Fishing at the olympics

It is safe to say the most of the world is in Olympics mode (I have even noticed a drop in visitor numbers to this site!) So while the blog is a little deserted I thought I would put up my arguments for and against about fishing being included as an Olympic sport!

For

• Most countries participate in the sport of fishing in some form.
• It is a traditional and ancient sport.
• Each Olympics could have a different target species.
• It would raise awareness of angling and what anglers do to care for the environment.
• It would encourage the continued growth of catch and release fishing.
  

Against

• Animal rights activists would be against it.
• It doesn't make for great TV (this is debatable I guess).
• Transporting all the necessary equipment to the Olympic country could be a chore (although it can't be much harder than transporting a horse or a drunk athlete!)
• It isn't a traditional Olympic sport.
  

Hopefully the IOC is listening/reading to my thoughts and we will see fishing at the Olympics one day!

Of course this is all just a bit of fun, but feel free to tell me what you think - please leave a comment.

Funny fishing quotes

I thought I would take a break from the usual "instructional" type posts and try something a little bit different and hopefully fun! Enjoy these funny fishing quotes:

"The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." - A.K. Best

"My Biggest worry is that when I'm dead and gone, my wife will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it." - Koos Brandt

"Today she met me at the door, said I would have to choose, if I picked that fishing pole today, she'd be packing all her things and she'd be gone by noon....well I'm gonna miss her!" - Brad Paisley

"Fly fishermen are born honest, but they get over it." - Ed Zern

"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn." - Chuck Clark

“There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.” - Steven Wright

"Catch and Release fishing is a lot like golf. You don't have to eat the ball to have a good time." - Anon

"I knew my tippet was too big when the willow tree I'd hooked on my back cast came flying over my head." - Jimmy D Moore

"I don't exaggerate... I just remember BIG!" - Anon

"The two happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day he buys the boat and the day he sells it." - Avery Wiseman

* I have tried to attribute these quotes to the correct author. Any corrections are needed please leave a comment

The catfish that swallowed a basketball - Crazy fishing story #2

First I must say sorry for the lack of post yesterday - it was my birthday!

It must be the week for crazy fishing stories. After being sent the sharks love story my Dad sent me the story of a catfish out of Lake Macquarie (in NSW Australia) that ate a basketball. Once again I am pretty sure that the photos are real, but I am sure that the southern Australian catfish doesn't grow very big or look like the one in the photos. So I think the story I received with the pictures is fabricated. If you know about the true story behind the pictures I would love to hear it (please leave a comment). Here is the story I received:

True Fish Story

A guy who lives at Lake Macquarie (50 miles north of Gosford near Newcastle) saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate. It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface.

The bloke tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish. You probably wouldn't have believed this, if you hadn't seen the following pictures...

Funny Fishing Advertisments

In the spirit of the super bowl (yes even an Aussie watches this massive event) I have decided to post the funniest fishing advertisements I could find. They are from John West and of course they feature some crazy antics that are worth watching. They only run for about 45 seconds each.

Please leave a comment and tell me which one you find the funniest

Oh and by the way - Go giants!

Happy New Year

I want to wish all of my readers a happy and safe new year with lots and lots of fish!

Enjoy this little fishing cartoon:

Fishing Bloopers

I never know if this guy is just putting it on or he is a real a real dunce. However, I love watching his crazy stunts and laughing my head off. I am sure we can all relate to him in some way or another. I will never forget when my old man left the bungs out of the boat or when the steering was locked and we did circles about 100 meters out from the boar ramp for 5 minutes - if only I had a camera!

Enjoy this little video - if you like it leave a comment and I will post more of the silliness.