Anglers may be able to avoid exercise, but winning takes work

Pretty much anyone can learn the game of chess, the ins and outs of a sudoku puzzle or the techniques for fishing.

But that isn't the only common ground the trio stands on. They also are intellectual activities complete with calculated risks and multiple methods for reaching the end result.

Debbie Leoni, wellness manager and occupational therapist for Southeast Missouri Hospital, believes they are similar in another way as well -- they provide little or no physical gain for her patients.

After being asked if fishing could be considered a form of exercise, Leoni had to laugh before saying no. She quickly reconsidered, however, saying, "Well, maybe walking to the lake. Maybe a fisherman would disagree with me. I've never thought about [fishing] as anything except for just fun and relaxing."

Fruitland resident Brad Noel is a fisherman. While he doesn't completely disagree, the tournament fisherman notes that the pressure of landing the big ones can be anything but relaxing.

"Fishing is probably a little more mental than physical," Noel said. "Not much, though -- it can be quite taxing standing up on the front of a boat for eight hours a day. There are no trees to crawl under and go find a shady spot."

Noel, who has been fishing since he was a toddler and participating in competitions for around seven years, says he is much more likely to be stressed than relaxed during events. He's not interested in, as he puts it, "donating his money." Translation: He wants to win, and he regularly does.

Last year, Noel won about half of the monthly events held by his club, Bassbusters of Southeast Missouri, as well as some other larger events.

Winning does not come easy as throwing a line into some water, however.

"Just like anything else, you have to get out there and put the time in to make yourself better," Noel said. "Time on the water is definitely your practice, period."

For club events, which are smaller and less intense, Noel will usually fish only once on the lake where an upcoming tournament will take place. For larger tournaments, he visits the site two or three times in the weeks leading up to the event and once the week of the event.

The extent of Noel's preparation before he competes boasts fishing's chances of being considered a sport. Football players famously watch film until their eyes blur. Baseball players take swings in the batting cage until their hands hurt. And anglers, like Noel, fish on a particular body of water until they understand its inhabitants.

He spends his time "trying to find the fish, trying to find what they're doing, what they're biting on, what they're relating to -- wood cover, grass cover, rocks, channel breaks -- stuff like that."

If that makes it sound like Noel's competition is the fish rather than the other anglers, it is because sometimes they are. With all the seriousness of a respectful opponent, he said, "If the fishing has been tough, then sometimes the fish are definitely your competitors."

Anglers must then use the mental instead of the physical to beat that competitor. The decisions are many -- which lure to use, where to stop the boat, how long to stay in one spot are among the choices that factor into a fisherman's success.

Complicating the process is the unseen competition below the water. Noel doesn't have the luxury of looking into his opponent's eyes or reacting to a move he or she makes or even the luxury of his opponent being a human. Instead, he has to rely only on knowledge, experience and preparation to lead him to cast in the correct direction.

What he casts and what he casts with are also vital to his ability to reel in his scaly opposition.

"Your equipment is very important," he acknowledged.

The most expensive or highest-quality rods and reels are not necessarily needed as long as a person feels comfortable with their tools, but Noel stressed there is one small item that must always be top of the line.

"The most important piece of equipment that you use is your fishing line," he said. "That's the only thing between you and the fish."

Scores are kept, based on the size and number of fish caught, and winners are crowned, but does fishing deserve to be distinguished as a sport? Of course, said Noel, who has been playing a variety of sports his entire life.

He cites fishing's physical demands that often leave him with sore legs and an aching back the day after tournaments, in addition to acknowledging the all too often overlooked aspect of the activity.

"The thing that people don't realize is how much mental focus it does take to fish if you're going to compete to actually [win] in these tournaments," he said.

Noel knows some people don't see fishing as a sport. But, then again, most people don't possess his skill of seeing fish before they ever bite the bait.