Social media superstars?

[sagecirca]

An earlier thread about guides has reignited a few thoughts on certain behaviours I have noticed that are becoming more and more prevalent year after year.

A little background first if I may.  Around 2 weeks ago a decent fish came off a river I fish and the pictures soon circulated around a small group of friends even before said angler was even home.  The pictures then soon appeared on social media with the usual pose (you know the one that looks like the angler has never seen such a big fish before and holding it like he's looking down the barrel of a rifle).

There are much bigger fish in this river but spring time offers a shift in chances which favour the angler and as such, most rivers see their banks busier than normal.  On speaking to another angler who witnessed this capture, he told me that he had to say to the captor that he should get the fish back into the water and stop taking numerous pictures of it.  The fish was out of the water for several minutes.  I have been told the captors post has received numerous comments and likes on social media. 

It is clear that the welfare of the fish came secondary to the images that this captor wanted to portray on social media.  I believe they are also affiliated to a tackle manufacturer.  The adulation that follows on social media seems to be what fuels them I guess.  A bit pathetic IMO.  I wonder if this medium didn't exist, would they still go fishing?

In previous years I have seen certain anglers target spawning grayling and put them on social media with pictures of grayling in black spawning colours being held aloft like some kind of trophy. 

I had a large fish last Sunday, I had forgotten my net in a rush to get to the water and released the fish in the water with the barbless hook slipping out easily.  The welfare of the fish came first in my mind.  If I had my net with me I would have taken a pic of it.  I have recently been taking pics of fish in a selfie style portrait when alone with the fish halfway in the water.  Easily managed with one hand with the fish barely leaving the water at any point. 

Have you guys seen this?  Or am i getting old before my time 

[fergie]

Yes there's a guy who has struggled on a certain loch for years . He Gave up and tried a loch I fish he got lucky with a couple of smallish ferox and is now using every form of social media possible to publicise the loch and himself .
Why do they do it.?  :banghead :banghead

[Wildfisher]

Social media (and many open forums it has to be said) have been a bit of a disaster for fish. It seems to attract a certain egotistical type of angler. I steer clear of fishing on social media myself.

[emc]

Self aggrandisement rules - mores the pity.

And don't get me started on selfies! Last year I was following a snowboarder who was filming a selfie, with a phone on a broom handle, from behind. Inane grin on his face until he left the piste!

[Inchlaggan]

For a while I was "curator" of the hotel's fishing history and the tradition of a free dram for landing a decent fish.
There is an evolution to "proof of capture".
Firstly, kill it and bring it home.
If your best fish, get it stuffed and put it on the wall, with your name on it.
When photography came around it was not unusual for Victorian fishing parties to kill all fish, put them in the ice house, and hire a photographer on the last day to photograph them and their catch.
From advent of the Box Brownie to beyond the Instamatic, many anglers could make their own record, but it would be a week or more before the prints were processed. So, if you returned the fish, you had no bragging rights in the bar that night.
The Polaroid Land camera put paid to that, and the first photos of fish being returned appear.
The advent of the first, expensive, digital cameras coincides with the welcome habit of returning most (if not all) fish- perhaps the two are linked.
With mobile phones now thought a necessity and the majority equipped with a (several) megapixel camera, "proof of capture" could be in the bar before you were. Your dram poured and waiting for you.
The dram aside, it was always about bragging rights. It is the means of bragging that has evolved.
Poor handling of the fish is a separate matter.

[sagecirca]

An example of the kind of selfie I was referring to...
[attachimg=2][attachimg=3]

[aliferste]

An example of the kind of selfie I was referring to...
[attachimg=2]

That is not a selfie - that is in fact a photograph of a fish!

What rips my knitting is when someone posts a picture of themselves holding up a nice brownie - "Look at ma personal best brownie - 2.5lbs - caught whilst fishing for the Ladeez in January"

And do not get me started on this whole "ladies" thing!

[sagecirca]

That is not a selfie - that is in fact a photograph of a fish!

It's using the 'selfie' feature of the phone (front facing camera).  As I said it's the kind of selfie I was referring to.

Yeh I see a lot of big troot held up for the camera in the middle of winter!  Poor show.

[haresear]

That is not a selfie - that is in fact a photograph of a fish!

What rips my knitting is when someone posts a picture of themselves holding up a nice brownie - "Look at ma personal best brownie - 2.5lbs - caught whilst fishing for the Ladeez in January"

And do not get me started on this whole "ladies" thing!

Yes that gets on my man boobs too. Both the out of season fish and "the ladies" reference.

[Wildfisher]

and "the ladies" reference.

Aye, pish isn't it!     First sayw it being used in T&s many moons ago and the others quickly followed.