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In search of the record fish
Who's still casting for gudgeon, frying minnows or fishing locally for food? These stories bear witness to a time when fishing was synonymous with simplicity, proximity and patient observation of the environment. Today, in the age of social networking and the frantic search for record fish, the comparison is cruel and raises the question: have we lost the soul of fishing?
The drift towards "bigger and bigger", metered pike, trout exceeding 50 cm, carp weighing 20 kg and more... Modern fishing seems to have turned into a quest for trophies. The value of a fish is no longer measured by the emotion of the catch or the pleasure of the shared moment, but by its weight, size and the photo posted online. The image takes precedence over the spirit.
This systematic emphasis on the "big" is not without consequences. It fashions a reductive and sometimes negative image of our passion: that of a race to dominate the environment, of a cult of numbers, far removed from the wonder of yesteryear. How I miss the days when a simple float bobbing on the water of a pond in the depths of a bocage was enough to delight young and old alike.
This obsession with "bigger and bigger" also kills the simple pleasure of fishing. Today, many anglers can't get enough of a 30 cm trout, even though it's already a beautiful fish. Worse still, some feel "incapable" if they don't pull out a pike by the metre on every outing, whereas a 70 cm pike is already an exceptional catch, worthy of respect and admiration.
Fishing essentials
The constant comparison with records posted on social networks transforms a passion into frustration. This phenomenon also leads to a silent but dramatic loss of anglers. How many anglers give up, discouraged by not being able to "do what the stars do" on YouTube or Facebook? How many convince themselves that they are "bad fishermen" because their catches don't resemble the trophies displayed online?
The impression that the river is empty, even though it abounds in treasures that are despised or forgotten because they're not Instagrammable enough. Of course, the decline in the number of anglers has many causes (societal, ecological, economic), but this permanent frustration is a major contributor. Without renewal and a critical mass of anglers, our fishing tradition will die out. Fishing will only survive if it remains accessible, rewarding and formative for all. We need to get back to basics.
Fishing is not doomed to become a permanent contest. It can (and must) remain a school of humility and simplicity: catching a 25 cm chub, preparing a small fry, passing on a skill to a child, or simply observing the life of the river. It is these moments, more than records, that maintain the link between man and nature.
Yes, if fishing is reduced to the pursuit of a metre-long pike, a 50+ trout or a 20 kg carp, it's doomed. Not because these fish have no place in our dreams, but because their exclusive worship distorts the spirit of our passion. Worse still, it deprives many anglers of simple pleasure, driving them to give up, and weakening the renewal of generations. What will make fishing last is not trophies, but respect for the environment, transmission to new generations and a taste for the essential.
Glory to you, minnows caught in a broken-bottomed bottle, glory to you, roach from the next pond, glory to you, simple inhabitant of the waters who brings joy to the fisherman every time.
