This weekend I'm finishing two books:

"A River Runs Through It"; Norman MacLean, Barry Moser

Pavlov's Trout; Paul G. Quinnett

Both books were interesting and I recommend them. Although, if you had to choose one, read Pavlov's Trout.

Quinnet gives good insight into the making of a fisherman, from a psychologist's viewpoint. Read this book if you are a fisherman, want to be a fisherman or know anyone who fits either description. This book is filled with insights about fishermen and a lot of useful psychology, if that is possible.

I particulary enjoyed the chapter on managing stress. Quinnet provides a short stress managment course and I pass it along here:

1. Get control of your life. Start small, but take personal control. If you're not in control of your life, who is, and more importantly will whoever is in charge of your life ever ask you to go fishing? If you can't answer this question, call someone immediately and go fishing. Or go alone. Now!

2. The human body is highly vulnerable to cigarette smoke, too much booze, high-speed crashes and extreme cold. Quit smoking, drink moderately, buckle up and be sure to keep your waders patched.

3. Eat a lot of fish. If you catch your own fish you will be twice blessed -- once in the catching, and once in the eating. Don't pick up a load of guilt bending the law taking too many fish, or the wrong fish or a fish that, in your heart, you know should live to fight another day. Guilt gathered up for low and sorry crimes is, as any shrink can tell you, bad for your health.

4. Never buy new waders because you've "outgrown" your old pair. You attain your normal body weight by about age 20. Try to keep it there. "Desserts" spelled backward is "stressed."

5. Sitting around all day is at odds with extensive medical research on health and exercise. Go fishing as often as possible. Don't just sit in a boat and troll. Walk, walk and walk some more. The best streams and ponds and honey holes lie off the beaten path, anyway. Walking to them equals exercise equals health.

6. What a good patch is to leaky waders, sleep is to a weary mind. So get plenty. Americans are chronically sleep deprived, which makes them cranky. Trouble sleeping the night before opening day excepted, if you can't get to sleep or stay asleep, see a doc. Disturbed sleep may also indicate other problems.

7. As regards your fishing, per se, your mutitudinous fishing toys and the invitation to complications, frustration and technical breakdown offered by the rapidly changing high-speed fishing world in which we now live, memorize this choice bit of advice from Henry David Thoreau: "Simplify, simplify."

Stress and Fishing; Pavlov's Trout; Paul G. Quinnett

Just rereading parts of the book makes me smile. And I realize that Quinnett is serious, even though he uses fishing to illustrate his points all throughout the book.

Finally, I ran across this quote in the paper this morning. With the events of last week and the revelations coming out about the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, it is certainly appropriate.

"A fanatic is a man who does what he thinks the Lord would do if he knew the facts."

-- Finley Peter Dunne

That's all for now........
8:24:28 PM    comment []