The five stages of fly fishing

do We want to catch fish when we go fishing?

When we go fishing, do we want to catch fish or just go fishing?  In our experience the answer is both.  What we see is that anglers go through five stages in their angling journey and often revert back through them all, sometimes many times.

1 ) "We want to catch a fish..."
Whether your six or sixty, the first desire of any aspiring angler is to catch a fish.  And the first fish caught by anyone will always be a memorable experience.  My first fishing experience (Jamie) is mackerel fishing on an estuary in Brittany, France.  The tide in these waters is ridiculous and we're in a wooden dinghy, with a pair of oars.  For the first couple of hours - nothing.  And then we find the school (the school of mackerel that is).  All we do drift downstream over the school and then row like mad upstream hooking over twenty fish in an hour.  Amazing day and a memory forever.

 
2) "We want to catch lots of fish..."
We find, at Meon Springs that certain people get "hooked" on the sport.  At this stage, all they want to do is catch lots of fish (expensive though that can be).  If they're lucky, they have lots of fish loving relatives or a local pub that will put trout on the menu. (nothing better than getting paid for your hobby!!). 
 
3) "We want to catch a Big Fish..."
And then - there's the stage of hunting a big fish.  Quite often, at Meon Springs, we won't see anglers at this stage as they head to the Big Fish waters such as Dever Springs or Avington.  That said, some anglers will appreciate the value in stalking the bigger fish amongst the smaller ones, rather than taking an over fed monster from among many.
 
4) "We want to catch lots of Big Fish..."
 We definitely don't see anglers in this bracket - as their focus is very different to what we offer... 

5) "We like to fish. No matter what..."
Once an angler has been through the above four stages of the angler's life, they can often become quite relaxed and are happy to fish no matter whether they are catching big fish, small fish, no fish, lots of fish.  It just comes to enjoying the sport in beautiful surroundings, with comaradie and companionship.  Fly fishing really is a sport of life.

Through my years of being at Meon Springs (Greg), I have noticed many anglers go through these stages and - they are not linear.  Many anglers will go through these stages many times through out their fishing life.
 
Here at Meon Springs you will find help to get through the first two stages, with Experience Days and Taster Sessions, as well as helping you with the stalking skills to pick a big fish out from the crowd. (the third stage, that we can support with a One to One).  And when you've been round the stages a couple of times, we are also here as a beautiful water with challenging catch and release lakes to enjoy as part of your fishing repetoire, alongside perhaps exploring new avenues of fishing like the sea anglers mentioned above or some of the renowned fly fishers who venture onto the great rivers, such as The River Test.

We are always keen to learn of your fishing experiences and would love to hear any stories of your first fishing experience, or a memorable moment where you perhaps moved from one stage to another - please leave a note in the comments below.