Why Is Fishing an Attractive Sports Event?

Nowadays, one of the most popular sports events is fishing. Several international championship tournaments for fishing have been established in the world. In July 1996, the first FLW was officially launched in the United States. In China, the International Fishing Competition is held each year in the Thousand Islet Lake. However, fishing had long been taken only as a way to obtain food. (1)It is only in fairly recent times that man discovered that catching fish could be an interesting sports event. Nowadays, fishing has attracted millions of people in different countries to rivers, lakes and oceans each weekend. It is estimated that in England alone, more people will be fishing than watching football on a normal Saturday afternoon. 

The reason for such a fashion is certainly not for food. (2)Some say it lies in the fact that fishing offers a great pleasure of achievement. The excitement of catching a fish usually justifies the expense of fishing equipment. However, it’s most fishing fans’ experience that they might have caught a large or small fish once or twice. But in most cases, what they catch may merely be an old boot. 

Others say it is the easy nature of this activity that makes it attractive. True, but again only partly. Landing a struggling fish skillfully is more like an hour or more of very hard exercise. If you have read Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea, you'd know this better still.

So none of the above mentioned is the most important reason why I love fishing. I often fish for hours without catching anything — not even old boots. “You should give up fishing!” my friends say, “It's a waste of time and bait”. But they don't realize one important point. (3)I'm not really interested in catching something for my barbecue, nor do I expect to have a romantic meeting with any mermaid. All that I am fond of is sitting in the sun and fresh air. Even before going fishing, the planning is already turning me out from the stress of my work. Where am I going this time? Is it salt water or fresh water? What kind of bait will I be using? All these could very well relax a tired body and exercise a sleepy mind. And I believe this is the true joy for most, if not all, fishing fans in the modern society.

                           为什么钓鱼是一项有吸引力的运动？

当今最受欢迎的运动之一便是钓鱼。世界上有一些国际钓鱼赛事，第一届“世界户外钓鱼大奖赛”1996年7月在美国正式启动。在中国的千岛湖每年也举行一次国际钓鱼比赛。然而在过去，捕鱼一直只是作为获得食物的一种方式。人们只是在最近才发现钓鱼可能是一项有趣的体育赛事。如今，每到周末，不同国家的数百万人就会被钓鱼吸引至江河湖海。据估计，在英国一个普通的周六下午，垂钓的人会比看足球的还要多。

引发这种时尚的原因当然不是为了食物。有人说这是因为钓鱼带来了极大的成就乐趣。钓到一条鱼带来的喜悦会让人觉得一套昂贵的垂钓装备物有所值。然而，大多数钓鱼爱好者的经验是，他们可能钓到过一两次大鱼或小鱼。在大多数情况下，他们钓上钩的可能是只旧靴子。

还有一些人说垂钓盛行的原因是这项运动简单易行。有道理，但只是部分有理。熟练地把一条挣扎着的鱼弄上岸来，多半得忙乱辛苦上一个小时或更多时间。如果你曾认真拜读过海明威的《老人与海》，你就会对此有更深刻的理解。

因此上述诸多理由中没有一条是我爱钓鱼的根本原因。我时常一钓就钓上几个小时却空手而归，甚至连旧靴子都钓不到。“你应该放弃钓鱼了！”我的朋友说，“你钓鱼是浪费时间和鱼饵”。但是他们不了解我钓鱼的要点。我不是真的对烧烤食材感兴趣，也没指望能有与什么美人鱼会面的浪漫遐想。我所喜欢的就是在阳光下清新的空气中坐着。甚至在钓鱼之前，想着计划就已经将我从工作压力中解放出来了。我这次去哪儿？是海水区还是淡水处？用什么类型的鱼饵？所有的这些思考本身可以很好地放松疲累的身心。我相信这即使不是所有人，也一定是现代社会中大多数钓鱼爱好者的真实快乐。