Fishing And Relationships

[coryn h. fishowl]

I have come to learn that fishing and relationships have a close...well....relationship. Whether it be missing a friend's event because "the bite was really hot" and "I lost track of time" or because you stayed out for extra hour for (another) last cast and ended up catching a monster...only to be forced to hang it up in the doghouse.

About two months ago, on a camping trip, I actually forwent fishing (for smallmouth in the Kankakee river in the fall during a low pressure front) in favor of spending time with a rather striking young lady in my group. SHe enjoyed fishing, but not as much as me...and overcoming the occasional oblivious, blockhead-ish tendencies of my gender, I managed to gleam, through nonverbal messages that she would rather spend time with me away from the river. As a result, we have been dating and it is going great. She even put up with my cabin fever-induced idea to run out on a frozen pond with a maul and attack the ice to make a hole. (My patience runs out with ice fishing...I may be a die-hard angler, but I'm rarely crazy enough for fishing through a hole in the Northern Illinois winter. I don't understand how some of you do it...do you use morphine or bring a T.V. with you to numb the pain and boredom. haha Either way, I applaud you.)

So, what role has fishing played in your relationships, what funny stories do you have, and how might fishing ruin your New Year's resolution to be a better friend, significant other, or family member? 

 

[roadwarrior]

My best friends are fishing buddies...imagine that!

 

 

 

[5dollarsplash]

The lady friend goes with most times.  If its a lake I don't know and I expect a long day of working on casting technique she might stay home.

 

As far as friends go, the ones I've brought along fishing, the friendship seems deeper.  Fishing is MY time, and I think they realize that by taking them along, they mean something to me.

 

Now I feel all sappy, thanks.

[Felix77]

I have made more friends since I started fishing than with any other hobby.  It's what keeps me interested in doing more and more with the sport.

 

I am trying to get my girls interested in it.  My wife is another story.  

[.ghoti.]

My best friends are fishing buddies...imagine that!

 

 

 

Exactly!!!

[K_Mac]

Like many of us, there have been times over the years when I have put fishing ahead of more important things. When I look back at some of my selfish behavior I am saddened and ashamed by it. With that said, fishing is an important part of what makes me tick. Finding balance in all things is how maturity is defined, I think.   

[jhoffman]

Youll learn with time when you need to lay off. Im pretty much free to do as I want as long as nothing is pending thats important. I dont do things like go fishing on her birthday and I dont waste time drinking with friends. So I spend a lot of time outside.

 

This younger generation(under 30 and even some 30's) has some serious trust issues. I had a buddy who had to get a divorce because every time he went hunting or fishing he was "cheating on her", she was the one cheating on him.

[mnbassman23]

Over the years I have had a lot of friends that didn't fish and only a few that did. Now, every single one of them does. 

 

On the woman side, I started dating a girl 7 years ago. At the time I told myself i'd never get serious unless I met a girl that hunted/fished. Well it turns out she already loved to bass fish and after dating her for a short time I had her shooting deer with a bow. Over the years we have spent many of days in the boat or up in the deer stand. It makes for a great life when your significant other enjoys the same passions as yourself. I ended up proposing to her on the front deck of my Ranger boat and just married her just this past August. 

 

Priorities my friend

[aceman387]

I am with you on the ice fishing.I gave it a shot 4-5 times with an elder friend of mine who had all the gear and equipment and unfortunately we never had much success locating any fish.My friend has since passed and this time of year i always reflect back about him and all his stories he had about his life and his views and opinions on different topics,he should have written a book with some of the stories he had.I remember the first time we went out ice fishing together he starts telling me about this  coleman kerosene lantern he grabbed out of his neighbors garbage that he brought along to warm up the fishing tent with. My friend never had much money so all his equipment was always beat up and used and his fishing tent wasn't in the greatest shape either,the first thing i noticed was the inside zipper handle was missing on my side which made it a chore for me to grab with cold finger tips and unzip when i had to get out.So were sitting in his canvas tent and he put his new lantern find on his knee and starts pumping it and he didn't notice the kerosene dripping and running down his knee until he lit the lantern and his knee started on fire along with the lantern. Neither of us panicked but i am thinking great,i am sitting on the side with no zipper handle while he engulfs us both in kerosene flames...lol. He put his knee fire out after a couple of seconds so it wasn't a big deal, but he had me shaking my head with his new frugal find that almost burned down his fishing tent. My wife will fish with  me every now and then.I remember one time when we were out in my pond prowler and she had to go pee bad, i told her to hang on for a minute until i could pass up some of these other guys in front of me and pull into this secluded cove so she could climb out and go. There wasn't much shoreline so she opted to strip to her panties and jump into the shallow water and pee. In the process of jumping out of the boat she somehow got her crankbait treble hook lodged in her panties...lol. I was laughing because she is standing out in the open in her panties racing to get this hook barb out of her underwear before the guys we just passed caught up to us.We got it out in the nick of time but we were laughing so hard the whole time. 

[A-Jay]

This thread reminded me of an excerpt from the book In Pursuit of Giant Bass.

There are many opinions on the subject.  I agree with the author.  Bill Murphy wrote;

 

“Most people today lead hectic lives.  They live in cities and have problems at home and work.  But then they go fishing and expect everything to work out fine.  Big bass fishing isn’t a jock sport, there’s little strength involved.  Big bass fishing is an attitude sport.  If your life is in turmoil, so is your bass fishing.  If you’ve got your life together, your bass fishing picks up.  You can divorce yourself from your life, and bass fishing can be your way out, but people that are the very best bass fisherman seem to have the rest of their life in order too."

 

A-Jay

[Catt]

Over the years bassresource has seen numerous members come and go for many different reasons, some are missed, while others not so much.

Four or five years ago I meet Jack (fishfordollars) Yates on this site; we sent PMs back and forth, texted each other, talked on the phone and eventually met in person to fish a tournament.

After talking that day we figured out we both drag raced the same circuit, fished the same tournament trails, lived in the same neighborhoods in Houston and Lake Charles.

We only fished together 3-4 times but y'all want talk about fun fishing, that's what fishing with Jack was!

Jack passed away suddenly on January 18, 2011 while talking to his wife on the phone. His passing devastated Long Mike, me, and others here who had grow close to Jack. I found out later from his wife that the friendships he made here both in person and online helped change his entire outlook on life.

Fishing And Relationships!

Yea I know one!

ROLL TIDE BUDDY

[Missourifishin]

So far, fishing hasn't had any negative impact on any of my relationships. I have close friends who have no interest in fishing, so with them I just talk about/do other things. I have other friends who do like to fish, and I really think that fishing has brought us closer together. Not only does it give us something to talk about, it also gives us a good excuse to get together and hang out and bond.

During the time since I've gotten back into fishing, I haven't been in a serious romantic relationship, so the effects of fishing on that type of relationship remain to be seen. In retrospect, getting back into fishing a couple of years ago was probably a way of coping with a bad breakup I was going through, and it helped.

Also, last spring I was camping and fishing with friends and a girl showed up all by herself in shorts and a bikini top and started fishing. I went over and started throwing a topwater lure nearby. Struck up a conversation and we really hit it off. I jokingly told my friends she was the only thing I caught on my topwater lures all weekend. My best fishing buddy who was with me likes to give people nicknames, so she got stuck with the nickname "Topwater" after that, We saw each other for a short time after that, but then she had to move 3 hours away, so things kind of fizzled out then. But we had a good time while it lasted.

Gotta love fishing

[fishguy613]

I ended up proposing to her on the front deck of my Ranger boat and just married her just this past August.

That's the most beautiful thing ive ever heard...

[tbone1993]

Ive met some lifelong friends through my college bass fishing team but also in my neighborhood. My friends arent as deep into fish as I am but if they arent working and want to fish I can always get them to commit. There is nothing better than getting out on the water and fishing. As much as fishing has helped me build relationships it also helps me maintain them. My girlfriend knows that my outlet is to go fishing for a few hours so she understands if I fall of the face of the earth for those few hours. I can get her out fishing with me which is a plus but she isnt into as much as she is camping  or other outdoors activities. The thing I love about fishing is that at 20 years old almost 21 and I have family friends that know I compete on a collegiate level and their kids want to go out fishing with me. Knowing that an 8th grader is wiling to learn really blows my mind but I enjoy it. I would say my best experience with fishing was working in a bait shop and watching the bond that formed with kids/grandkids and parents/grandparents at 530-6am getting bait to go out fishing.  We sit here talking about fishing on another level beyond your typical shore fishermen and yet I have seen more joy in 3 generations of a family that still go out fishing together than I have most competing anglers.   My brother enjoys fishing simply because he caught a 3lb smallie his first time actually fishing. 

[tbone1993]

I have come to learn that fishing and relationships have a close...well....relationship. Whether it be missing a friend's event because "the bite was really hot" and "I lost track of time" or because you stayed out for extra hour for (another) last cast and ended up catching a monster...only to be forced to hang it up in the doghouse.

About two months ago, on a camping trip, I actually forwent fishing (for smallmouth in the Kankakee river in the fall during a low pressure front) in favor of spending time with a rather striking young lady in my group. SHe enjoyed fishing, but not as much as me...and overcoming the occasional oblivious, blockhead-ish tendencies of my gender, I managed to gleam, through nonverbal messages that she would rather spend time with me away from the river. As a result, we have been dating and it is going great. She even put up with my cabin fever-induced idea to run out on a frozen pond with a maul and attack the ice to make a hole. (My patience runs out with ice fishing...I may be a die-hard angler, but I'm rarely crazy enough for fishing through a hole in the Northern Illinois winter. I don't understand how some of you do it...do you use morphine or bring a T.V. with you to numb the pain and boredom. haha Either way, I applaud you.)

So, what role has fishing played in your relationships, what funny stories do you have, and how might fishing ruin your New Year's resolution to be a better friend, significant other, or family member? 

Wading into the river is pretty fun. I was kind of afraid that I might get swept away in a huge current though. 

[tugsandpulls]

when i first met my wife when dating she knew were to find me i was always at the same spots fishing

[Brian Needham]

I guess if it works it works.........but it just hasnt for me yet.

 

good luck to those that it works for though.

[Lostinthewoods]

Luckily my girlfriend is very supportive of my fishing. Generally I fish on my days off from work. Typically she is in school or at work at those times so I am free to fish when I please. If she is around she always jumps at the chance to come along with me. She'll even come along when I wake up absurdly early to fish before work! It's definitely an activity that strengthens our relationship.

As far as friends go, I sparked my best buddies interest this past fall. I thought at first he'd be bored with it but after the first bass he was hooked! I bought him a rod and reel this past Christmas and he is excited to get back at it. A hike through the woods to find the best bank fishing is as manly as manly bonding can be. Lol

Fishing has done nothing but make my life and relationships more positive. Not to mention I have made a couple of new friends casting from the banks of my favorite pond!

[Ratherbfishing]

My girlfriend doesn't share the same obsession I have for fishing but she respects it and, I'm sure, she'd rather I fish than carouse at the bars or get in trouble in other ways.  She will often find a tree under which she will read or sew while I do my thing.  And sometimes she'll ask to borrow a pole.  I always celebrate when she catches something.  When I occassionally bring a stringer of bluegill home, she's a terrific cook (so long as I do the cleaning).  And she never gives me grief when I wander aimlessly around a sporting goods store for hours.  I CAN tell you that if she weren't in my life, I'd be out fishing a LOT more often than I am now but that's one of the tradeoffs of being in the relationship.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

i was lucky enough to have been born into a family with generations of outdoorsmen and women. From starting out with a cane pole/worm at Shingle Creek, to meering my now husband, who mentioned he'd used to fish FLW and ran the Teen Angler tournaments, but was without a boat at the time. Figuring this was something besides our horseback activities, that we could both do, I bought a boat. After fishing a year on a tournament trail, we downscaled to a smaller couples club and a local weekend series. I would often go out on the boat by myself when he had to work weekends. most time to famiiarize myself with that darn foot control trolling motor, and other times to locate fish. While I was doing that, I met a lot of fishermen out there, very few were rude, and the vast majority displaying positive remarks about a "lady fisherman". Often to the point of telling me what they were using and where they had some success.(thank you to the elderly gentlemen in the johnboat on Shingle creek).

 

Since then my husband and I have made numerous friends through fishing, that we wouldn't have met otherwise. My husband is VERY competitive, even more so now, since we are now sitting 3rd in the year end standings in the weekend tournament trail against some 26 +, very good fishermen, and we are the only husband/wife team. Its a lake draw tournament, with no size excemptions, So if we draw a particular "stingy, tough" lake, I keep saying "just put our heads down and fish" , when he would start getting frustrated at the lack of bites. I just look at it as a challenge and it rubs off on him, he gets less frustrated and just "fishes".

 

So fishing has helped our relationship grow, and expanded relationships with others. We now upgraded to our "retirement boat", being the last one we will ever purchase (unless we win lotto) and put everything on it we could afford. So if you are ever in the central Fla area and see a couple on a white/siver Phoenix, shout out a "howdy".

[bmac31]

Ive got a group of about 6 of the best friends a guy could ask for. Most of us live within a 10 mile radius with one living about 45 mins away.over the last couple years we've all become avid fisherman with me being the most addicted. We all have boats/kayaks or canoes. I dunno if its brought us any closer but I couldnt imagine fishing without them. Its nice always having someone to go with.

[swagkid300]

im a loner

 

Cheers,

SwagKid300

[coryn h. fishowl]

Like many of us, there have been times over the years when I have put fishing ahead of more important things. When I look back at some of my selfish behavior I am saddened and ashamed by it. With that said, fishing is an important part of what makes me tick. Finding balance in all things is how maturity is defined, I think.   

Thanks to denial about the importance of other obligations...missing them for bass seems justified! 

 

 

 

Now I feel all sappy, thanks.

THat'll go away as soom as you get a another treble hooked in your leg

[bartdude186]

I have been in the dog house many,many times over ole bucket mouth. hahaha. but worth it every single time!

[coryn h. fishowl]

 My wife will fish with  me every now and then.I remember one time when we were out in my pond prowler and she had to go pee bad, i told her to hang on for a minute until i could pass up some of these other guys in front of me and pull into this secluded cove so she could climb out and go. There wasn't much shoreline so she opted to strip to her panties and jump into the shallow water and pee. In the process of jumping out of the boat she somehow got her crankbait treble hook lodged in her panties...lol. I was laughing because she is standing out in the open in her panties racing to get this hook barb out of her underwear before the guys we just passed caught up to us.We got it out in the nick of time but we were laughing so hard the whole time.  

OMG This is hilarious...I hope she isn't on this site, otherwise you might need to watch out haha. 2nd best fishing story ever. Second only to the one where a woman dove after a lure and found armed guards pointing weapons at her head (she had dived into waters where wealthy, oil-dynassty arabic children are sent to in the U.S. to learn and socialize.)

 

  And she never gives me grief when I wander aimlessly around a sporting goods store for hours.  I CAN tell you that if she weren't in my life, I'd be out fishing a LOT more often than I am now but that's one of the tradeoffs of being in the relationship.

This comes to mind