All anglers are liars. If you disagree, you prove my point. You are lying. If you don’t actively lie about your fishing now, either you did, or you will lie about fishing in the future. It is the anglers’ way. I don’t judge, because even though I no longer lie about my fishing, I used to. And I can’t predict future truthfulness.
Fishing or Fibbing? Why Anglers Tell Tall Tales
Mark Twain famously defined a gold miner as a liar standing next to a hole in the ground. An argument could be made that a kayak angler is a liar in a plastic boat. As a fly fishing guide, I hear more than my share of lies.
Guiding requires immense patience for B.S. I hear people lie about their skills when they book a trip. “Oh yeah, I’m an intermediate fly caster,” meaning the guy got a box store fly rod for Father’s Day and tried it out a couple of times at the cottage.
Some clients spend the day telling stories of their epic catches while nothing in their fishing prowess indicates they’ve ever caught a fish.
Don’t get me wrong, my job is taking novices down the river, but I am puzzled why so many are compelled to lie.
The motivation to mislead
Lying is complex.
Not including lies meant to keep me out of trouble (“Honest officer, the lights worked on the trailer when I loaded my kayak”), a fishing lie is motivated by reward.
The reward could be acceptance into the fishing cult, perceived credibility or just hiding insecurity. Many anglers fish alone. It is easy to lie about the size of the catch or the number of fish to project an image as a Jedi angler.
I admit, I have lied about the size of a fish I’ve caught. I’m sure you have, too. Not just rounding up a few ounces, I’ve called a 12-inch trout a 20-incher. After I landed one fish, I told friends I caught 20. I am not a Jedi.
It is easy to lie about the size of the catch or the number of fish to project an image as a Jedi angler.
Honestly? I am perfectly fine with this admission. Research says some people are more prone to lying than others. Among my fishing friends, there are a couple guys who lie anytime they talk fishing.
Big deal. The stakes are low. If they get something out of their “fish stories,” it is no skin off my teeth. To tell the truth, sometimes I egg them on.
Throwing others off the scent
Another family of liars intends to deceive. These cagey anglers take lies in the opposite direction. To protect their fishing holes, their catch is never exceptional. They never fish where they say they were fishing. I can support secrecy, but the better play would be a silent smile leaving the facts unsaid.
Researchers make the point that white lies are a lubricant in civil society. Sometimes being nice means lying. As a fishing guide, I realize I am on the receiving end of these lies sometimes.
Some days, the fishing falls below my guests’ expectations. That is a fact. Yet polite clients paint over their disappointment with some white lies. Thank you for that. On these days, I try to be honest about the facts.
Recently, I’ve ditched lying. I’m committed to truth in fishing. I recognize I can claim the high ground after two decades of skill-building and many lies along the way. I can’t say it has created any new wisdom or uncovered the secret of human nature, but it does simplify fish stories—no creativity is required.
Honest, the fish was this big. | Feature photo: Barry Beck
I was going to read this, but instead went out and caught a 32 pound largemouth. True story!