Acute Angling is your one stop web site for up-to-date
information on the best in peacock bass fishing. We can compare and
contrast virtually any peacock bass destination available — whether you’re
interested in a houseboat trip, a remote safari-camp or a comfortable fixed
lodge. We know the fish, tackle, seasons and locations better than
anyone in the business . . . Read our "Peacock Bass Primer" to learn when,
where and how to catch trophy peacock bass.
Acute Angling
Introduction - The Fisherman's Disease
Anglers
are victims of an addiction
described decades ago by the famed psychologist, B.F. Skinner. We
cannot live without our doses of "gamblers reinforcement". We are
turned on by the strange process of repeating unrewarded efforts for the
sole purpose of eliciting an occasional, random flash of success.
Very few people would consider such a strategy for other aspects of their
lives. Scientists or chefs, engineers or businessmen, truck drivers
or mechanics, certainly wouldn't do their jobs this way. Even fishermen
don't go to work, raise their children or plan their lives in this manner.
But somehow, with a stretch of water in front of them, these otherwise
perfectly normal people will wave a fishing rod over and over and over,
casting into a relatively opaque medium, in the hope that a primitive creature
will be fooled into trying to eat a bunch of feathers or a chunk of wood
attached to a string on the end of their rod. And they'll do it for
days on end, every chance they get.
The
scary thing is that I not
only recognize the strange and futile nature of this disease, but I have
happily let myself become further and further immersed in it. If
you are a victim, like me, you probably recognize some of these symptoms
and side effects; a hidden stash of colorful, flashy, small hooked
objects made of plastic, metal and wood, feathers and hair; a strange
attraction to water full of tree stumps and fallen timber or rocks, rapids
and convoluted shorelines; a kind of mesmerization when reeling,
casting and waving fishing paraphernalia in the air; an adrenaline
rush
when even the slightest variation is imparted to the steady, regular feel
of a rod tip or a stretched line in your fingers; The only cure is
a fishing fix, more of the same disease. Thankfully, nature has provided
us with a world full of beautiful places and fantastic fishes with which
to treat our condition. And the most powerful medicine, the strongest
drug, the ultimate fishing fix I have ever found is the incredible peacock
bass.
They hit harder
than they have any reason to, they run more explosively than any angler
would expect, they fight harder than their size and weight would seem to
allow and they have more stamina than seems possible given their violent
style. Although all of these things are strong medicine for the fisherman's
disease, it seems that the more of this drug we get, the more we need.
Every day you spend fishing seems to make you just want more days and every
fish you catch seems to make you just want to catch more fish. The
disease is probably incurable and everyone's case seems to be just a little
bit different. Some like to pursue their addiction in air conditioned
comfort, some prefer moving right into the fish's lair. So the best
we can offer you is a fix, not a cure, just a temporary treatment and an
exciting way to get at it that best fits your variation of the disease.
Here's how.
