Why do you fish?

[relfen]

Fishing for me is certainly an escape from the rat race. But, it has also been a lot more than that.

You see, I've had osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) since I was 10 years old. So, for almost 20 years the activities I can do have been pretty restricted.

I remember when I was a kid, watching my friends run around playing football or baseball...Not me though. I got to sit on the sidelines with a cast on my leg and just cheer them on. Fishing is something that I was never prevented from doing. So long as I could get to the shore and plop down in a chair, I could go fishin'. As I've gotten older I lost sight of it and fell into the 'glued to the computer' culture that surrounds most of us and missed out on years of fishing I could have done.

Last year I got back out fishing with my parents and it all came rushing back to me. The fun and the relaxation. There's almost nothing better than sitting there with your line out getting lost in a day dream and having that fish yank you back to reality and say "Hey, wake up and see if you can land me!".

It is also an interest that I share with my dad and it keeps us connected. That in and of itself is reason enough for me to love the sport.

Unfortunately, not a single one of my friends is into fishing and my parents live 5 hours from me so I don't get out with anyone else much. That's about the only downside though (well, that and the sunburn I get when I ignore my wife's recommendation on sunscreen...I'll never learn :P). I still love to get out and do it regardless.

[curado]

i fish because i can and i fish hard. i enjoy the endurance of wadinging a river or chasing a king down river it is time away from school and home

[Jennifer]

I was taught how to fish by my dad and I have always just loved going out on the boat and dropping a line in the water or casting a line off the dock. My dad and I always compete for who can catch the biggest fish or the most fish. We usually go fishing for trout and salmon but lately we have been going fishing for lingcod and seabass. We also love going crabbing and clamming and picking up some oysters. We love most all seafood. Its just so relaxing and fun.

[Marc Martyn]

To figure out how a small creature like that with such a small brain can often be so smart and crafty. Their behavior has fascinated me all my life. I am amazed as to watching a trout rise on a lake and suddenly the entire lake goes still as if one of them threw a switch and they all stopped eating. When approaching a stream, the fish will often sense you before you see him. They know where to be in a lake on a windy day to take the best advantage of wind blown food. I have seen them return year after year to the waters under a overhanging tree that is infested with web worms. They know that when the worm eats too much it cannot continue to hold on to the branch and will fall into the water. They will seek out the optimum depth for oxygen and food.
Fly fishing has been a life long love and I must admit a learning challenge. They are a fascinating creature and maybe someday I will figure out what makes them tick. But then again, if that were to happen, the game would be off.

[skimpy]

Because it's not work

[Rob G.]

I've been fishing since 5 yrs old...caught my first trout and I was HOOKED..ok, bad pun....

But you gotta love the peace of being on the water, the chalenge of locating and catching fish, and the fight....it's just good times. I'm not really running away from anything....I just love fishing!

[ruthven78]

Fishing allows me to get away from:

Phones (phone usually doesn't work at the lakes I go to)
Wives (I still love one of them...but sometimes you just got to get away)
Children (Love them... but hey... they're children.. and sometimes you just need to get away from them)
Work (this fills just about every waking moment of my life that I'm not fishing)
Computers (see above)
People (sometimes I just can't stand em)

I think Aaron covered all my reasons too lol...cept my in laws live next door so I get away from them too...though since I dont work on a computer every day and play a lot of online multiplayer games, I usually dont run away from it

So yeah I go out to relax, just sit and listen to and watch nature....and occasionally catch a fish. too.

And since Im trying to get into a high protein, low carb diet....fish will be a great way to keep my diet

[swedefish4life1]

((RELFEN)):cheers: first your a stud!!! For fighting I am dented as well.

1st can you drive or have support to get you a few places???

2nd I will personally take you on!

Name the times and dates after another 2 or 3 weeks from todays date!:batman:

Tell me your short comings via PM not one is a problem= will get it done and I will get you on a pig Salmon or name your Dream or wants and I have Pirates backing my game that are spot on saftey first and fish killers as well:cyclopsan :chef:

God bless you and live your Dreams and never say never YOU BE THE MAN!

[curado]

another reason i fish i make friends and learn something new every time. so swede are you on the mend.

[swedefish4life1]

Kid you don't recover from what I got:-$ you survive:cheers: and do the best you can day by day and thank God for each hour not day but thanks for asking man.

I will have a few good ones maybe more they will require my best but I will finish my way not there way Bank On that!](*,) :viking:

Fish on!

[curado]

swede you always put a smile on my face. you ave a great attitude towards life. so are you ready for the onslaught of pinks. how about this, i show you a trip of mine for pinks in the river with a 5wt fly rod and a very productive fly pattern this year.

[swedefish4life1]

I will give the Dinks I mean Pinks:cyclopsan :colors: to you!

How about we get you hooked up on a salt fresh Coho with feeder lines in then you spread the fly and we see the rest on film and what your made of .

Or the noodle rod 14 ft 6 = 15 lb main and knuckle buster reel on a Monster King:cyclopsan

That would be a perfect storm you would never forget:bball:

[curado]

sound fine by me and sound like a blast with the knuckle buster. knuckle busters all the way.

[someguyseattle]

Me, I grew up in Eastern Washington. Freshwater is nice, but gets kinda boring for me. I'm fascinated by salt water and all the beasties that lurk therein. I want to catch 'em to get a good look at 'em and also find out if they're good eatin'.

[BassinBomber]

I fish because I like the challenge of catching,..you never know the outcome no matter how confident your game is,..trying 2 boat the Biggest-Bass is always and forever my main goal,..yes it does take my money and time,..but hey "You-Gotta-Pay-2-Play" no matter if it's your time or your $$,..getting the Little-Ones involved and away from the TV is the greatest and I love it when the catch fish,.....PRICELESS!

BB

[swedefish4life1]

Spot ON! BB:thumleft: =d>

[curado]

same as swede said. Get the kids on the water and even adults that have never caught a fish in there lives hooked up. if there is a kid on the water near me getting frustrated i hook a fish i hand the rod off to them last year for silvers a 11year old kid and dad never caught a salmon in there lives got to. the kid wanted to go home because they hooked nothing i hooked one and handed the rod off to him. 9lbs silver. the dad also got a chance i hooked another rod went to him. if i limit out i limit out. fish is fish. but watching a father and son get there first salmon ins pretty special.

[topdawg47]

Good topic starter..

I fish because;

It makes me happy!
It's a challenge!
I don't have to worry about anything besides fishing! (still get the phone calls though while on water, lol)
It's relaxing!
And, last but not least I have been fishing since a kid and it will be a hobby/activity for life!

[rodrob43]

Hi Guys,

Sometimes I ask myself why I go fishing; I'm not good at it and rarely catch much. But I do love it so. I think it's the quiet and being on the water in my boat or out in a float tube. Catching fish is just a bonus.

I used to hunt, never fired my rifle at a deer though. I enjoyed the camp, I was the camp cook. I sure don't know why, because I don't cook worth a crap. I guess I was better than the others.
Nothing like a good trout cooked over the coals while you're sitting around the campfire, shooting the bull with some good friends. Of course deer steak was better.

[gian]

I didn't fish as much as I do now until I moved to this state. The natural resources in southern cal are usually silicone. :bounce:
I fish because it gives me an excuse to explore new parts of the state. Catching something comes second. I did a 14 mile mountain hike to a lake and never found it, but I still had a great time getting there, and seen things I had never seen before. I would rather drive 45 minutes to a new stream in the mountains, then 2 minutes to a lake i've fished countless times. I am also a problem solver, I see each water system as an unknown equation that needs to be cracked. Hence the multiple rods and gear. I will keep returning to a system until I crack the fish code, once I do, I log it in memory, and move on to the next body of water.

I have cooper lake and cle elum river in my sights right now ...

I have yet to crack icicle creek and will be returning.

Tolt river thinks it got the best of me, but we'll see come june.

Green river has yet to be explored.

I'm going to hit the pinks hard on the snohomish while I have the chance this year.

Saltwater...... hmmm not yet. I have too many fresh water challenges to tackle first, but I would like bragging rights to catching tuna from the point of baja to the canadian border.