The Challenge vs. the Enjoyment

[papajoe222]

 I will admit that the challenge of catching bass is a big reason why I’m obsessed with fishing. I like bench rest shooting, but once I’m dialed in, the challenge it offers is minimal because the variables are minimal. Finding new loads keep my interest peaked. Fishing is similar for me. 
 What I really love about fishing is the fight.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a sunny, or a Muskie my total enjoyment comes from the time I set the hook, until the moment I’ve won the fight. This is one of the reasons I no longer compete. That ‘get her in the boat and go get another’ mentality started to creep into my every day fishing. My focus began to turn to my tournament goal and I began loosing interest. 
I began fishing ultra light to put the fun back into the fight and I realized I was also leveling the playing field with the fish. Now, even though I use braided line, heavy power rods and reels that can winch a 30lb. flathead out of the muck, I’m in no hurry to get it to the boat. My enjoyment of the fight has returned and although a much higher percentage of the fish I hook never make it to the net, I acknowledge that the better of us won the fight. 
 Put the odds in your favor with the equipment you have, but don’t forget to enjoy the fight. That rod tip dancing under the weight of a head shaking 2lb. bass is true enjoyment and a trophy given a fighting chance and brought to the net is a true measure of sportsman ship. If you loose the fight, you can try for a rematch, but you will have the memory of the enjoyment of the fight and that rollercoaster of excitement.

[The Bassman]

I would agree completely with one exception; A prolonged fight with larger fish especially in warm water can cause a lactic acid buildup that it might not be able to recover from. Better to be in control and land it quickly. Now that said, I get as much (almost) enjoyment out of a lot of action on medium size fish as I do catching a kicker.

[nascar2428]

That's the major reason why I target carp after bass. It's all about the fight for me.

[MN Fisher]

One reason I regularly turn to my UL rig with 4# YZH when I want to Ned. A 2# bass on UL is a trip.

[A-Jay]

     For me, it’s about the passion, the adventure, the chase, and the thrill of catching big smallmouth bass from the vast, pristine lakes of the north woods. 

Many of these Bronze Beauties have been roaming their deep haunts

unmolested for 10, 15 perhaps even 20 years.

I never know what the next casting is going to bring.

And that’s the adventure that I’m always chasing. 

Hoping it will be that next memory that I can share & remember for the rest of my life.

That’s what keeps me going. 

A-Jay

 

[Russ E]

to me its a complete package. from trying to figure out how to get fish to bite, to the point of releasing them.

The actual fight with a fish is probably on the lower end of why I fish. I rarely use ultra light equipment, because I want to land a fish quickly. Then release it unharmed.

The most exhilarating part of fishing, is admiring a large fish after catching it, then watching it swim away.

[TnRiver46]

I don’t necessarily think of it as challenge vs enjoyment, rather challenge + enjoyment. I also like to challenge myself to stay out of the grocery store by eating fish that I catch. You can learn a lot from people that are meat fishing, they typically won’t fish where they might get skunked 

[Vilas15]

2 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

 What I really love about fishing is the fight.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a sunny, or a Muskie my total enjoyment comes from the time I set the hook, until the moment I’ve won the fight.

Sounds like musky fishing is not for you, but you already knew that. Long periods of nothing with short fights to minimize the chances of losing the fish or having it die of exhaustion.

 

Sounds like you need to fish saltwater, or at the very least target smallmouth on light line.

[Craig P]

I fish saltwater as much as I fish for bass so I get my share of battles. In comparison, getting a bite and hooking up in saltwater is easy! so.... I enjoy the heck out of making bass bite and then successfully hooking them with the fight being the last part of the fun. 

[papajoe222]

1 hour ago, Vilas15 said:

Sounds like musky fishing is not for you, but you already knew that. Long periods of nothing with short fights to minimize the chances of losing the fish or having it die of exhaustion.

Actually, I’m an avid Muskie angler, but I only target them during the colder water periods and never fight them anywhere close to exhaustion. Same goes for bass. 

[plawren53202]

Interesting to hear different perspectives on this.  For me, it's nearly the opposite.  The thing I enjoy most about fishing is figuring out the ever-changing puzzle as to what will make a certain fish in a certain location bite on a certain day (or even figuring out where they are in the first place).  Once the fish has bitten, the fight to land the fish is kind of an afterthought.  Certainly I'd much rather land every fish that bites, but getting them to bite in the first place is the puzzle that I enjoy solving the most.

 

But having said that, I like hearing from those with a different opinion on this.  Good thread.

[Ksam1234]

I don’t all of it, the fight , the puzzle to find them and the unknown.. never knowing what your going to catch or if it’s going to be your biggest fish ever or the smallest. It’s relaxing to

[Tizi]

I've been fishing since I was kid, like 7 years old.  I love the challenge of the chase.  There is always one more cast, one more fish to catch, never ending adventure.  When I retire, I plan to fish even more!  I thoroughly enjoy being outdoors, on the water, fishing.

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

I have several neighbors that ask do I still enjoy fishing when I don't catch(I fish daily), my response is fishing is the cake, fish are the icing.

 

The hunt is fishing for me, I love surveying the water. Lately fishing has been tough and to add to that the canal I am fishing is constantly in flux, constant water level/current change as farmers order water or not. The low water has reveled to me where I'll be casting my baits come spring and summer. Rock/wood/holes that I had no idea were there.

 

Its the learning that I like the best, developing techniques that will give me a shot in the unique conditions that I fish in. And when all of those ah-ha moments, come together. Priceless!

[Mike L]

For me it’s all about the hunt. 
Once she is hooked, playing with it until I can touch it is secondary. 
 

Finding, enticing and overcoming a prey in its environment where I don’t belong is the juice for me. 

 

Being good enough to Improvise when needed....

Wise enough to Overcome the temptation to Improvise when tempted....

 

Using experience and knowledge to Adapt to every changing condition is key....

 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[galyonj]

47 minutes ago, Hewhospeaksmuchbull said:

Its the learning that I like the best…

A thousand times this.

 

I love catching fish, but what I love about it is figuring out what I need to do given the environmental variables in play. What're they eating now? What's that thing look like anyway? What's the weather and temp and bariatric pressure and all that like? Do I have 2 inches of visibility today or 2 feet?

Further, I like pushing myself. I hate finesse fishing because it's all I can do to sit still and do all the nothing that something like a ned rig requires to be successful. But I want to be successful and solve the puzzle, and I don't want to short myself that way.

[Bankbeater]

For me it's about the traveling on the water, the challenge of figuring out the fish, but mostly it's about leaving everything behind for a few hours, or a few days, and clearing my mind.

[fishindad]

For me, the three most enjoyable things about bass fishing are feeling the bite, then setting the hook into a big bass, and topwater fishing. I’ve been lucky to have fought big freshwater cats, carp, drum, sturgeon and steelhead and those fish pull drag and fight much more than even smallies, my favorite fish. But none of those fish make my adrenaline rush more than a big smallie or largemouth busting a topwater and getting 3 feet of air 3 or 4 times. 

 

Ive never caught one but my bet for ultimate fighting thrill goes to tarpon on a fly rod. 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Good thread. I cant add anything to what's already been said. That's the reason were members of BassResource because of the passion we have for bass fishing.

[Bird]

It's the whole package for me.

Watching Eagles hovering above and otters swimming below, enjoying God's great creation. 

 

It's a natural high just simply fishing. 

[txchaser]

Three things for me:

 

1) Figuring out the puzzle of where are they and what do they want. Both the "cold read" of assessing the situation and immediately getting on them, and the sometimes painful trial and error. 

 

2) The second puzzle of "yeah good for you, you found them" but where are the bigger ones? and what are they eating? (targeting vs getting lucky sizing up on #1)

 

3) Every now and then that perfect moment on the water. Sometimes there's even a fish involved. Time stops and I get to keep that moment. 

[Columbia Craw]

I just like the stuff.

[Catt]

13 hours ago, Mike L said:

For me it’s all about the hunt. 
Once she is hooked, playing with it until I can touch it is secondary. 

 

I'm a simple man ?

 

I don't even care if I touch it just knowing I was in the right place at the right time using the right technique is quite satisfying.

[whitwolf]

The goal is always to catch fish. BUT... As I'm approaching my 6th decade I have been of this mindset : I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I love. There's not one minute that I take for granted and while I would rather catch fish if I zero it's ok. 

 

Challenge vs. enjoyment is more about those days where I see a wild Turkey in flight, catch some fish, and see five boats all day.

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

I'm a simple man ?

 

I don't even care if I touch it just knowing I was in the right place at the right time using the right technique is quite satisfying.

Ha!

You’re not as simple as you think you are!

It took me 3 times as long to say almost the same thing. ??

 

 

 

 

Mike