Most women can’t see the pleasure in fishing and therefore you don’t see many of them participating but it really is very relaxing and something you can do all over the world,
explains Sue. There are two types of fishing – coarse and game. With the former fish that are caught are returned to the water with the latter the fish can be taken home for supper! The skill is in selecting the right fly for the end of your line and then casting it to where you think there is most activity. There are flies that emulate all manner of creatures – from mayflies and buzzers to ants and shrimps – so selecting the right one for the stretch of water is also an art.
I must say I could see little point in catching something and then throwing it back in,
smiles Sue, but game fishing – now that’s really worthwhile. I’ve never had any qualms about knocking something on the head, gutting it and taking it home to cook...that was until I caught a beautiful salmon on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and then I had a change of heart. Salmon are having a bad time, and although the quality of water is getting better and they are managing to breed now, I still felt it was only right to let him live to see another day.
Fishing is done on different types of waters – lakes, reservoirs, rivers where you’ll find either migratory (in moving waters) or non-migratory fish (in contained waters). Sue points out that you don’t have to go far to be able to fish in the region. There are lessons available in Epping; our very own Hatfield Forest lake (coarse fishing) and other locations include Chigborough Trout Lakes and Norton Fishery and the big reservoirs at Hanningfield, Graffham and Rutland Water– none of them a million miles away. Sue and her partner Michael own The Shooting School in Thornwood where lessons are available and corporates are often found enjoying a bit of team building. Being a participant in outdoor pursuits can be very rewarding,
says Sue,it helps you look at the world with new eyes and appreciate the planet and what it has to offer.
