Our latest quote of the week comes from a press release put out by the Missouri Trout Hunter that aims to take some of the mistique out of fly fishing and promote their fly fishing school.
Fulps asserts that trout are not smarter than other species of fish, nor do they have the sharp visual acuity for which many give them credit. "Trout fishermen have invented those beliefs over the years, simply because we needed an excuse for why we couldn't catch them as easily as we could other species. The biggest trout are not the smartest trout. They're simply the most frightened, which is why they're so difficult to catch. And human eyesight is actually about 14 times stronger than that of a trout."
Thanks for the shout-out Murdock! I feel like I have to clarify a bit, though. The biggest fish in the river gradually lose their fear, because they become the dominant animal -- even typical predators will often leave them alone. But it's the higher-than-normal level of fear they previously had that made them more difficult to catch and allowed them to grow so freakin' big in the first place!
ReplyDeleteFish on, gents.
Walt,
ReplyDeleteGreat observation! It made me think about it in a whole different light.
Lee