Is it a skunk?

[Papasequoia]

The question reminds me of an old skit (Monty Python?) of the two hunter's who come upon something suspicious in the snow.

"Hmm, looks like crap," says the first one.
"Hmm, smells like crap," says the other.
"Hmm, tastes, like crap," replies the first one again.
"Must be crap," agrees the second hunter.
"Yup, good thing we didn't step in it," replies the first.

Ok, so anyway, with the best of intentions, you scout out a body of water and you go fishing but you catch nothing. You have been skunked, by any definition of a skunk, right? But now let's say that you do some further research upon return and find that for whatever reason that particular body of water is barren of fish. It would have been impossible for anyone to catch a fish in that body of water. Does that still count as being skunked on the day you went fishing? Or can you not count it because no one would have been able to catch a fish there?

Enquiring minds want to know!

[castaway]

If the "further" research had been conducted before you went to said body of water... I think the research is part of the fishing process - so just as if you used the wrong flies... due-dilegence was not conducted - thus, you got skunked!

I bet it was exciting... no one around.. new water... the hope of finding a new honey hole....

I thought that conversation was from Cheech and Chong although... maybe you forgot?????

[Pete]

JMHO: Hook in water + no fish = Skunk. I know it stinks but, that is the nature of the beast. Oh, no I didn't
Yep, it was Cheech & Chong's "Los Cochinos", Cheborneck. I had that album (that's right kids, vinyl) memorized in high school . Once my dad found out what the album contained, it disappeared. And he was the one who bought it for me to begin with!

Done with an eastern European/ Russian accent:
#1: Cheborneck, what that?
Cheborneck: Don't know, looks like dog chit to me.
1#: Hum, looks like dog chit to me too... Pick up.
Cheborneck: Huh?!
1#: Pick up!... Feel.
Cheborneck: Huh?!
1#: FEEL!... Feel like dog chit?
Cheborneck: Ya, feel like dog chit.
1#: Smell.
Cheborneck: Huh?!
1#: SMELL!... Smell like dog chit?
Cheborneck: Ya, smell like dog chit.
1#: Taste.
Cheborneck: HUH?!!!
1#: TASTE!!!..... Taste like dog chit?
Cheborneck: Ya, taste like dog chit.
1#: Hum...Good thing we don't step in it.
Cheborneck: Ya, good thing.

Geez, I can't remember anything important, but I can remember almost all their skits just about word for word


Pete

[rayfound]

No. You have to have failed somehow to have a skunk. If you scouted water that turned out to be barren (but you knew that was a possibility going in), its not a skunk, its a successful scouting mission of a barren fishery.

[NorcalBob]

I'm with the good DR and Ray! It don't count!!!!!

[Papasequoia]

Ok, I got 2 who say skunk and 3 who say no skunk. I gotta decide how to write up report, I need some more votes, please!

Here is some more info: I did not do any 'fishing' related searching for information about this particular location. I chose a location for a backpacking trip and did some searching on route difficulty, etc. I didn't come across any information related to fishing, nor did I seek it out specifically. I knew that there would be water on this trip, and I hoped it would have fish, so I brought fishing gear, but the main point of the trip was backpacking. On the other hand, since I lugged several pounds of fishing gear with me, I was obviously interested in fishing. Now back to my report. The ending is up to you, the voter. (Maybe I should have a town hall meeting to talk about health care and skunks?)

[rayfound]

If I hiked to a swimming pool with no fish in it, but I cast away anyway, would I count that as a skunk? Certainly not.

A skunk involved a failure as a fisherman, or the fish beating the fishermen. Neither happened, if there was no fish. You can't get blood from a stone.

[toprod]

The fact that you thought you could catch fish there,
so you attempted to catch fish there,
and you were unable to catch fish there.
I'd say you got skunked..

I sometimes call it casting practice..lol

[castaway]

You may have been skunked... but I would rather be skunked and on the water than looking at the little blue dot/line on the map and wondering...

Does the water give you the skunk or does the fish give you the skunk... I think that is the fundamental question... or two different world views.
I say its about the water.. and what it gives... so therefore, skunk it is.

Otherwise I could catch fish at the super market and say I caught fish. (to take the blood from a stone... and twist it)

Jon, give it a day or two and let us know what you decide... did you get skunked? I mean this is really important stuff...

** disclaimer: If you have a streak intact... or a rod that is unskunkable... I think those streaks can still be upheld.. but if its just an isolated incident, free from history and percepective... you got the big stink.

[Rockstar Fisherman]

Papa Jon, if you had intentions of catching fish and didn't do your research before making your trek up there I'd consider it a skunk. Somehow you discovered after the fact that the water(s) are barren where you fished sooooo............ Ya got skunked, any bright old man would agree that if you think fish are present and you try, you fail, therefore YOU GOT SKUNKED

Hey, I've done it at lakes where fish are present (East Lake, [Green Lake 2 out of 3 times], Moat Lake, Odell Lake, Potter Lake, Secret Lake etc....) so I hope you at least satisfied whatever sick feeling that drove you to this particular area (don't be afraid to hotspot it ) in search of the beautiful trout the high Sierras have to offer us. I'm sure I have some barren waters staked out that I'll discover after the fact someday, but hey, what beats a day in the sierras... work ?? When all else fails if it SMELLS LIKE A SKUNK, LOOKS LIKE A SKUNK, remember then, IT MUST BE A SKUNK

The real question is where should we not bother hiking to go fishing???... COME ON IT'S BARREN!!! I promise we wont hurt the fishery

Mike

[Barrie Mann]

Jon,
It's good to see that you're still coming up with important questions that require input from great minds to get resolution. I was concerned that in my absence you'd land up fishing all the time. It appears that my concern was founded and that you're even fishing in "Barren" holes (man that sounds terrible)

BTW my vote is you got skunked.

Barrie Mann - in southern MO.

[BradW]

Since your looking for more votes and I was unsure of which way I wanted to go, I decided to google Websters On-line definition of "Skunked"

• Main Entry: skunked
• Pronunciation: \ˈskəŋkd\
• Function: adjective
• Inflected Form(s): plural skunks also skunk
• Etymology: earlier squuncke, from a Massachusett reflex of Algonquian *šeka•kwa•nota, from šek - urinate + - a•kw fox, fox-like animal + not-ta – no fish
• Date: 1634
1 a : derived from the word skunk that portrays any of various common omnivorous black-and-white New World mammals (especially genus Mephitis) of the weasel family that have a pair of perineal glands from which a secretion of pungent and offensive odor is ejected b : the fur of a skunk
2 : sometimes referred to an obnoxious or disliked person when used as a noun (skunk)
3 : an act unsuccessfully attempted that was well researched and planned regardless of the probability of success. Considerable time consumed in preparation of the act to allow high probability of success.



Based on the definition (3.), I'd have to say....you were skunked

Brad

[Papasequoia]

BTW my vote is you got skunked.

Barrie Mann - in southern MO.

Barrie, I have this strange feeling that you would vote that I got skunked even if I were holding a stringer full of fish. I like the sound of Barrie Mann - in southern, MO, though. It kind of rolls off of the tongue, like "Shoeless Joe of Hannibal, MO" or "Tippecanoe and Tyler too." You probably remember that last one from the newspapers you read as a young man, right? Good to hear from you, Barrie. Hope all is going well and you're catching lots of fish or getting skunked a lot

3 : an act unsuccessfully attempted that was well researched and planned regardless of the probability of success. Considerable time consumed in preparation of the act to allow high probability of success.

Based on the definition, I'd have to say....you were skunked

Brad

Now see, this is how two people can look at the same information and come up with different interpretations. Since I didn't spend any time researching or preparing 'to allow high probability of success' I would say that there was no skunk. I like Ray's interpretation best (not surprisingly). But thanks for the research on the name, Brad. Skunks used to wander around the grounds of family housing in Michigan where I was going to school. They would always ignore you and you could walk right by them, but it still used to give me the willies anytime I saw one up close.

Anyways, this has been fun. I'll post a report later today and anyone that wants to read it [knowing full well in advance that there will be no fish *] can decide for themselves. Mostly I started this thread for fun, but there were some other reasons behind it. For example, there was another recent thread by someone on three different boards who wanted information about a particular lake or area before going there so as to not waste their time if it didn't fish well, especially considering that they had limited time to fish generally. At least a couple of people said to just go scout it out. It has had me thinking lately about all of the issues surrounding that question. I went without information and did not get any fish. Did the trip thus have no value? Was it a waste of time? [I think most of us know how we would answer that.] Would I have changed my plans if I had known ahead of time?

However, I do have to admit that in spite of all of the deeper, philosophical issues, I do have that nagging, competitive streak that we are not supposed to have as fly fishers. I was trying to remember the last time I got skunked, so I was going through old reports last night. I thought it had been a couple of years, but it turns out that it was early fall 2006. What a streak to have fall because of barren lakes. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, I did get to spend four days in the high country, after all.

Oh, Mike, it was northern CA, no place around here. But as I recall someone posted a .pdf file on the GST site a couple of years ago of all of the bodies of water in CA, which ones had fish and what kind, which ones were being poisoned in order to re-introduce that frog, and probably the barren ones as well. Maybe someone reading this who has a copy can post a link to it?

Jon

[Pete]

Ok, if the answer to the following question is NO when you weren't skunked .

If a batter swings at a pitch and misses, is it still a strike? And no a check swing doesn't count. Lawn casting is the only time not catching a fish wouldn't be a skunk. Trust me I know skunk, many times over.

The proscution rest . Guilty as charged

[castaway]

Premeditation is the key...

Jon had full intention of catching fish... he packed his fly rod.. he tied on the flies... I bet he even switched flies a few times...


The intent to catch fish was there.... therefore... Skunked!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

Whos fault is it that Jon chose to fish in a fishless location?


Carp fishing and steelhead fishing will teach a man how to get skunked...