Are You A "better" Fisherman Alone Or With Others?

[Fish Murderer 71]

everyone talks about wanting to fish, but when it come time to go, they have something more important or a wife that says they cant go!  I find that I spend more time on the electronics when I go out alone.  Always mapping the structures i fish regularly...  

[mikeeasttn]

I use to fish alone entirely as it was my time and also gave me the solitude to think of what I thought was important.  8 years ago a young man(grandson) came into my life and by the time he was 4 years old he was completely adsorbed into fishing.

He will fish all day long even if the fish are not hitting and has learned how and when to use different lures and can actually read the water as well or better than myself..  His photo in my avatar shows him holding a 8.5 lb LM he caught 2 years ago.  Apparently it was not a fluke as he has also caught 6 fish over 5 lbs.  His concentration span is longer and more focused than mine while fishing.

When he is in school I would go by myself and try to fish.  The longest I have stayed is a little over 2 hours.  Now I just do not enjoy fishing if he is not with me. 

I have found that he has made me a better fisherman as I try to teach him all I can as I do not think about my patients or problems at all as I use to while I fished.  The only thing I am thinking about is his and my fishing and trying to out fish him as he has skunked me many times.

[skeeter1980]

I don't think that I fish better alone,or if I'm with someone.I do enjoy taking somebody,not only for the friendship,but to do stuff that I can't.Because of my mistake knees,I can't bend or even kneel to land a fish.And getting out of the boat,it's hard.Being i'm on disabality,it's hard finding someone who can fish during the week.On another bass forum that I joined,lots of guys from Delaware,says they'll go.But when I invite them,most have reasons why they can't go.

[RB 77]

Lone wolf by nature so most of my trips are bymself. Im not sure if that makes me better or worse although I do enjoy fising with others. I really cherish the moments I get to fish with my pops.

[Chris9999]

I don't think that I fish better alone,or if I'm with someone.I do enjoy taking somebody,not only for the friendship,but to do stuff that I can't.Because of my mistake knees,I can't bend or even kneel to land a fish.And getting out of the boat,it's hard.Being i'm on disabality,it's hard finding someone who can fish during the week.On another bass forum that I joined,lots of guys from Delaware,says they'll go.But when I invite them,most have reasons why they can't go.

Do you think that a net would help this?You could use the net to reach down and bring in the fish?

[WVbassin87]

The only person i ever get to fish with is my brother on rare occasions. we get competitive, so i really enjoy the peace and quiet of fishing alone

[NWBassGuy]

Lots of good responses. I like both...fishing alone or with my sons or a buddy. I like to be alone because that's what it is...my time. No worries about anything or how much time I take. Do what I want. I love fishing with my sons because it's something we can share and create memories and I can teach them, plus we can use different techniques and figure out what is or isn't working. Also, to see my sons put it together and catch fish...and maybe out fish the old man...priceless! We all fish from tubes so it's kind of unique. Have to give props to mikeeasttn...my Dad did this with me. He could fish whenever he wanted but always waited to fish with me. He taught me so much and we always tried to outfish one another but he enjoyed it most when I outfished him...which was rare

[bassmaster215]

Im good on my own but if im with another fisherman who loves to fish as much as me i do the same. I always fish the bank due to no funds for any boat an not close to rentals. But i always catch some fish alone or with others. If its a long day of fishing another fisherman around is nice!! Lol

[Big239Fish]

I'm "better" at catching fish when I'm with someone who enjoys it like I do and really gets into finding the pattern vs. casting and praying for bites. Since there aren't too many people in Naples like that, and my dad doesn't fish, I'm mostly a loner. It is what it is.

[Bladesmith,]

I am probably a better fisherman when I am by myself. I do not mind others in the boat on occasion but when I'm alone I am more likely to spend more time in researching new areas and trying new things. I also enjoy the solitude with no pressure to produce fish. My wife is my most likely fishing partner and sometimes the pressure to find active fish detracts from my enjoyment. Years ago when I belonged to a Bass Club, I enjoyed the camaraderie and the tournaments. Now days I'm more content with the relaxed atmosphere of solitude on the lake. For this reason, I do not fish on week ends or holidays (retirement does have some advantages in this respect). At any rate, I catch more and larger fish when I am alone with the lake (many of which wind up in one of my ponds). 

[DogBone_384]

It depends on who I go with. When I take my nephews out fishing most of my time & attention is on them, making sure they're having fun & paying as much attention as 9 and 7 year olds can these days. I suppose I'm a good fisherman if they catch fish.

When I fish with an old College friend I suppose we're a draw, just being out fishing is good enough - we both work two jobs and have family responsibilities...

[Mr. BattleArmor]

I like fishing with buddies, but usually end up catching more by myself. I guess I am just focusing more on fishing when by myself.

[IronBass]

I'm the same angler... But, I do think both conditions have their merits.

[bigbill]

Alone. I hate people bugging me when I'm in the zone. I'm thinking about my Oscar winning presentation. At 4am I'm alone with the animals.

I have one clown when he sees me he screams out hi. I think he does it to shut the fish down. He knows I caught the 10lber he seen it and the biggest pickerel there too. I'm not far off my hunt.

[FrogFreak]

This is an interesting topic. Here's my take on it. The majority of folks on here say they fish better alone. I agree. I think the issue here is that we all fish our own way and it's very difficult to find someone else that takes this as seriously as we do. When a buddy wants to fish with me I tell them what time I'll leave the dock and how long we'll be out. If he's not at the dock on time, I'm gone. I have one friend that I fish with on occasion. He was worried about me at first (I'm in the back of his boat on these occasions) because he loves to skip docks and I'm sure he thought he'd have to babysit me. Well, we both are pretty good at getting out of trouble so the day went great and we had fun.

 

My wife recently started fishing with me. I will admit I feel a bit of pressure to get her on fish but she is a great partner in that she doesn't complain, ties her own knots, lips her fish and generally is self sufficient. Yes, she gets snagged from time to time but I taught her some tricks and she picked up on them very quickly.

 

I will fish with my boys anytime they want to go. That's the good stuff! Only problem is they usually out fish me.

 

I own a boat and a kayak so if I really want the solitude, I just paddle out and enjoy the silence.

[BuzzbaitBite28]

Gotta be with my fishing partner. Can't have memories to share by yourself

[Amoore9900]

I would rather fish with my brother...we haven't got skunked in 2.5 years on our lake....I fish alone and of course my 10 pounder (indiana) came when I was alone so no good pics of the fish ...(have some not so good ones)