Lost that loving feeling ...

[Felix77]

Have any of you ever lost that passion for fishing.  This year has been a series of disappointing experiences on the tournament circuit both on and off the water .... It has left me quite burned out.  Right now I am even struggling to get the mojo to just run around the pond on my kayak.  Just curious if anyone else has experienced something similar.

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, for about 20 years it wasn't a priority.

Shooting guns took its place.

I made guns into a business, and got back into bass fishing when I started needing breaks from business. Coming back in, I discovered the equipment evolved to the point that I can do in practicality what I wanted to do in theory before.

I've played with the idea of tournaments, but I'll never make the mistake of turning fishing into a business beyond selling a supertuned reel now and again.

Josh

[RichF]

A couple years ago I was kinda excited for the season to end just so I could finally sleep in on the weekends...That feeling lasted all of two weeks before I wanted to fish again.  I used to get down after tough tournaments, especially back to back bad events.  I would question why I spent so much time, energy, and money on it.  I've gotten past that now though.  I'm even more excited to get back out and compete after a bad tournament. 

[riverbasser]

If I'm ever tired of fishing, a week at work normally changes that

[Gundog]

It just seems that for me I start getting burned out on fishing just about the time the snow starts falling. Then there is the 4 + months without fishing that gets me wanting to go out fishing again. By January I'm twitching and fiddling with my reels and lures. February means outdoor shows and buying tackle I need/want. In March the weather start getting warmer and I get antsy. 

[NYWayfarer]

7 minutes ago, riverbasser said:

If I'm ever tired of fishing, a week at work normally changes that

That about sums it up.

[BiteFiend]

Never having fished tournaments, I have never experienced burnout as a result of that. Having said that, I have experienced burnout from fishing before. 

I lived in Florida for a while and moved back to Nebraska a few years ago. I learned how to target bass while living in Florida and was blessed to live on the coast where I could fish both salt and fresh water. I became very spoiled fishing-wise when I lived there, being able to catch huge bass fairly consistently and being able to fish for tarpon and snook. 

After moving back to Nebraska, and again fishing our local waters, I became very disappointed with fishing here. I didn't catch bigger bass at all for a while and obviously there are no saltwater opportunities. I became so discouraged I hung up my rods for a couple seasons. 

After that break, I came to the realization that bass fishing is bass fishing. They may not get as big here nor am I able to catch as many, but they are still here. And I like to catch them. I've been pretty gung-ho about it ever since that break. I do start to get a little burned out toward the end of the season, but I have found that if I take a day off during the week throughout the season to completely disconnect from anything fishing related, that helps. As does taking the occasional weekend off and not fish. 

[jr231]

If I ever get that burnt out feeling. I find new waters. I get an undeniable excited sensation fishing something new.  Whether it's a river , small lake or pond. And that rush is back again. Just wondering what's lurking.. 

I'm excited just thinking about fishing somewhere new lol 

[Cgrinder]

Yeah I start burning out in August and normally hit it again in late September/October. A grind you enjoy is still a grind.

[Dwight Hottle]

You might just need a rest. Maybe it's time to just fish for fun. You can always go back to tournament fishing if the desire arises. 

[blckshirt98]

I get that feeling when I see the local water districts mess around with reservoir management.  The most productive lake for me in the spring/early summer this year was drained "for drinking water" by a good 20 feet and all the productive cover is now 30 yards from the waterline.  The place is now just mud and rocks, and I had horrible outings last couple of times I went.  I know the water districts don't manage the reservoirs around the needs of recreational users, but it's just kills my enthusiasm to go back out.

[Ratherbfishing]

Since my job is...(how can I say this politely?)..."not particularly interesting", a fair amount of my identity has gone into fishing.  Consequently, when the fishing is poor and/or the weather is too uncomfortable to fish, it does cause me to wonder if I have my priorities straight and, perhaps, I oughta just find a good book to read instead.

Different strokes for different folks but I could never see tournament fishing as anything but an invitation for stress and frustration.  If I lose a fish now (or don't hook it in the first place), it is simply an "oh well."  I prefer to keep it that way.

[Darren.]

No tourneys for me, either, but over the last couple years
I've fished very little during the summer. Just haven't had
the passion. The heat and humidity are a pain, doesn't 
matter the body of water. Gaining weight makes it all the 
worse. So that's got to be a priority for me and it isn't.

Taking time off also helps me focus on my sons' and their
interests--they only focus on fishing during certain times
of year. They move on to other sports, and things they and
their friends are in to at the moment.

It also helps with spending money on things I don't really
need. Keeps money in our bank account.

Fall brings insane travel for elite level soccer for two of the
boys - almost every single weekend is travel. And now one
of my boys has taken up mountain biking - racing with a 
local club. So there's travel for that, too.

I'm learning -- at 47 -- to just enjoy the curves life throws 
at me and not worry about missing out on bass fishing five
days a week.  Life is much bigger than that.

[Felix77]

All great feedback ... thanks .... I have a week long trip to the Outer Banks for my annual Saltwater excursion with some very good friends.   That might change my tune.

[Bankbeater]

If tourneys get to much like work they aren't going to be fun.

[jr231]

11 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

If tourneys get to much like work they aren't going to be fun.

Unless you're consistently winning. Ha-ha. Right 

[geo g]

If its not fun, I would not waste my time doing it.  Try fishing for fun, and just enjoying nature and the sounds of a morning on the water.  Concentrate on the surroundings instead of the competition.

[Catch 22]

I often wondered why some old timers would just bail of the sport and sell everything.I have not reached that tipping point yet,but I have a better insight of why it happens. So many things have changed here in the last 8 years or so,that I just don`t have the burn like I have had most of my life. Just to populated to suit me.Time to move again.

C22

 

[Sam]

Sure. It happens to all of us in our endeavors.

Work. Sports. Hobbies. You name it, sooner or later you get tired and just need a little rest to recharge the batteries.

So, when you recharge the batteries you have to work on your confidence. Just because you don't catch anything or that 10-pound lunker does not mean you are a poor fisherman. It means the darn bass were not hungry or aggravated or in the anticipated locations and therefore you did not get any strikes.

Take a week off and then start to rearrange your tackle, wash your rods in the shower, respool all reels with fresh line, organize your plastics and hard baits and make plans to hit the water again.

Then post how you do.

[soflabasser]

Good subject. No I have never lost my fondness for bass fishing.Never.I truly enjoy the hobby of bass fishing and I will never give it up,regardless what new species of gamefish I catch next.You need to not care so much about tournament bass fishing, it's not even a true measure of how "good" a bass fisherman really is.You need to remember how fun it is just to catch a bass and not worry about less important things.Having fun is the #1 priority in bass fishing, everything else is 2nd place at best.

[Reel Guy]

I had that happen a number of years ago when I was flyfishing. Used to go and drink a cup of coffee at the riverside before fishing just to relax and take it all in. Then I would take sandwich and snacks and take a break once in awhile and just relax. It was fun and relaxing. Then I stopped the coffee because I was so intent on catching fish. I stopped taking breaks because catching fish was more important. I got obsessed with catching fish and forgot to have fun. Then it wasn't fun anymore and I gave it up for a year until I got refocused. I did and made it fun again.

Now I've taken up bass fishing! Here we go again!!!

[Bluebasser86]

30 years into it and I haven't yet. No idea what I'd do if I didn't fish all the time. 

[Torn Thumb]

7 hours ago, Sam said:

...rearrange your tackle, wash your rods in the shower, respool all reels with fresh line, ...

Is there supposed to be a joke in here?

[Oregon Native]

At 66 I still enjoy fishing small tourneys like wildcats on tues and thurs along with some club tourneys thrown in.  I also enjoy fishing for anything that swims and just enjoy being on the water and enjoying the good Lords gifts.  The only thing I don't enjoy anymore is when other people don't use common sense or courtesy on the water or around ramps.  That is trying...but oh well.....I'm still going.

 

 

[Ohio Archer]

16 hours ago, Felix77 said:

Have any of you ever lost that passion for fishing.  This year has been a series of disappointing experiences on the tournament circuit both on and off the water .... It has left me quite burned out.  Right now I am even struggling to get the mojo to just run around the pond on my kayak.  Just curious if anyone else has experienced something similar.

Yep.  Like anything else you can get burned out by too much of it.  It becomes more of a chore than a recreation.  Little things that you didn't notice now annoy the hell out of you.  You spend all your free time on it and feel like you're getting nothing out of it.  Time to step away from it, do something else that you like (or get caught up on all the things that you've put aside) and then reevaluate what is you want to do with fishing.  Better to do it now that try to push thru it and end up getting completely frustrated and ticked off until you drop out of it completely.  The fish will still be there...