“give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
the teaching being 1) how to assemble a soda can tab, thread from your shirt, and a bamboo stalk into a fishing pole 2) how to dig up and hook a garden worm for the bait and 3) how important it is to be patient and ready to pull when something bites.
The metagame of fishing has evolved way beyond this. The primitive approach is rendered useless by the prevalence of advanced technology and optimized tactics, increasingly so if the advancement and optimization is ongoing. It is hard to know how far behind you are in your leveling up or if the game/puzzle has been solved.
You can start by getting a premade fishing kit and frozen bait. You’d save time and energy while working with better materials. You can get tools and clothing to increase your effectiveness and make the process more comfortable. Get a boat to take you out on the water and chum to draw the fish to you. Research the best spots that have more fish, identify what kinds of fish and what their lifestyle and preferred diet is. Get better tools for trapping, catching, and storing. Get duplicates. Get a bigger boat. Get people to help and give them a cut. Get the exclusive rights to the location and its contents then only allow others access in exchange for a cut from whatever they catch.
The worm on a string method could still work for you in a context with no competition but you’re going to spend more time and effort than someone using any of the strategies above. If tragedy of the commons takes over and you can’t afford to invest in optimization then you’re guaranteed to lose. Although going to the owner of the fish farm would be easier, and in some cases necessary, they won’t ever leave you with enough to be competitive or self sufficient.
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Over the last year I’ve been rapidly learning and adjusting to the new meta as best I can, working harder and working smarter. I’m realizing how advanced the game is and how much time and energy I’ve wasted. Whether it ends up being sufficient or not, I can’t afford the next level of fishing gear. I don’t have the resources to perpetually upgrade.
The problem isn’t that I don’t know how to fish. The problem isn’t that I’m unwilling to fish. The problem is that the fish farm owner is hogging all the fish and fishing spots while the few remaining public locations are overcrowded and overfished. The problem is that the fish farmers are contaminating the water, selling sabotaged fishing gear, and spreading false information about fishing. The problem is that the government will pay the fish farmers if they hire more help from the area and create a “how to fish” k-12 curriculum.
The problem is that I’ve gone so long without fish that I’m lacking the energy to practice fishing.