Why We Fish

[KyakR]

The last paragraph! The hardest one. For you I'm getting the idea that your joy in fishing and being outdoors ( so well represented by the stories here!) has evolved into a love of the craft and a passion for the hunt. For me, it reminds me who I really am. Hard to explain. 

Many times a quote is good in the dreaded last paragraph. For this comment mine is:

                       "Everyone should believe in something. I believe I'll go fishing." Henry David Thoreau      

[Sam]

And remember a trick the professional writers use: you couple your opening paragraph with the last paragraph.

 

Just a little secret the pros use.

[Robert U. Montgomery]

"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." - Henry David Thoreau

 

The best answer that I've found: “The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.” From Scottish author John Buchan

[jacktgi@aol.com]

Each fishing excursion is an adventure with experiences so varied it is hard to believe.  I don't fish tournaments and I sincerely like fishing alone so there is no pressure to perform well.  I do not have to catch even one fish or demonstrate my prowess to a fishing partner to qualify as a "fisherman".

 

I love trying to locate fish, choosing the right baits and presentations and most of all I love seeing nature around me and being exposed to the unexpected.  I cherish the times when I caught trophy fish, felt and saw static electricity build around me so that I thought lightening from an approaching storm was about to hit me (I left the area quickly), seeing a loon swim under my boat and through my shiner hole, an otter working along the shoreline, an osprey swoop down from behind me a ****** my shiner bait up and try to carry it away, an alligator sunning on the bank, a snake trying to swallow a bluegill the size of a small football, a deer crashing out of the woods and off a four foot embankment to swim across the river, a storm that brought high winds that made my ride back to the launch area a true white knuckle experience, darkness closing in quicker than I anticipated and facing the prospect of beaching my boat and spending the night on the bank, and it goes on and on.

 

That is what I like about fishing.  Deer hunting would be a similar story but with different experiences.

 

Jack 

[ww2farmer]

Because I like it, because I am good at it, and because I can.

[Rudy1922]

Intermittent reward. It's a very powerful reinforcement.

[einscodek]

For me, it is combination of:

1) CHALLENGE .. Its a desire with alot of challenge to catch big fish (and on some days to even catch one) and once we achieve, its an elation of a desire temporarily satisfied.. its a human condition

2) BEAUTY OF NATURE .. You can see it when some anglers such as me catch one and just hold it up looking it over admiring the fish's beauty .. and the surroundings where upon it is done .. a oneness with nature as if things like this is supposed to be as-is

3) LOVE AND EXERCISING COMPASSION .. You can see it when anglers admire and kiss the fish and have the self-control, compassion, and foresight to release her to live another day .. to bring joy to yet other fisherman who may catch her..

 

For some others is more about survival where it may be dinner or no dinner.. or ego of impressing others of some accomplishment.. for me I need little approval and I can find dinner readily elsewhere.. its about the memories of just experiencing the fish & the fishing for some moments in time

[JWOA]

  At the end of the day its about joying ffriends, even if u lost the tourney. Enjoy the time that was spent. Also, when it comes time for dinnner, bass is something that is looked forward to in my house. Even for breakfast being the southerner, fried bass, grits, eggs, hush puppies...u tlking about good...Bass fishing is sport that brings food on the table...and the families closer

 

  

[Will Wetline]

KyakR and Activist Angler both quoted Thoreau. I will ponder "Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after" for the rest of my life. You might also mull over what Norman Maclean says in "A River Runs Through It" : " . . . all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation - come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy."

 

I've got the idea that you aspire to a competitive career. I wish you luck. Fame and fortune is highly valued in our society. I also ask you to stay open, however, to the idea that a quieter, more contemplative approach to fishing has its own rewards as well. You will find these harder to express in words and there is no money involved.

 

Listen to your own drummer, as Thoreau put it. 

[Hattrick7]

I love the hunt. The thrill of being able to trick a bass into eating something that isn't real. Also it's one of the purest things in this crazy world. There's no ulterior motive, NSA spying, etc. it's just me and the fish and how I go about catching them.

I also enjoy the camaraderie amongst fellow fisherman that share a similar passion for bass fishing or fishing in general. There's always something new to learn or techniques to share and pass along. Plus the stories that I hear and tell makes it all the more fun.