Spouses

[ebob2435]

How many of my fellow fishermen, have tried to get your spouses involved as your fishing partner? I would love to get my wife involved. She bought her license last year out of the blue. She accompanied me on 1 trip. She made lunch, treats and I gathered the drinks. We went out on the lake, she skunked me, I gave her a floating worm - I went for the big boys with a jig.  They weren't big ones, but they were keepers. She had a good time and caught fish. But, that was the one and only time she went.

[Shane J]

I take my wife out a few times a year. She enjoys the time with me, and she's getting really good at hooking and landing some big fish. Just this last year, she landed her new PB of 7lbs. That's bigger than most people's PB in New Hampshire. 

[Teal]

Ive been with my wife since we were in high school (almost 14years) It wasnt until about 4 years ago that she showed intrest in going. While i was at work one day she bought her fishing license much like yours did and went to the local tackle shop and got some help from the guys in the store and walked out with a Fenwick spinning rod and a Abu cardinal reel that she had them spool wiith some line.

I got home from work and she informed me that she was going fishing with me in the morning and she showed me her rod and reel. I was really blown away with her enthusiasm. I asked what was the reason for all of this all of a sudden and she said something that i will never forget. "A life time with some one is a long time, so we better start finding things that we can do together" I had always knew that i made the right decision in marrying her, but that moment solidified it.

She doesnt fish with me everytime i go, but at least a couple times a month she goes. I found that it helps to find little things to keep her interested. She had slacked off for a while and i bought her an Avid Pearl Rod. And she liked that. My wife has been my partner in a few local tournaments and has become pretty proficient with a baitcaster and backing the boat in.

I know some guys like to be alone when they fish, or with a buddy, but i advise everyone to get their spouses involved.

[BassnChris]

My wife want to go EVERYTIME I go fishing.

 

In my previous life back in the day I just fished with my buddy and wife (different wife) never wanted to go.

 

I miss fishing with a buddy................my wife and 9 yr oid son always wants to go with me. When they are with me I feel like I have to 'worry', for lack of a better word, about them more than I do when fishing with a buddy. Hard to explain or put into words.

 

Oh well. I have heard from many guys that they wished their wives like to fish with them. 

 

On top of all that.....when I want to buy something fishing related, I have to buy 3. One for me, one for my wife and one for my son.

Gets kind of expensive.

 

It is nice not to have to find a buddy everytime I want to fish.............but I do long at times for the days of yesteryear when it was just me and my buddy.

[A-Jay]

I'll take my wife with me any time and every time she wants to or can go.

 

In the beginning, what worked for me was this.  Instead of "taking her fishing", I was the Guide for the day.

 

I did not fish at all.  I did anything and everything I could to ensure we had a good time.  And although everyone wants to catch fish, that was and never is the main objective of the trip. 

There's so much to it;   Knowing how and where to cast, bait selection, knots, hooking, fighting and landing a fish, using the net and fish handling.  Doesn't happen over night and there was no way I could "help" and fish at the same time.  So I chose to take it slow and "do the leg work". By doing my best to eliminate problems early on, each trip got a bit better and it wasn't long before I was working hard to keep up. 

We picked out her tackle together.  I started her on spinning gear.  It was much easier to teach casting basics with this tackle and her proficiency with it improved quickly.  Clearly there are a few limitation with spinning tackle but it's easy to ensure when together, we fish in a manner that is with in the abilities of both her and her tackle - in other words - I'm not taking out to Flip Mats with 10lb test. 

 

Turns out she is Waaaaaay more patient than I am.  She'll make a single cast with a stick bait last 10 minutes or more.   She Kills Me doing this - All the time - Also a swimjig has been her friend as well.  She started fishing it super slow and again took me to school.  It was great to see.

 

Keep it all as positive as you can.  Providing detailed descriptions was helpful: things like what a bite feels like, how to perform the hook set and why, what a bass does onced hooked and why.  LIke I said there's a lot to it and no detail or explanation is too small.  Include it all.

 

And Take a lot of pictures / video if you can.  I hope this helps.

 

A-Jay

 

 

[Nitrofreak]

My wife enjoys fishing but only when the weather is suitable, she can't stand too much heat or too much cold, if I can find that right temp we will go all day long.

 

I have the best of both worlds one would say, my wife likes to sleep in, I like the early mornings and being on the water at the crack of dawn, so I am up and gone with a little time to myself, which usually equates to about 4 or 5 hours before I head back in to fix brunch.

 

She tried one morning with me, we pulled up to a spot and started fishing, second cast she caught a nice little 2 to 2 1/2 lb bass, she made 3 more casts before I heard her say oh that sun feels so good !!

 

Next thing I know she was passed out on the rear deck just snoozing away lol !!

 

I love fishing with her, I really do, but I won't lie and say it's always great, but thats part of sharing your life and your passion with someone, you can't expect them to want to share that passion or have the same passion you do about it, it may be good to have once in a while for them, where as it is something totally different for you.

 

Just be happy when you do share that passion and have as much fun with it as you can.

[Bankbeater]

My wife went with me a couple of times when we were first married, and then stopped.  I think it was because we went out on a couple of 90 + degree days, and she does not like the heat.  Been trying to get her to go with me again this year.

[00 mod]

My wife loves to fish with me.  Just no so much for bass.  She loves trout fishing, and bream/crappie.  Something that can keep her busy while still having the opportunity to land a monster.  aybe 2-3 bass trips a year, and then 2-3 trout, and 2-3 panfish trips.  So far this year she has fished 4 days with me.

 

I wish she would fish more, but she likes to sleep in, and the closest boat ramp is 45 mins.  I am out and have been fishing for a couple hours before she even wakes up!  LOL

 

Jeff

 

 

2013 Wife's fish

[endless]

I as well enjoy fishing with my wife. She just don't like to go for a long period of time or far away. I'm hoping to have her go more with me this year. I do find it funny how she finds herself captain of the boat. I can put us at a spot but she will change her position where it suits her with thew back trolling motor. The wife is crazy about the Buzzbait. I do love now when we go to a tackle shop like Green Top or BPS she looks around for her now instead of following me and asking the "Are you ready to go" question. I'm hoping to maybe get her out on the river this year too so can see more nature. Also it's cool seeing all the duckblinds out on the river.

[lmbfisherman]

My wife likes to keep it simple when we go fishing.  She does the standard worm and bobber, I actually love the time we spend together.  She does like to comment though why I bring so many rods and reels when we go out.  LOL  Yeah though it is fun, she doesn't care if she catches bass and just wants to have fun pulling in any fish.  She did try for the first time last year a JIG and a shallow Crankbait, but she got bored quickly due to no fish.  Course this was bank fishing.  So we were limited to our spots. 

[ebob2435]

Thanks for the replies. When I bought my boat last year, was when she bought her licence.  I asked her why did she decide to buy them. She said I'm not sitting around here by myself while your fishing. When we went out I didn't have anyone else to go with me. Thats why she went. Most of the time I ask her if she would like to go, before I ask someone else. Like I said she skunked me bad. She would cast the worm out and take forever to reel it in, most the time the bass hooked themselfs.  Maybe I can tell her that I don't have anyone else to go with me?  what do you think? lol

[slonezp]

I ask everytime and everytime she says no. If she does come along, and I don't think she's been on the boat for 2+ years, it's bobbers and live bait time.

[Dwight Hottle]

My wife has fished a few times with me. She enjoys more action than none. At the time she caught this smallie it was bigger than my buddies. I got a lot of mileage rubbing that in until he caught a bigger one. 

 

[aharris]

The last time me and my wife went, I put her a zoom fluke on my small spinning rod and told her.."just throw it out there and twitch it around kinda fast." Next thing I know, she was hollering at me to come over there. I looked and my little spinning rod was bent double. lol  When she finally got the fish it, it was a 3.5lb crappie. haha Luckily, her and my 4 year old daughter like to go from time to time but like others have said...it cant be too hot or too cold. Needless to say, when I take her and my daughter out fishing, it usually means my rods stay in the truck. haha

[rmcguirk]

When we just had kayaks, the wife would come a few times a month.  She'd bring a rod with her and after catching a fish or two (that I had to unhook), she'd be done and just paddle around sightseeing, listenting to music and just enjoying the day.  It generally made for a shorter trip, as she got bored before I was done fishing.  Usually she was cooperative and she'd then just paddle back to the launch and read a book or take a nap.  

 

We bought a small fish and fun boat last winter.  This past summer, she'd send me off to fish on the weekend mornings and meet me at the dock around luch time to eat, cruise around, take a nap, do some swimming, and let me fish for another couple of hours.  It was a great arrangement.  She doesn't really like to fish, but she enjoys being out on the boat, and she doesn't mind reading a book or taking a nap while I fish.  We had a beautiful summer weather-wise, so that was our weekends.  One the rare inclement weather days, it was just me.   

[TheKingFisher]

My wife only likes to go "catching" not fishing!  She still wonders why I come home empty handed all the time.  So she doesn't go out much, certainly not for bass.  My son is kind of the same way.  Usually when i take him and/or her out we go after crappie and blue gills.

 

I've resigned myself to being the guide or more truthfully the tackle boy when I go fishing with them.  I can hardly keep a line wet for myself.

[LgMouthGambler]

My wife will go, she has her own rig. She just doesnt have the patience if its a slow day. I can stay out all day in 90 degree heat, she refuses. It has to be the right conditions for her. We have fun when we go together.

[Teal]

My wife will go, she has her own rig. She just doesnt have the patience if its a slow day. I can stay out all day in 90 degree heat, she refuses. It has to be the right conditions for her. We have fun when we go together.

My wife is the same way. She dont mind the heat of summer or being out for 8-12hrs, but cold, cold wind, or rain and shes out! I offered to buy her some insulated bibs a few years back while at BPS and she said " theres no need"

Mine did fish a club tourney with me that we were already registered for. We woke up and it was raining HHARD! she only did that because i couldnt find another partner at 4am. (The one guy i diid find, was still drunk and hadnt been to bed yet) i guess she felt bad.

[Ratherbfishing]

She isn't my wife but she may as well be.  My "significant other" will fish with me until it gets too hot and then she naps under the shade of a deck umbrella I fashioned for her for such occassions.  The last time she went out with me and a buddy, we were running two trolling motors at high speed to get to a new location.  She was, apparently, trailing a plastic worm behind the boat.  Had I known this, I would've told her she wouldn't catch any bass that way and would be better off trolling a spoon or crankbait.  But a bass jumped on the worm and I couldn't very well tell her that anymore.  She has even gone ice fishing with me and had a ball when I agreed to be the "horse" and pull her behind on the sled.  She will patiently walk around for hours while I meander around BPS or Gander Mtn.  When she gets tired, she finds a place to sit and "chills" for awhile.  I've never once heard her say "I'm bored.  Can we go home now?"  She's not perfect but she's a keeper.

[The Rooster]

My wife has been fishing, caught pretty good fish too, but prefers hook, bobber, and worm fishing for bluegills over bass fishing with lures. She will not take the fish off the hook though. She will bait her own hooks, but not touch a fish. She did it once for me to prove she could but never again since. Says the fish moving in her hands makes her queasy feeling. She also says I move the boat too much using the trolling motor for her to really want to fish. She wants to anchor down and spend 45 minute in front of one lay down tree just bobber fishing about 20 feet away. I can't stand that. She goes with me often but doesn't fish much anymore. She just lays in the back of the boat reading, crocheting, napping, or whatever, as long as its not too cold, or extremely hot (she will tolerate high 80's temps though). She doesn't rush me to be done, but she's still always ready to go before I am, I'd stay from morning to after dark if I could. She also won't go with me after about September. I'll fish anytime, even in snow if the wind isn't too bad to make the wind chill unbearable.

[tholmes]

My wife goes fishing with me every time she wants to. She used to be happy catching panfish with live bait, but I've got her interested in catching bass with artificial lures now. She also likes trout fishing on our yearly Colorado trip.

 

Tom

[Jig Meister]

Nope, I have a kayak, she does not. 

 

I have taken her bank fishing a few times and she is more interested in playing Bejeweled on her Ipad than learning anything about fishing.

 

This is fine with me, as I love to fish alone most of the time as my friends dont really fish much.

 

She does think my jigs are cute, and she says I like to craft when I am tying skirts etc....which I think is funny.

[TNBassin']

My wife fishes with me nearly every time I go out. She even fishes tourneys. She's yet to win one, but did win the lunker award once. She can flat out use a bait caster. Puts me to shame MOST of the time.

[Hanover_Yakker]

Anytime I can, well as long as the water is warm enough!!!!

 

[Darren.]

How many of my fellow fishermen, have tried to get your spouses involved as your fishing partner? I would love to get my wife involved. She bought her license last year out of the blue. She accompanied me on 1 trip. She made lunch, treats and I gathered the drinks. We went out on the lake, she skunked me, I gave her a floating worm - I went for the big boys with a jig.  They weren't big ones, but they were keepers. She had a good time and caught fish. But, that was the one and only time she went.

 

Only once has my wife gone out fishing with me - that I can remember. We've taken the boys when they were younger, but she didn't fish then. Bought her a license, a kayak, but she's just not into it as a hobby like I am.

 

Would I love to take her more. Heck, yeah. I wish she'd get as fired up about it as I am, but alas, it just isn't so.