Walton's Way 37 



The world is not composed entirely of fishermen 

 the earth itself should not be sacrificed for a few 

 against the multitude and the Angler, the fisherman 

 of quality, is wise enough to appreciate this; his in- 

 dividual pastime is not as important as the general 

 welfare of the masses, and it will be said that the 

 fisherman, who estimates quantity over quality, is far 

 less entitled to consideration. 



Angling is a pastime of a craft; the birds, the trees, 

 and the waters are necessities of a planet and its 

 people. 



Fishing for the market a distinct method from that 

 of the Angler and the common fisherman who fishes 

 for the mere sake of killing and counting is not 

 concerned in this argument, and may be dismissed 

 with a brief word of commendation. Legitimately 

 practiced, discriminately carried on according to the 

 law of man and nature, it is even more admirable than 

 angling and far more honorable than the wasteful 

 pursuit of the vulgar amateur fisherman. Our 

 Saviour sanctioned net fishing; chose simple fishermen 

 for his disciples St. Andrew, St. Peter, St. James, and 

 St. John. 



The expression, "fly fisherman, " may refer to the 

 fisherman or the Angler, for there are lots of fly fisher- 

 men as well as mere fishermen who are not Anglers, 

 for the reason that fly-fishing, indulged in by a greedy 

 hand, can permit of ungentle fish-catching the same as 

 bait-fishing. Both methods are equally destructive 

 if not followed with strict rules of angling, and all that 

 need be said to properly define angling is that it is the 

 poetry the art and refinement of fishing. The 

 common fisherman is simply a fish-basket filler; the 

 Angler fills his soul, not the creel. 



