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| Caleb and Missy Gottrout Champion Fisher People |
I remember reading something that Ed Zern wrote some years back. He talked about those anglers that could think like a fish. Now some 40 years later (for me) I am able to understand what Ed was talking about
Allow me to explain.
Allow me to explain.
If you hang around your local fly shop or spend some time in places that are favorite "after-stream" watering holes, pay close attention to the inmates. These folks are without a doubt the same fishermen or at least direct descendants of those "line - chuckers" that lined the bar at Frank Keener's Antrim Lodge or the Hotels along the Brodheads. And, if you do pay close attention to them you will notice that the lamer the brain, the bigger and greater the quantity of their reported catch.
The reason is quite simple. They think just like a fish.
When one of these "fish-thinkers" gets to the stream, he looks it over carefully, and he thinks to himself (which is very fish-like), "Where would I be if I were a fish in this water?" When the spot is located, he wades in and makes his cast, attains his drift and follows the fly that took him 10 minutes to decide on, during which he had another internal conversation, asking himself, "Which fly would I want to eat, if I were a fish?" Should he catch a fish he takes extreme pride in his ability to "Think like a Fish." So it just goes to reason that a fisherman who thinks like a fish, will catch more and bigger fish, than a fisherman who thinks like an armadillo, a gecko or a golfer.
"Now", you may ask, "How are these folks able to think like a fish?"
The answer is quite simple.
We need only to consider, " how does a fish's brain work?"
Now contrary to popular thought, a fish is not very bright. His brain is very, very tiny in relation to his body size. So, the tinier the fisherman's brain is, the easier it is for him to think like a fish, and catch trout left and right! Thus the lame brainers have a distinct advantage over other angler's.
This same principle (The Ed Zern Lame Brain Doctrine, as I like to call it) also explains why the fisherman with the biggest mouths also catch the biggest and most large-mouth bass. I suppose there is also data to support the idea that if you have eyes like Marty Feldman, you should be able to knock the stuffing out of catching walleyes.
Stay Classic, JB Martin
(with apologies to Ed Zern)
The reason is quite simple. They think just like a fish.
When one of these "fish-thinkers" gets to the stream, he looks it over carefully, and he thinks to himself (which is very fish-like), "Where would I be if I were a fish in this water?" When the spot is located, he wades in and makes his cast, attains his drift and follows the fly that took him 10 minutes to decide on, during which he had another internal conversation, asking himself, "Which fly would I want to eat, if I were a fish?" Should he catch a fish he takes extreme pride in his ability to "Think like a Fish." So it just goes to reason that a fisherman who thinks like a fish, will catch more and bigger fish, than a fisherman who thinks like an armadillo, a gecko or a golfer.
"Now", you may ask, "How are these folks able to think like a fish?"
The answer is quite simple.
We need only to consider, " how does a fish's brain work?"
Now contrary to popular thought, a fish is not very bright. His brain is very, very tiny in relation to his body size. So, the tinier the fisherman's brain is, the easier it is for him to think like a fish, and catch trout left and right! Thus the lame brainers have a distinct advantage over other angler's.
This same principle (The Ed Zern Lame Brain Doctrine, as I like to call it) also explains why the fisherman with the biggest mouths also catch the biggest and most large-mouth bass. I suppose there is also data to support the idea that if you have eyes like Marty Feldman, you should be able to knock the stuffing out of catching walleyes.
Stay Classic, JB Martin
(with apologies to Ed Zern)
