Watery masculinities: fly-fishing and the angling male in the South West of England

Abstract

This article examines the masculinities evident through fly fishing for salmon and trout in the South West of England. It identifies the way that many accounts of rural masculinities focus on particularly macho traits such as strength, resilience and domination and particular relationships with nature and the environment. Such macho traits are evident in the masculinities of angling – the angler regularly discusses issues of competition and duelling with nature. The trophies of such encounters become significant as they are used to summon life to stories and become crucial in narrating masculinity. However alongside these macho traits are numerous additional masculinities which are in tension with the more macho elements. These ‘additional masculinities’ become evident in the watery landscapes of angling; as such these waterscapes can be considered as liminal spaces as they enable masculinities to slip and reform. Therefore what emerges is a cadence to masculinity with different subject positions becoming significant in different spaces.

Este artículo examina las masculinidades que se hacen evidentes a través de la pesca con mosca de salmón y trucha en el sudoeste de Inglaterra. Identifica la forma en que muchas anécdotas de masculinidades rurales se enfocan en atributos particularmente viriles tales como la fuerza, la resistencia y la dominación, y relaciones particulares con la naturaleza y el ambiente. Tales atributos viriles son evidentes en las masculinidades de la pesca con caña – el pescador regularmente habla de temas de competencia y lucha con la naturaleza. Los trofeos de tales encuentros se vuelven significativos ya que se utilizan para dar vida a las historias y se vuelven cruciales para narrar la masculinidad. Sin embargo, junto con estos atributos viriles hay numerosas masculinidades que están en conflicto con los elementos más varoniles. Estas “masculinidades adicionales” se vuelven evidentes en los paisajes aguados de la pesca con caña; como tales, estos paisajes pueden ser considerados espacios liminales ya que permiten a las masculinidades cometer deslices y reformarse. Por lo tanto, lo que emerge es una cadencia de la masculinidad con distintas posiciones del sujeto volviéndose significativas en distintos espacios.

Keywords:

• ‘additional masculinities’
• rural masculinity
• waterscapes
• liminality
• cadence

Keywords:

• “masculinidades adicionales”
• masculinidad rural
• paisajes de agua
• liminalidad
• cadencia

Acknowledgements

This article is based on work funded by the European Social Fund and linked to the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme project on Sustainable and Holistic Food Chains. I would like to thank Michael Winter, Rob Fish and Michael Leyshon, whose support has been greatly appreciated. Special thanks must also go to Michael Leyshon for his help with this article, it has been invaluable. Similarly I am indebted to all those who have provided feedback and comment in the review process – it has been most helpful.

Notes

1. http://www.wrt.org.uk/ (WRT website) (accessed 6 April 2006).