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An Introductory Article By Peter Finnis

What is game fishing? That's easy you think, it's fly fishing for trout and salmon, right? Well, not necessarily. It is a peculiar restriction applied only by the British. Outside of the UK the only similar reference is to big game fishing, and that means marlin, tuna, etc.

What we call game fish are more often referred to as sport fish in other countries. Perhaps it is the traditional tag of "game fish" applied only to trout and salmon in the UK that has prevented other worthy species like bass and pike being given the same merit. So, I don't like the term game fishing, I much prefer the term sport fishing and apply a much broader canvass to the subject.

But what is my definition of sport fishing? Basically, it is any form of active rather than passive fishing, using light tackle balanced to the situation as appropriate, to represent a challenge in the pursuit of hard fighting predatory species of fish. Here are just a few examples of my definitions of sport fishing situations that can be found in the UK:-

1. Fly fishing or ultra light spinning for trout, grayling, perch, chub, jack pike, mackerel and school bass.
2. Fly fishing or spinning for salmon and sea trout.
3. Fly fishing, lure fishing or wobbled dead baiting for pike.
4. Plugging or drift lining for bass.
5. Jellyworm or redgill fishing for bass, pollack, coalfish and cod.

It's a pretty varied list, isn't it? But there is more. Increasingly, UK anglers are venturing abroad for their sport. There is great light tackle sport fishing opportunities to be had for so many exotic species in equally exotic locations. Inshore in shallow water you can target bonefish, tarpon, snook, redfish, permit, jack crevalle, barracuda and many more. Offshore there is even greater variety. Some of the best light tackle opponents being sailfish, dorado, wahoo, king mackerel and school tuna.

If you love the excitement of spectacular hard fighting fish on light tackle, I would urge you to cast off the traditionally narrow perspective of UK game fishing and take a more flexible and varied approach to your sport.

As you would probably expect, a large chunk of my personal experience, and therefore my writing, is with regard to still water trout fly fishing. But increasingly, I tend to think of this merely as my regular bread and butter fishing along with pike fishing, bass fishing, etc. and I am always looking forward to my next foreign adventure. So far, these adventures have taken me to destinations as diverse as Florida, Kenya, The Canaries, Slovenia, Sweden, etc. Also, being based in Sussex, I have often felt the need to explore other more prolific parts of the UK such as Devon, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and the Lake Distinct.

In each case, I have been faced with either new species and/or new challenges, and that is exactly how I like it. While I am at my happiest wielding a fly rod, I am equally prepared to use spinning and bait casting gear when the situation demands. I have a ridiculously large variety of rods, reels, lures, flies and general tackle but that is the necessity and the penalty of being an all rounder. I couldn't bear to specialise in just one or two types of fishing. It would bore me rigid.

Thanks to fishingworld.co.uk magazine I have been given the opportunity to share some of my angling experiences. Hopefully, this will result in me imparting a certain amount of useful advice and information and maybe even some entertainment in future articles. I will try to be suitably varied, covering different species, venues, tackle, techniques, lures, baits, flies, etc. But equally, I will only write about what I know and have experienced. You would be amazed at how many writers do not follow that particular rule!

So there you have it. Welcome to the world of sport (or, if you prefer, game) fishing. My mission is to get as many carp anglers out of their bivvies, coarse anglers off their seat boxes, and shore anglers out of their beach buddies, and put some excitement into their fishing, only joking!!