The One That Got Away Syndrome

The One That Got Away Syndrome is the persistent belief in the saying that 'all fishermen are born honest, but they soon grow out of it', extends into actual capture stories.

In a world of clichés about fishermen, another may not go astray: We prefer to believe, what we want to be true, is an old adage, but true nonetheless.

So, why would we believe those improbable stories, when in our hearts of hearts we know them untrue? Possibly, it's simply love. We love our partners to come back from their fishing trips happily and content. If we allow them to confess that the whole trip was a disaster, he (or very occasionally she) will have to acknowledge that the time would be better spend by staying at home with his (or her) loved one.