Why do you fish?

[rp dog]

 First I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Easter. I had to think about for a while and hope you will think about it before you reply. I think I know why I do but not as straight forward an answer as I thought.

[stripernut]

I have given this a lot of thought over the years and when I am guiding I often talk with my clients about why they love fishing and the answers are all over the place... There are so many reason I love to fish, I could fill a book, but I have narrowed it down to the moment that I love the most; The hit or first tug on the line. Whether it is "tap" on a jigging rod for pan fish or watching my popper be inhaled by a bluefin tuna. Or the sound of a Jitterbug being hit in the dark and waiting for that tug that tells me the bass did not miss. Or the slam of a brown taking my wollybugger as I get the drift just right or having a big cod inhale my jig and having a broom stick of as rod bend over and line just starts rolling off the reel.  That first tug is the moment that I love the most. It is filled with all the possibilities, from a bend in the rod to a hit and run! A epic battle or agony of a broken line. To be "attached" to a wild thing, all starts with that tug. That is one of the reasons for me trolling is not as much fun, with out the rod in my hand, to feel that first tug, is just not the same.

So, in the end it is that moment that I love the most, it is not the only reason, but it is a big part of why I fish and fishing is my life...

[Sluggo / NY]

Stripernut..I can certainly relate to your sentiments. There's something about that tap, tug or when your jig just stops dead.. but for me.. it's mostly the solitude. I've fished for over sixty years.. most of the time with friends, but my absolute favorite is drifting the local river by myself jigging for walleyes. I get into what my friends call "my fishing zone". It's when I forget about all of the worlds problems, as well as my own, and just concentrate on where I'd be and what I'd be looking for if I were a fish. Even when trolling on Erie with my buddies they often have to jar me back to reality to get my attention. My wife often consols me if I come home fishless. My response is always.." I had a great day.. I was fishing". Good Fishing, Sluggo (Chris)

[3300]

i started fishing because i ended up living on union lake. my front yard was a 500 plus acre river with a dock and nothing more. i thought what a waste of not utilizing the water, so i got a canoe, then again i thought what a waste of opportunity, so i bought fishing gear. i don't care about eating fish, so much. it was more like a mold that i was poured into.

growing up our family had cabin cruzer type boats for just boating and swimming from them. so being on water was no problem to get back onto it.

what keeps me coming back to fishing is the experience's and the depth of the sport and because we are built mostly from water, we have a yearning to be on it any way. there is a lot at play when going fishing and you can try to keep it simple or allow all of the depth of it all to sink in and enjoy it to its fullest.

i find it unfortunate that we need water police and dnr and to buy into those, in order to be able to enjoy all of this. for some one to put a "price and rules" on this just feels wrong, is another way to put it. american indians don't have to bow to the all mighty order of that part of government for example.

it is what it is tho and i make the most of it and as often as possible.

great topic!

[rp dog]

 This is strictly non judgemental on my part or any body else's when this topic slows down i will throw in my .02.

[boondox]

i took up fishing in high school to get away from the riff raft that public schools produced around here.. a lot of the people i went to high school with ended up addicted to drugs  and turn to stuff like drinking.. cause they had not found any thing better to do with them self's. they always wanted to go party this and that i did not and went fishing... now i use it to relax and enjoy my self in the middle of my life still love it as much as i did then as i do now cause it kept me on the strait and narrow.. use to love fishing with my uncle  in Canada from a canoe  who passed after high school while in college... if it was not for that retired Detroit narcotics law enforcement officer...  i never would have turned out alright he is  the one that got me started at a young age headed in the right direction learned form some of the best  and smartest is all i can say ... i turned to fishing instead of other things cause of  good men and me thinking i don't need to be involved in this stuff. any how i suggest that you instill this kind of wisdom on your young ones same as my dad and his brother my uncle  have on  me and my siblings...       

[fishnmachine]

I have fished my whole life, starting out with my parents and grandparents. Over the years I have fished for sustenance,  I have fished commercially,  I have fished competitively,  and I have fished for simple recreation. I have taught my daughters how to fish. It always seems that in times when I need to clear my mind, strengthen my resolve, ponder an event, or hope for Spiritual guidance from above, that I find myself "streamside." ..... I fish because I am.

[mudchuck]

I fish because I love it!
Seriously, this is my medicine for what is ailing me...
It keeps me from going insane...or possibly is making me insane according to my family & friends LOL

[fishfins]

I can't say WHY I fish without saying that I got STARTED fishing by my daddy. He's been gone for many years but if I judge from old photos he started taking me about 65 years ago. It has remained a VERY important part of my life ever since. There are probably VERY few who have put as many hours on the water as I have.
For me it has always been tons of fun. If the fish "are biting" it's exhilarating. Whether I catch anything or not, I ALWAYS "smell the roses" and appreciate the sights, sounds, and smells of the great outdoors. Fishing has provided me with a lifelong hobby too. I really enjoy doing fish taxidermy.  And as if that wasn't enough, I also LOVE to eat fish. If it's true that "fish is brain food" I ought to be a genius.   I have raised my grandkids to fish and they enjoy it very much too. Happy...Happy...Happy!!!

[Raquettedacker]

Not sure why I just do it..    Always had a pole in my car/truck when I traveled... Even brought a bass rod  and some jigs to Jamaica last week...

   http://www.myfishfinder.com/fishing_forum/index.php?topic=66660.0

[rp dog]

 As crazy as it may seem i enjoy the challenge. In most sports you have an opponent who is willing to play when you get there. When fishing you may be the only one to show up and then the chase is on. The ultimate game of chess with the right moves you win if not well we all know how that goes. Seems like finding fish sometimes is the easy part then you have to get them to bite. If I have a good day or two I will usually go somewhere else . As crazy as it is i usually try some place I've never been . Sometimes it's a bust fish wise but still a good time. For me it's not always about fish caught. As was said before each one of us could right a book about why we fish. Got to go starting work on my novel tonight.  

[Nomis]

I can't really give a specific reason why I fish. There are so many different reasons, and some of them even contradict themselves.

One reason could be that that I love to eat fish. Once I justify equipment cost with all of my other reasons, its an inexpensive way to provide for me and my family. Since the gear is already bought and paid for, I'm putting fish in my freezer at about a dollar per pound. This is compared to $10-15 per pound at the grocery store.

And then there is the therapeutic part of it. I could spend days at a time alone on a small pond. There is something to be said about being alone, with nothing but your thoughts and the sounds of whatever wildlife is around you. On the flip side, I also love the bonding when your out there with a group of like-minded people that can share life experiences and inappropriate jokes.

I started fishing when I was old enough to walk. You could say its in my blood, since it goes back as many generations as anyone in my family can think of.

Another quick reason I can think of off the top of my head is that I love it. That simple. Fishing is just what I do. Anytime I have nothing more important going on in my head, my mind eventually wanders off into the realm of fishing. Its almost uncontrollable, and I'm just drawn to it.

[fishinjohn]

I started fishing when I was just a little young kid.. My dad had a full time job on days and my mom worked 3rd shift.. I grew up out in the country with some farm ponds within a  mile of my house and a native brook stream feet from my house... I started fishing merely out of boredom. . Little did I know that it would become my life blood.. dad would always take the family to the lake on the weekends, but never put any time into research of the lake, so, we'd just go out and float trying to find the illusive walleye.. As a kid, I quickly lost interest in chasing these ghosts.. I knew I could catch trout very well, I stopped fishing on the lake and really turned up the heat on the trout streams.. self taught, I became pretty good at catching them... So once I got bored catching them, I decided to start fly fishing.. A new aspect and a new game for me.. I had a gentleman that was a fly fishing guru.. he taught me how to tie and how to cast, read the water.. read the hatch.. ect.ect.. then once I mastered that I became bored with chasing the trout.. So, I said to my dad at the age of 20... I need to take the boat to the lake.. I want to find some eyes.. From that day till now, chasing the eyes have become, well, ADDICTING!!!!! No matter how many I catch, I can't get enough!! They aren't always predictable and sometimes are very hard to find...
So with all that said... the real reasons I fish are simple.
1. I love the challenge of targeting and finding a certain species.
2. The unknowing of what that tug might be..
3.The solitude and peace I get when I'm on the water
4. The GREAT SATISFACTION I get, when I find the fish and put a limit in the well
5. Seeing the smile and happiness on others faces when I help them get on fish
When I'm on the water, I feel like life couldn't get better, whether I catch fish or not!!
Nothing like feeling the warm evening air hitting you on the face while watching the sunset, with rods in my hands, chasing those Dagone eyes!! Love em!!

[fishinjohn]

Nomis,
I love your last couple words so I'm gonna steal them!
UNCONTROLLABLE ADDICTION, that can never be cured!!!!!

[rp dog]

That is the beautifull part about fishing it can be so many different things to all of us but it is also the same for each and everyone of us. From fathers and mentors teaching us and then to passing it down to our children. And yes i wonder why a small bluegill sometimes will about jerk your rod out of hand and yet a twelve pound steelhead pick up your fly and hardly even know it's there. It is the one place i can go to no matter where I'm at from maumee river to the U P and still be a million miles from anywhere. As we all know we could on and on forever about this . Boy i sure wish I could fish with Dad one more time!!!!!