Trophies

This is not a mount of mine, I just found it online.

I'll admit it, I am a trophy hunter.  I am at the point in my fishing life that I want to catch big fish.  Don't get me wrong, I still go out and catch a mess of bluegill on a fly from time to time, but I am finding myself chasing larger, smarter, and more formidable opponents.  I throw bigger flies, try to catch bigger fish, and appreciate the fewer but larger fish as a result.  I think this is a normal phase in the life of a fisherman.  They say at first you want to catch a lot of fish, and then you move into the desire to catch bigger fish.  Then you either cross over to the phase of catching fish the way YOU like to fish or you just begin to enjoy the experience more than the fish you catch.  Like I said, I am solidly in phase two.  I don't say that to brag or anything, it's just where I am.  It's not a good or bad thing, it's just the way it is.  I think we spend different amounts of time in each phase and can go back and forth between phases, but usually we tend to move in a linear way.

If you too prize large fish, hunt deer with larger antlers, or turkeys with longer beards then you might be interested in this survey that Field & Stream conducted.  I wish it would have included more than 200 surveys, but it probably still gives a pretty good window into how hunters and fishermen approach their sports as a whole.  As always, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post about your thoughts or feelings on the matter of trophies.  Just remember, there's no right or wrong, just different opinions.

Link:  Name Your Prize: Readers Opine About Mounts and More in Our Trophy Survey | Field & Stream