Great anglers????

[core fly]

With so many anglers rated as great throughout the world,how do you rate a great angler?Its a question with so many variable answers.
It can be a person that specializes in a species and has mastered its habits.
It can be a person that hunts trophies,and knows exactly how to go about catching them.
Is it a guy who masters all pricipals,casting,fly tying,rod building etc.
Or the guy that can be placed in any situation with any species and be productive.
Etc......etc.....etc....
What are your thoughts/

[Troep]

John,

I think its the guy you can place on his homewaters and he can tell you in a minute by looking at stuff that its going to be productive or not...

Some guys have a gut feel about stuff, others rely on facts, I think some guys develop a gut feel over time, with experience and practice...

Most of the regulars on the forum will catch fish on any day, and i regard them all as well experienced... but some are just better than others because they know the water like the palm of their hand, they have a gut feel about the specific piece of water and they know exactly what to do and where to go, and that makes them ,according to me, a great angler! People with an in depth knowledge about a specie or place...

My 2c

[Andre]

None of the above.....
What makes a great angler, is the same as what makes a great human being....
Being able and prepared to contribute and share his passion positively to the growth and development of other individuals, without reward, credit, or search for recognition. It's as simple as that.
There are a lot of very good anglers out there, who are unwilling to share anything. None of them will ever be great. there are others who might not fish as well, but are more than prepared to go the extra mile for another fly fisher, regardless who he is or what his level of skill is. These are the great ones.
Look at Mandela. History has said that he was not particularly good at anything, but he became a great human being...why? It's because he was prepared to encourage and sacrifice for others.
Mother Therese was a great human being, and she could not really do anything, but she dedicated her life to improve the lives of others.
Great people usually hang in the background and make others look great.
Becomming good at something is aeasy, it requires only work. Greatness comes from inside.

[dtayl13]

Agreed.
Then you get those people that are outstanding anglers as well as all of the above. Those are anglers truly to be admired.

[Mike Taylor]

Yes Andre.

There's another SA angler with his own website which is full of hints and tips, how to's, and even a lesson on fish spotting. What for? Just because he loves the sport / hobby / obsession, and clearly, his fellow man.

There are two guys on this forum who spent a long time typing out instructions and even finding photos to demontrate a point in answer to a question of mine. They didn't have to do that, but they did! I think that makes them great fly-fishermen.

A couple more ideas on what makes great fly anglers:

A deep respect for their environment and a respect for the fish they're hunting.

A love for the sport / hobby / obsession that transcends the mere catching of fish. Such a guy will enthuse over a day's fishing even if he's blanked.

[Jono Shales]

Cool topic and I reckon so far the feedback received is all true and holds plenty merit.

I've crossed paths with quite a few anglers from many different walks of life from many different countries and to me what separates the great from the good is what I would call the x-factor.

It's rather open ended and can be interpreted in different ways, but a great angler is one who's fishing abilities are a direct refection of his personality and interaction with the environment.

To me, what separates the great from the good is the ability to make that one single cast when it's needed most, which in itself consists of so many variables like correct fly selection, wind direction, casting ability, preparation, patience, understanding of the feeding habits of the fish, being at one with the environment ... and so on.

Anybody who thinks they are better than what they actually are, immediately goes down a notch in my book. There's no place for a big head amongst great anglers and it's the great who share freely without the expectation of gain or fame. The great angler is the quiet achiever who is striving to better himself from within and isn't looking for fame, fortune or recognition through his abilities.

Great anglers can be put in any situation and will always catch fish.

[Korrie]

Jono touched on something, the X factor.

Chris Ogborne, English Captain of a couple of years ago talked about the X factor.
Edoardo Ferrero, Italian captain, talked about the "sense of the water"

Others calls it the 6th sense.

Without it, a great angler, will only be a very GOOD angler.
I have seen many fantastic anglers, but they are just short of the "sense of the water, or the x factor"

Some superb anglers, compensate for the lack of the "sense of the water", by very dedicated practicing, others for superb preparation, Others, again by hard core studying of all the factors involved.

I hope my interpretation of a great angler is the same as the rest of you.

[Troep]

Agreed korrie, gut feel I was talking about...

Very interesting topic...very philosophical!

[core fly]

All good answers.I think Andre and Korrie,with differnent views, actually touch on what i believe are "great" factors.I think someone like Lefty Kreh will go down the books as being a great angler.He has really given so much to the sport,and i reckon there are many other names to be mentioned.What about S.A anglers though,anyone you guys would rate as great?

[RICHARDWILLIAM]

I fully agree with Andre in the sense that he who spreads their knowledge is indeed great angler and Korries interpratation are a skilled angler.
That makes Andre and Korrie great anglers!!