fishing for the hell of it

[avidone1]

I used to be a pretty fanatical bass fisherman. 

Would really work at studying conditions, lures, presentations and tactics.

It worked.  I caught more and larger fish then than I do now

but there is one huge difference.

I enjoy fishing more now than I did back then.

It used to be about 'success'

now it's about enjoyment.

I love being out on the water on a beautiful day.

I love bass lures.

I love casting them

I love getting bites.

and I love catching them, but not at the expense of enjoyment.

I'm getting old, and I don't care.

[buzzed bait]

you're like the william wordsworth, robert frost or walt whitman of bass fishing...  

[Darren.]

Nice!

But since you live on Florida's fabulous
treasure coast, shouldn't you be....wait
for it....

Fishing for the Halibut?

<drops mic> 

[Ohio Yakker]

I think for some people the enjoyment comes from the challenge of trying to figure the fish out and develop a pattern. Some people only get enjoyment from the 'success'. I'm a little in between. To me, one of my favorite aspects of fishing is learning new techniques and trying to develop a pattern to be able to catch more fish. But like you said I also just really enjoy being out on the water on a beautiful day. 

[Turtle135]

I went fishing twice after work this week on the local reservoir.

Kayak, one rod, 4 jigs, bag of trailers and 2 spinnerbaits. No fish finder. No other anglers in my line of sight. Did see eight whitetail deer grazing along the side of the lake and two beavers who were busy eating whatever beavers eat when they are not trying to topple a tree.

Was on the water from 6:00 P.M. until it got dark.

Paradise!

[Catt]

I love fishing in the spring, spinnerbaits with a fling!

I love pitching in the brush, Rat-L-Traps in a rush!

I love that big bump when ya flip by a stump!

I love flying across the lake, the sound a 2-stroke makes!

I love fishing in the grass, kicking bass's axx!

I love Hawgs on a bed, trying to hit em on the head!

And I love twins

[Nitrofreak]

I'm old, I'm just the opposite, it was just the family there for a while and then the girls grew up, one moved out and the other graduates college this year.

I have always had a passion for the sport in both fun and competition, I invested in some of the smaller tournaments (less than $250.00 entry fee) just to get used to the idea of the mindset, the timing, the pressures one may be put under etc...  the past two years I have really put myself in the mix of things and worked hard at putting things together, next year, I want to start tournament fishing, it's something I have had to put aside for quite some time now but, family is always first.

I feel like I find it more appealing knowing how much I am learning and how much more I have to learn, I am looking forward to the challenges and the stress but I think I can keep the stress part at bay for some time to come, after raising a family and dealing with the stress this economy has had, this, if I can keep it simple and start easy, should be the best time ever!!

[BrianinMD]

Honestly it depends on the day. Somedays out to catch the most weight i can. Studying up and trying to figure things out. Some days i dont care about anything other than enjoying time on the water, not caring if i catch anything.

[scaleface]

I think I make better choices now  without having to think about it . Just seem to be in the zone more .

[avidone1]

I'm really glad I posted this.  so many great replies.  Catt is the bard of Toledo bend.   Youse guyz is da best

[Catt]

2 hours ago, avidone1 said:

I'm really glad I posted this.  so many great replies.  Catt is the bard of Toledo bend.   Youse guyz is da best

I've 328 tournaments over 47 yrs, 288 of those were in 8 yrs!

Now is K.I.S.S.

[S. Sass]

21 hours ago, Catt said:

And I love twins

<cough> <cough>  yeah me too 

Seriously I never had the desire to see where I stack up against more guys fishing. I could care less if a guy has a hog hop on his line instead of mine. I'm happy for him. Don't get me wrong I would love to catch one but do I feel any less of a person because he caught it, no.  This is kind a odd because I am pretty competitive at most things. But fishing has always been about relaxing zero stress zero pressure. I don't even want to go if I have a deadline to be back by. I enjoy pretty much every part of my fishing days. 

[JRammit]

Fishing is relaxing... Bass fishing is relaxing in a different way

For me, when im bass fishing, im completely focused on bass fishing!... Nothing else runs across my mind, i leave the real world behind.. What bills? What job? What kids? (ha ha!)... Its a different kinda pressure, all im thinking about is the next cast!

If i wanna just kick back and enjoy being on the lake.. Ill go for crappie or catfish

[avidone1]

1 hour ago, JRammit said:

Fishing is relaxing... Bass fishing is relaxing in a different way

For me, when im bass fishing, im completely focused on bass fishing!... Nothing else runs across my mind, i leave the real world behind.. What bills? What job? What kids? (ha ha!)... Its a different kinda pressure, all im thinking about is the next cast!

If i wanna just kick back and enjoy being on the lake.. Ill go for crappie or catfish

I totally get this.   Being focused to the point where all else ceases to exist is how I fished for many many years.  these days I still get excited when i'm going out on the water.  I still spend loving hours sharpening hooks, cleaning reels, tying leader etc.  But the "need" to catch is less.  I want to catch, and I love to catch, but I used to go into a semi depression if I didn't.  Now?  nah

[Ratherbfishing]

If I want to fish to relax, I fish with my friend Kyle.  If I want to fish to catch fish, I fish with Perry or Michael.  And when I want to fish to experiment and/or try new things, I fish by myself.  I don't think there's a right or wrong way to fish so long as you find pleasure in it.  If you don't, you need to change something up.

[Last_Cast]

10 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said:

  I don't think there's a right or wrong way to fish so long as you find pleasure in it.  If you don't, you need to change something up.

+1

I do like to compete with myself so sometimes its hard to relax.

[Jaderose]

Fishing...A Haiku

I'm a fisherman

Love to be on the water

Hey look...there's a duck!

[Will Wetline]

On 4/29/2016 at 0:29 PM, avidone1 said:

I used to be a pretty fanatical bass fisherman. 

Would really work at studying conditions, lures, presentations and tactics.

It worked.  I caught more and larger fish then than I do now

but there is one huge difference.

I enjoy fishing more now than I did back then.

It used to be about 'success'

now it's about enjoyment.

I love being out on the water on a beautiful day.

I love bass lures.

I love casting them

I love getting bites.

and I love catching them, but not at the expense of enjoyment.

I'm getting old, and I don't care.

By my lights, this is the natural, healthy evolution of a fisherman's "career."

[Bladesmith,]

Years ago (in the 80's) I fished tournaments in the local and 3 state area. I would take nothing for that experience and the friends I made along the way. They were the best. That being said, I spent most of my time on the water doing research for the next tournament and it became a job like any other (I wonder how guides feel about it). Now, At 69 years old, I can relax and enjoy my time on the water. There is no pressure to produce a string of fish that is heavier than the next guy. In fact, there is no pressure at all (that is why I started fishing in the first place). I spend my time fishing, watching the wildlife coming down to water, and sometimes I just put my rod down and enjoy the scenery. Life is good. If I catch something, I hurry and put it back in the water so my wife doesn't expect me to clean it for her to cook. If I don't catch anything, I will enjoy my time on the water. Hey, isn't that what it is all about? Yup, I'm a cranky old man, but I earned it.

[N Florida Mike]

I fished tournaments for 2 years and never did as well as when I fished for fun.Competition was fun but I worked a lot harder in tournaments but caught less fish.Go figure.In tournaments I fished too fast, and was always cranking up and moving.When I got tired of things going wrong with the boat, I sold it and got a low maintenance J boat.I have caught SO many more fish in it because my line's in the water more.Now that Im older I catch a lot more and better fish than ever, except I can't beat my PB.I caught it when I was 19 and didn't know much more than the basics.But bass fishing  never gets old to me.I could do it every day and not get tired of it.

["hamma"]

My time spent fishing tourneys was a hectic time, i fished club t's, fed team t's, fed opens, aba opens, etc. all within the same year. and i did so for a few years. It really tired me out and made it feel more like work. When i ceased fishing tourneys everything slowed down, but i never lost that determination or drive to fish to the best of my abilities. And deep inside that still exsists, but nowadays i take more of the whole fishing experience in. The sunrises with the picturesque point extending out into the lake, the mornings steam rising of the water just after sunrise with the islands in the distance seeming to rise through clouds. the incredible wildlife that startles you as your line watching. The beautiful colors of your quarry that really shine due to the extremely healthy waters we fish. etc. Considering the great outdoors ,.... I must add this.

I dont get much time with my 3 daughters, so its really important for me to spend "quality" time with them. And they would rather spend time with friends. Two years ago i got to spend a week with two of them camping at androscoggin lake in maine.,.. Now, they live in a busy city just north of boston and they live a hectic life. So camping to them is going to their grandparents trailer not far from home in a trailer park. Far from Maine's beauty by any means. It took a couple of days for them to settle down, and for me to scope the lakes areas out. One early morning I finally got to take them out on the boat for the quality smallies this lake holds, they've never caught a smallmouth and have only known bluegills and crappies,... I had 2 spinning rods ready for them with a jerkbait that i had been slaying fish with. I took them to a productive shoreline and let them fish, with me acting as guide. Once they each finally caught their first smallie they were hooked,(nice 4 pounders) I could see it in their eyes, it was evident in their actions, demeanor, and attitude. They both now want to spend time with me, especially if a lake with smallies is involved. lol,...and I genuinely enjoyed watching them, teaching them, and sitting back controlling the boat and putting them on fish. to see them not fighting but helping each other brought a tear to my eye, and warmed my heart

 This aspect of "fishing for the hell of it" is and always will be my favorite

[Hurricane]

I love fishing period.  I would go everyday if I could...

[the reel ess]

At this point in my life (45 years) I seek to avoid competition from anglers who'll spend endless amounts of $$$ to catch more fish than me. I got tired of going to the lake on a Friday night, testing out the boat, getting up with the chickens and going to the best spots I know only to discover 2 bass boats already there. I spend the rest of that day looking for places people are not. And heaven forbid there's a tourney that day! And that's not a recipe for success. It's like you need to fish Tuesday thru Thursday to avoid the crowd.

I do want to be alone or the only boat (or kayak) on the water if I can. I have 2 large ponds and one private reservoir at my disposal as well as a couple other places I can get in occasionally by permission nowadays so that's what I do most of the time. I prefer the kayak to the big boat because it's just less of a hassle. People who think you can't catch as many or more large fish from a kayak are missing out on a lot of fun. I eityher fish from the back of my buddy's Tracker or I'm in the kayak. It's bassin' for the soul.

[everythingthatswims]

This weekend, I fished the state championship, where the pressure was so high that I had clammy hands for an hour on day one and would start shaking when we hooked a 15" fish. I took almost every setup I own, and almost all of my tackle.

 

Today, I'm headed to a local body of water with one rod and one giant swimbait......

 

I love all of it!!!

[Catt]

On April 30, 2016 at 1:03 PM, Catt said:

I've 328 tournaments over 47 yrs, 288 of those were in 8 yrs!

Now is K.I.S.S.

During those first 8 yrs I was good d**n good but once I stopped competing against the other anglers I got even better!