2019t always possible every year, so if not then get it in your and everyone else’s sights for 2021. The incredible benefit of fishing is the places it takes you to, so make sure you get out of your comfort zone and reach for a new destination and notch up some fresh species. If necessary and I say this with caution, plan your next family holiday around this. This can of course backfire should you not have ensured that the fishing far outweighs the tourist attractions. For, as enthralling as the environment and cultural history might be, should you be within casting length of tailing fish whilst listening to some tour guide drone on, it\u2019s likely to end in a proverbial boxing match.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Tiger-Rhuan.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Consistency is the key, as it gets your friends, works colleagues and above all family to associate you with the sport\u2026..and yes they need to be convinced that it is a sport!<\/p>\n
Granted, it lacks the agility of football or the speed of a Hussain Bolt and the average angler is no Swartznegger to look at, but finesse and skill it certainly takes, as all of us know, having seen the seasoned Pro consistently teach the fish a lesson. And that\u2019s the real point, all it takes is practice. As a good friend of mine once advised me, \u2018There\u2019s nothing wrong with your fishing that a decade or two on the water won\u2019t fix!’<\/p>\n
The benefits of the great outdoors are irrefutable, as more than ever in today’s manic society, the need for a digital detox is paramount and provided each time you go out fishing, you don\u2019t have to Uber home and stumble incoherently into bed, your better half will realize that this is valuable time in which you get to destress and make sense of our existence.<\/p>\n
So stop making excuses as it\u2019s not about making every cast count, it\u2019s making sure you don\u2019t have to count your casts.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Casting.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You blink and the year has gained a momentum that leaves you wondering if the holidays were just a figment of your imagination. For every family man or those unfortunate enough to be committed to a partner who just can\u2019t comprehend your infatuation with fish, ‘the holidays’ can be a relative phrase. Obligation might seem like a heartless term, but be honest with yourself, how much time did you spend doing exactly what you wanted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":7093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Untitled-1-2.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13042,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=13042","url_meta":{"origin":7073,"position":0},"title":"The Fly Shrink","author":"Gareth","date":"June 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"How smart do you think fish really are? I mean it\u2019s not as if they\u2019ve managed to crawl out the water\u2026\u2026yet we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure them out. There\u2019s a lot to consider when throwing a fly at a fish and some might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fly"","block_context":{"text":"Fly","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/The-Fly-Shrink-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/The-Fly-Shrink-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/The-Fly-Shrink-copy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/The-Fly-Shrink-copy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/The-Fly-Shrink-copy.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2490,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2490","url_meta":{"origin":7073,"position":1},"title":"5 Reasons To Enter The TOPS Corporate Challenge","author":"Rhuan Human","date":"May 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Competition angling is not for everyone, in fact some of the best anglers I have met have never fished a competition in their lives. Some see fishing as an escape. An break from their daily routine, and from the responsibilities that go with adult life. They want to be outside\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_thumbnail_IMG_8055.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3471,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=3471","url_meta":{"origin":7073,"position":2},"title":"Winter Estuary Fishing","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"April 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter is officially here, with cold spells having been upon us since mid April already, the fishing in the estuaries has changed from the summer species and techniques to those we traditionally expect during the cooler months.\u00a0 Some of the summer species have left our rivers, and some have gone\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/b2ap3_thumbnail_photo-1.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9239,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=9239","url_meta":{"origin":7073,"position":3},"title":"The Kitchen Sink","author":"Gareth","date":"August 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"What to throw at the problem is the @#$%&$! problem. That fish are fussy, no frustrated angler will argue about and when it comes to fly fishing for Trout the debate quickly devolves into fly patterns? It is a question more worn than a green and gold jersey when the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fly"","block_context":{"text":"Fly","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/The-Kitchen-Sink.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/The-Kitchen-Sink.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/The-Kitchen-Sink.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/The-Kitchen-Sink.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/The-Kitchen-Sink.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11763,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=11763","url_meta":{"origin":7073,"position":4},"title":"2020 in Hindsight","author":"Gareth","date":"February 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s been a bit of a mother-in-law year, in that we all want to see the back of it, but we can\u2019t honestly say that we haven\u2019t learned a lot from the last 12 months. This time last year, murmurs of a new contagion once again emanating from behind the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2606,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2606","url_meta":{"origin":7073,"position":5},"title":"Know Your Enemy","author":"Gareth","date":"August 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Competitive fly-fishing is a bit of a conundrum really.First of all, it\u2019s hard to set your sights on your adversary when you can hardly see them and here I refer to the fish, not the angler with whom you are fishing, the morning after. Which begs the question what is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"b2ap3_thumbnail_DSCF1151.JPG","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/b2ap3_thumbnail_DSCF1151.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8sv9-1Q5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7073"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7092,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7073\/revisions\/7092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}