Singer, songwriter, but predominantly the emphatic guitarist of Iron Maiden, Adrian Smith might just be among the last people you’d point to as a champion of the angling pastime. From thrashing out Heavy Metal bangers on-stage with an enthusiasm that epitomises the performance, he’ll then sit quietly by a river for hours on end.
Of course, when you look at the activity more closely, how it can appeal to very different downtime preferences, and Smith’s own stories of fishing, it’s easy to see why he likes this form of escapism.
For The Action Or For The Waiting
Fishing is distinctly appealing in two different ways. The most obvious is the experience of catching fish. You wait, suddenly get a reel scream, and then need to leap into action to try to best the hooked fish. It’s this side that most entertainment formats play into, as it’s the most action-packed.
In the Big Bass Trophy Catch online game, for example, the game shows all of these big and small fish with sized cash prizes throughout the base game. Then, on triggering the feature, the player gets to try to catch these fish by landing Fishermen on the same spin. It reflects the still waters before the opportunity comes to reel them in.
As this formula translates so well to the medium, there are now many different fishing slots. As it turns out, it also made for great TV. More adventurous, challenge-based shows like River Monsters, as YouGov tracks, became very famous and quite popular. Its emphasis on the action, but not to the neglect of the wait times, was a big seller.
Then, the other side of fishing, the tranquility and patience between the bites, also has its own kind of distinct appeal. Shows like Gone Fishing are entirely based around the downtime. They sit by the river, tell jokes and old stories, and then dig each other for their somewhat meagre catches, and yet, it’s well framed as a good time.
Smith’s There For Everything Angling Has To Offer
Back in 2020, when Adrian Smith released his memoirs, he said that around 30 per cent was about his music career, while the other 70 per cent centred on fishing. The Monsters of River and Rock book is rightly hailed as one of the top metal autobiographies, particularly because it has this unique angle that’s seemingly such a contrast.
He says that much of the excitement for the activity comes from the unknown. It’s about the patience and skill of setting up and being ready to battle with that single chance to succeed. There aren’t do-overs in fishing, so while you never know what’s on the end of the line or if there’ll be a bite, you always have to be ready to go.
That takes a bit of the downtime away between casts. While sitting there with the rods set up, Smith says that he often won’t even open the book he’s brought along to fill the time. He’s fully immersed in the activity, and despite this total level of attention, it’s still a very chilled-out activity for him, and one that helps to recharge the batteries.
Smith’s love of angling is recounted at length in his book and on his social channels. While there’s the excitement of the catch and the anticipated battles to come, the relaxing experience by the water is what helps the all-in axe man get ready to emphatically take to the stage with Iron Maiden on tour.
