Do you prefer to fish alone??

[scaleface]

When fishing with somebody and the fish are not cooperating , I feel pressured . When alone I dont .  

[Deleted account]

Yes.

[greentrout]

 

[BadContrakt]

I very much like to fish with friends but only if said friends are as hardcore as I am. Getting up at 2:45AM to eat breakfast, load up, drive an hour and be on the lake by 4:45AM to catch sunrise at 5:15. Then on top of that, eating lunch in the truck, hopping lakes, and staying on that lake until 7:00pm and be home by 9:00 or so.

 

Luckily for me I finally found someone who is that dedicated and as go-hard if not MORE than I am which is crazy to imagine. We think a lot alike and fish a lot alike and when we stick a pig it's nice to be able to stick a pig with good company.

 

I cannot and will not tolerate fishing with someone who wants to go out for a couple hours and go home. If he calls me up again I'm gonna tell him I'm sick and just won't show him the pictures of the fish I caught that day.

[Spankey]

I’m myself most of the time. I don’t mind taking anyone out. Most of those time I don’t care about fishing all that much. I’d rather be like a guide and get them on some bass. Most people who ask me to take them along are men, woman or a kid possibly that have never been around a bass, crappie or bluegill in their lives. I try to make the outing about them sort of. I can go myself anytime. 

[scaleface]

36 minutes ago, BadContrakt said:

I cannot and will not tolerate fishing with someone who wants to go out for a couple hours and go home.

They tell me they need to be home by such and such time I just tell them we will go some other day . I once took a guy out who wanted to leave after about an hour . 25 miles to the lake , then 8 miles by boat to a point , caught one fish and he said he had to be back .

[BadContrakt]

1 minute ago, scaleface said:

They tell me they need to be home by such and such time I just tell them we will go some other day . I once took a guy out who wanted to leave after about an hour . 25 miles to the lake , then 8 miles by boat to a point , caught one fish and he said he had to be back .

"Buddy, you're swimming to the landing, I'm gonna keep fishing" is what I hope you said to him.

[AlexCastaway]

I perfer alone except with a select few. I go out to fish, not drink beer, not to *** (for the most part).

[Spankey]

21 minutes ago, AlexCastaway said:

I perfer alone except with a select few. I go out to fish, not drink beer, not to *** (for the most part).

I hear you on that boss. That’s why I prefer to be by myself. I’m willing to work hard to catch bass if it comes down to that. I’m not opposed to concentrate on them. I guess I take it too serious. I’ve been told that on more than one occasion. Would prefer fishing than having a BS session. I like being more of a guide to newbies. They seem to enjoy it more. 

53 minutes ago, scaleface said:

They tell me they need to be home by such and such time I just tell them we will go some other day . I once took a guy out who wanted to leave after about an hour . 25 miles to the lake , then 8 miles by boat to a point , caught one fish and he said he had to be back .

You must have the patience of a Saint to have dealt with that. 

[Alec McMillan]

22 hours ago, Russ E said:

It depends on what I am going after.

if I am just out for numbers it can be more fun with someone else in the boat.

If I am purposely targeting big fish being alone is better. I am more methodical when I am alone.

This is me. When I am alone I focus more and fish much better. I like fishing with my buddies just for fun

[Spankey]

18 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

I usually fish alone, but I prefer to fish with my Son. 

I have two daughters. 32 and 38 year olds. We go on Father’s Day, been traditional for some years now. I don’t get any fishing in. Don’t care to. Rather watch them catch them. We’ve been getting a lot of rain this spring and the bass bite was not great that day. They caught a few dink’s slider fishing. Than I put them on some bluegills where they caught probably 50 of them. There was a lot of talking and yaking going on but they had a great time. Than to the diner for late breakfast. 

[scaleface]

19 minutes ago, Spankey said:

You must have the patience of a Saint to have dealt with that. 

In his defense , he wasnt a fisherman . He was a relative of my wife visiting for a couple of days . Heck of a nice guy .It was my wife's idea to take him fishing .

[Spankey]

1 minute ago, scaleface said:

In his defense , he wasnt a fisherman . He was a relative of my wife visiting for a couple of days . It was my wife's idea to take him fishing .

And you’re a good guy for doing that. 

[TOXIC]

If you really want to get to know someone, put them on the back of your boat for a day. As a guide I had to work when I had someone else on my boat.  While that has its advantages, there was a lot of pressure.  My regular fishing partner and I have a fishing relationship that has been forged out of many years fishing together.  It’s hard to explain but we just click when we are on the water.  It is both fun and enjoyable when we fish together.  We have had some very memorable days.  When I take someone new it totally depends on the person.  Kids are different than adults and experience levels of adults make a difference.  I love my time alone on the water but I also enjoy taking others out.  I just adjust my expectations based on who is in my boat.  

[Black Hawk Basser]

I do prefer to fish alone.  There are only two people that I really enjoy fishing with.  One is my 5 year old boy.  He is getting pretty good at dragging a Senko around, and doesn't mind playing for awhile once he's done with fishing.  He lets dad get some more casts in before we head home.  The other is my best friend.  He is the only person I know who is as hardcore on bass as I am, so are always in agreement on the what/where/how of the trip each time out.

 

In the last several years, I have gone fishing with 3-4 people that I had never gone with before.  None of these outings were very enjoyable.  A couple of them talked a big game, said they had all the tackle; then I find out that they want to use half my stuff because they weren't well equipped.  They also both lost patience and gave up or wanted to change spots way before I would have wanted to.  I don't have time for that.  Quality time on the water is relatively rare for me, and I'm not about to waste my *possibly* one time a week trip with people who aren't up-front about their interest and skill level in the hobby.

[813basstard]

One thing I do enjoy about fishing with someone is you learn something. 

An 8 year old or 93 year old can and will teach you something if you look and listen. 

[fishwizzard]

I fish alone most of the time not by choice, but due to having a non-standard work schedule.  I do very much enjoy fishing with other people however.  From a practical side, two people fishing two different presentations can figure things out faster.  Even when fishing "alone", most of the suburban ponds that I fish have other regulars and I am friendly enough with a few of them that we will fish together for a bit when we run into each other and will share intel.  I also just enjoy talking about fishing in general as no one I know is really interested in it, so I am most always game to fish-n-chat on the water when I run into another sociable fisherman.  

[BadContrakt]

21 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

I fish alone most of the time not by choice, but due to having a non-standard work schedule.  I do very much enjoy fishing with other people however.  From a practical side, two people fishing two different presentations can figure things out faster.  Even when fishing "alone", most of the suburban ponds that I fish have other regulars and I am friendly enough with a few of them that we will fish together for a bit when we run into each other and will share intel.  I also just enjoy talking about fishing in general as no one I know is really interested in it, so I am most always game to fish-n-chat on the water when I run into another sociable fisherman.  

Dude... Your profile pic. Tell me you didn't hook a ****ING FROG WITH A SWIMBAIT. STOP! NO WAY!

[OCdockskipper]

9 hours ago, scaleface said:

When fishing with somebody and the fish are not cooperating , I feel pressured . When alone I dont .  

I feel this as well, especially if they are novice to intermediate.  I notice my catch rates drop, because i am spending more time "guiding" than fishing (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

 

There were two instances that were much more memorable because I was fishing with someone instead of alone.  The first was catching an 8 lb bass with my sister in the boat.  She is a fairly proficient bass fisherman, but had never seen a bass that large close up.  She freaked out when its head broke the water and was happy to see a fish that big get landed even if she didn't catch it.  Seeing me catch it on a Ned rig gave her tons of confidence on that bait and about a year later on a Kentucky farm pond, she used a Ned rig to catch her 7lb PB.

 

The other was a trip with a guy who is a hardcore trout fisherman.  He normally uses fly rods, but picked up casting a spinning rod really fast.  It was in early April and there were a couple of times where I spotted male bass on beds with the females nearby.  I would tell him where to cast and he would drop the lure on a dime, resulting in a hookup.  The best one was as we passed a boat dock moving left to right.  I spot a bass up on the right side of the dock, tight to it, before we even passed the dock & before he could even see the target.  I told him to cast parallel to the dock as soon as it was possible, forgetting that he was left handed.  He loops this cast over the docked boat right on target, makes one turn of the reel and the bass exploded on his squarebill.  It is fun giving directions to someone who can execute.

[Bankbeater]

After a long work week I prefer to fish alone. 

[Fried Lemons]

I will occasionally bring a friend or family member along but the trip becomes more about me trying to make sure they have a good time than about fishing. It's not that I prefer to fish alone but I don't know anyone who is serious enough about fishing that I don't have to divide my concentration worrying about them and feeling pressured to produce something. I've actually tried getting a good friend of mine into the sport but he just doesn't have it in him. I'd enjoy fishing with other self motivated people but unfortunately I don't know any.

[kjfishman]

I fish alone more often than not in my kayak. The guys I fish with are more into crappie fishing and aren't into kayak fishing especially the hard to get on the water places. If I fish out of my bass boat at lakes a couple hours away or more nice to have someone along. Actually thinking of selling my bass boat as it gets so little use.

[XF15-Loader]

Used to fish solo but then talked my buddy into going.  Fished with him for a season and he just quit.  

 

Now, I can't stand to fish alone...lol.  I'll do it, because I enjoy fishing but, I think I enjoy having a buddy to witness that linker or the one that got away.  

 

-J

[rboat]

I prefer to fish alone. It lets you relax more and clear your mind. If a bad cast gets hooked on a dock, tree, or weeds, I have no one to blame but myself. If equipment gets damaged or lost, again my bad. I do not have to worry if the other person wants to try a different spot or change something or leave before I want to.

On the other hand, It is nice to have help launching the boat, and it is always safer to have someone with you if you have engine trouble, an injury, or any other unforeseen problem that may happen.

[moguy1973]

I like to fish alone most of the time. There are times I like fishing with others though.  When I’m kayaking it makes it easier to go with someone so it makes the vehicle shuttle easier with two vehicles.  I like fishing with my fishing buddy because when I catch a nice one it’s easier to get a nice picture of it.  I don’t like fishing with my fishing buddy when he out fishes me.  I do like fishing with my wife because she enjoys it as much as I do.  I don’t like fishing with my wife because she’s not the most graceful and I’m helping her get out of trees or retying her line or helping her get her fish off. I really don’t like fishing with my wife though because she typically out fishes me, mainly because I’m helping her more than I’m fishing.