Ethnography on Fishing free essay sample

After an analysis of the sport of fishing, I have learned a lot about its discourse community and how people are involved in the sport today, and how the sport has effected the world today. My research started with the interpretation of several books related to the discourse community, which brought the attention of new information about professional fishing to the forefront of my research of the everyday life of the discourse community members. The sport of fishing has a wide variety of the type of members that represent the community, such as new members, or members that are not as serious as a professional fisherman, but anyone can join the discourse as an up and coming member at anytime, especially little kids. To become apart of this discourse all you really need to do is have the desire to go fishing, which a lot of people use as a relaxation tool for their life. This discourse community was founded out of the need of a food supply, and the need to survive, But since then there has been many advancement in the fishing world, technology has taught people how to catch fish more efficiently. One of the main contributing factors to this is the ability to use cell phones and GPS to guide Fishermen to where they believe they can catch fish, and the ability for hundreds to thousands of Anglers (members of the fishing discourse) to communicate and share relevant information on new ideas and places to fish using the internet/ internet forums. There is much more to being a fisherman than just having good fishing skills. Having a positive attitude, patience, commitment, respect, and integrity are also what makes a fisherman into an Angler. An Angler would be defined as someone that has been a member of the discourse community for an extended period of time, and have the ability to show proficiencies in the ability to fish. Fishing has a fair amount of lexis in its community, there are many different ways to tie a knot or there are many different types of bait you can use as well such as different live bait or artificial lures. Live bait is beneficial and usually considered easier to catch fish with, different types of live bait would be worms(night-crawlers), shrimp, minnows, and even grasshoppers or crickets. Some Anglers may enjoy more of a challenge by using artificial lures to try and catch a fish. Artificial lures are much different than that of live bait because you must use your fishing pole to â€Å"work† the lure so fish look at it and think it is still alive. There are also many different types that are designed to look like different bait fish, so you can use the correct one for the specific fish you are trying to catch. Some of the many types of artificial lures include jigs, spinners, spoons, which are mostly metal and made to look flashy, and dressed up with some type of feathers, then theirs the Soft plastic lures. Soft plastic lures are mostly used for bass fishing, and they are made by pouring liquid plastic into a mold and adding various scents and color dyes to appeal more to the fish. They are made to look like several bait animals, such as small bait fish, worms, crawfish, lizards, frogs, and other critters. In Leeson, Ted. â€Å"The big Finish† Field Stream 116. 5 (2011): 58-62. ebsco. Web. 23 October 2013, the Author, Ted makes it apparent and shows the type of language a fisherman, or Angler, would use in communicating with other members in the discourse. Learning how to choose different baits and lures is a big part if fishing, it takes patience, commitment, and perseverance to learn the different aspects of the fishing world, Anglers must also be willing to accept defeat that on some days you wont catch any fish, this is what turns most people away because they do not have the commitment to keep trying, as said by Rob Newell in â€Å"Defining a Professional Bass Angler†. The fact that Anglers have to be committed to catch fish and return to try to do so is what I believe makes fishing into a sport, which provides a great opportunity to challenge yourself to catch a bigger fish each time. Members of the discourse community could run into some conflicts within the community. The conflicts could arise over a debate on whos more knowledgeable about the sport threw the showmanship of using lexis of the discourse, or boasting of catching the biggest fish. Some conflicts early anglers could arise would be to decide on a good location to try to catch fish. This can be very frustrating as a newcomer into the discourse, because they may not have the opportunity to learn how to analyze a location and decide if its a fruitful spot to fish. As discussed by Nick. Types Of Fishing Lures. Types of Fishing Lures. N. p. , 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. Conflicts are frustrating to overcome for a newcomer in a discourse community. From personal experience in this discourse, there has been several times where you feel like giving up because you haven’t caught a single fish all day, and you are tired and sunburned from fishing, but you have to persevere and commit yourself to catching a fish, if you are dedicated enough, you will be rewarded with patience and hopefully, some fish. These difficulty’s are very apparent when young kids are newcomers into the discourse community, whether it be because father wants his son to go fishing with him, or if you and some of your pals wanted to go and try to catch a fish like you have seen people do in the movies, the fact is that young kids and children usually do not have the capacity to be committed and patient with catching a fish, so usually they tire out and lose interest quickly. This is when the discourse community can become a great money maker and provide people with a great fishing experience. If a angler decides he would like to change his hobby into a career, they can become a Guide, otherwise known as a charter fisherman or a fishing guide. As a fishing guide he would provide all the necessary items for the fishing trip needed for that day for a nominal fee and ask you to meet him promptly at a time of his or your choosing to begin the day of fishing. The fishing guide would then take you to several of his â€Å"hot spots† or the places he knows where and how to catch fish, to see if you can reel some in that day. Guides have to be very knowledgeable in the field of fishing and they have to be able to know the area they are fishing in. A fishing guide would be considered the â€Å"old-timers† of the discourse, but even most would be considered an expert in the community, especially for the personal community that the guide may live around. Doing this makes for a great way to turn a profit, but only if you have the ability to find and catch fish almost every time you charter a guide trip, otherwise people could become angry and inpatient, which in turn could cause conflicts to arise within the community, and if those conflicts did arise, they would be hurting the Fishing Guides business because if he doesn’t catch fish, other people will spread the information around that he isn’t such a good guide, which would cause people to lose trust in your promise to catch fish, ultimately losing business. Another path and Angler could take to make into a career would be to become a professional bass fisherman who would compete in tournaments and competitions for fishing for specifically bass. Anglers who choose this path of the discourse are the masters of fishing, a professional bass fisherman would describe themselves as having a positive attitude, credibility, commitment, respect, and integrity. A professional fisherman always has a positive attitude even during or after a bad or frustrating day on the water, they will always have emotional maturity after a bad day and never quit. A professional fisherman will always have a high level of commitment and never quit even if they are falling behind in a season of tournaments of competitions. A professional Angler will always have respect for the sport and the others in the sport. They will always respect the ones they are competing against in a tournament. Newell, Rob. Defining a Professional Bass Angler. FLW Bass Tournament Fishing News, Results, Videos, Tips, and Photos. N. p. , 1 May 2001. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Mr. Newell described the commitment with great detail and emotion, his writing showed his genuine love for the sport and how the values of fishing can help people become better at everything they do, and that he is proof that it can teach you to believe in yourself and allow you to enjoy a relaxing, fun, and challenging sport. Some non-members of the discourse community continue to challenge the fishing community, with accusations that fishing cannot be considered a sport, because sports have athletes. Using the information documented in Martin, Andrew. Are Professional Bass Anglers REALLY Athletes. Blogger. N. p. , n. d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. it has allowed me to discover some of the reason as of what the people that are trying to argue if fishing should be considered a sport or not. Someone could say that they are not athletes, but an athlete can be described by Websters Dictionary by a â€Å"person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina†. That said, that is a broad definition but fisherman would still fall under this description. A true professional angler or someone who would be an expert in the sport has to have the ability, and the agility to make snap mental decisions in controlling a artificial lure to catch a fish, they also need a fair amount of strength to be able to be fishing for 4 or 5 days at a time, possibly in the deep sea, where your line would be casting down a hundred feet or more! Fishing is a disciplined practice that can take years to learn and master, just as another sport, or even hobbies. So, would you consider fishing a sport? The competition between men alone attracts the allure for organized competition and leader board status. In the end, through my extensive research I have learned a lot about this discourse community that I had already been a member of. Such as teaching me the more subtle differences in live bait and artificial bait, such as shrimp or minnows or artificial lures like jigs or spinners. My research also lead me to become more informed on the professional side of the discourse community and the more sporting side, as previously my membership in the discourse was to pursue fishing as a relaxing pastime to enjoy the warm ocean breeze. The professional side of the community intrigued me because its interesting the many different aspects and styles people can use in the quest to catch the biggest and baddest fish to win a competition, I applaud them for the commitment to set and break personal records, which in turn helps you become a better man or women in your personal life because commitment is a valuable lesson and is one of the many things fishing can teach you