Fishing for a Mental State

[Happybeerbuzz]

Fishing is my escape.  As soon as I make enough casts to "dial in the range", and all I am doing is watching my line, feeling for a bite, or focusing on my retrieve, there is nothing else.  

[PhishLI]

17 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

What puts you in the right frame of mind to go fishing?

Waking up.

[LrgmouthShad]

Did some catching up on reading replies, thank you all for the responses. I definitely think that people view their fishing off time in a very individual way that is special to them. It must be special, otherwise we wouldn’t be nuts about it. So of course I’m glad everyone views their time spent fishing in such a positive light, as I do. 

 

I know my nature as a reward seeker. Everything that y’all mentioned about peace of mind and serenity that you get from fishing just happens in the background for me. I can have a terrible day fishing after lots of preparation, but I always notice that my mental state is still better after fishing. I get some of that peace and serenity. So, when I am fishing, I am not focused on relaxation. I want the fish, because that is what I am there for. And before and during fishing, I want to be with a positive mental outlook to help deal with potential annoyances. A brisk 15mph wind could be blowing me around in the kayak but I want to remain cool headed. Heck, I lost a real nice fish fishing today. I just noticed my frustration, took a second, and then went right back to casting. 
 

Anyways… in the grand scheme of things, fishing is a great hobby and if we didn’t feel better after every time we go, then what is the point? I just felt like I needed to explain my point of view here.

 

Thank ya’ll

[Skunkmaster-k]

I go fishing when I can cause it’s gooood fer me ! 

[IcatchDinks]

2 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

I go fishing when I can cause it’s gooood fer me !

 

Richard Gene The Fishing Machine knows best. 

[TnRiver46]

[IcatchDinks]

I think there's alot to fishing for me. I love it. It helps calm me down, it gets me away from everything man-made and out into the beauty of creation. I'm generally a really impatient person, but not when it comes to fishing. I'll spend hours trying to get a bite, trying different lures, presentations, angles, bodies of water.

 

Most of all, it affords a place to be alone with my thoughts. 

[Chris Catignani]

3 hours ago, Zcoker said:

We can easily look at something like fishing as a distraction, or as a hobby, or as a routine, etc. But when something becomes a way of life it suddenly becomes a vital part of our being. Then everything about it flows like a great river, clear and unobstructed, into a vast sea of opportunity. 

This is so true...I fished for the third time this week...last night. I was telling my boat partner that I think I love fishing more now than at any time in the past fifty years. Making rods and lures...modify reels...working on boats. Its total immersion. The big take-a-way for the week was: squirrel swimming across lake, released a paddle fish off a trout line, herons feeding at night...and catching fish.

 

[Skunkmaster-k]

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

That feller looks sad. Musta got up late and missed the topwater action. 

[LrgmouthShad]

2 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

missed the topwater action

The only topwater action happening on the water I fish right now is some guy taking a whizz out of his boat. 

[T-Billy]

I'm always ready. I worked about 200 days last year. Fished about 100. Lakes were iced over for 60 or so. I feel like I didn't get out enough. 

23 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Maybe in January but not in June ~

Too busy fertilizing the yard so you can mow it more often? ?

[Koz]

Fishing is a great way for me to clear my mind and relax, especially when I am out on my kayak. But I have a bit of a double-edged sword going on here lately.

 

I've been putting in a ton of hours at my hotel and have rarely had days off. So when I get a day off, my first thought is to go fishing. But my kayak is stored at my hotel and sometimes when I go there to go fishing I get sucked into things going on at the property and that either delays me getting on the water or I don't get out at all.

 

But I'm going to try something different in the morning. I'm getting up at 4 am and should be on teh water by 4:30 and the hotel should be quiet when I get there. 

 

 

[Bankbeater]

I go fishing whenever I can.  It is my recharge time when I am by myself and have nothing to think about except keeping the skunk away.

[DinkDreams]

I’ve also found that I fish better when I get all my “stuff” done before I go. Nothing worse than being out fishing and you can’t stop thinking about how the grass needs cut, the gutters need cleaned and you need to pull weeds. I know @A-Jayhad echoed these sentiments before.

 

I get pretty esoteric about my fishing, much to my wife’s chagrin. I find that a lot of situations you encounter while fishing can parallel other aspects in life if you take the time to actually dive in and think about it. I probably spend 40 hours a week on top of my actual, full time job thinking about fishing and consuming fishing content whether it be on YouTube or this very forum.

 

Fishing is a very big part of my life, and responsible for a lot of the progress I’ve made in my own mental health struggles. You learn a lot from just fishing, whether you catch anything or not. There’s a type of beauty in that.

[throttleplate]

I turn my phone off before i pull out of the driveway.

Lately havnt been listening to the radio as there are to many news breaks and i dont want to hear news that may be fake.

Driving to the lake calms me and looking at the farmers fields here in minnesota growing higher each week is interesting to see.

 

[Cgolf]

For me I can be in a horrible mood and once I am on the water that bad mood is shifted to the background. There is something about fishing and being out in nature that just chills me out. I guess it is my happy place. A fifteen minute trip to the river can set my day on the right path even if I wake up mad at the world, usually for really dumb reasons like I forgot to do something the day before.

[schplurg]

I definitely do not need all my chores done for me to feel like I can fish. When I'm fishing I forget about everything else, and sometimes I fish to do just that.

 

Fishing, or other enjoyment comes first for me in life, everything else is just crap I need to do so I can have fun again. I used to think work was more important....wait no that wasn't me, that was my Dad.

[JMac603]

Being self employed in a service business means constantly being attached to my device - texts, emails, phone calls any hour of the day and having to go fix an emergency issue at any given time. I have every other weekend that my tech is on call and I send the phones to my answering service. I get out on the water and hammer moving baits for a while (moving fast like my brain still is) and when those aren't what the fish want, I slow myself down (and my brain calms down) and really get to relax. I really LOVE finesse fishing - was raised on it, really - but I'm hammering big plugs or buzz baits until I can settle in.  

[king fisher]

I fish, or I go insane.

[Big Rick]

The biggest reason I fish is to solve the puzzle. Nature always has a way of making things interesting with changing wind, cloud cover, rising or falling temps, weather in general. I love the challenge of figuring out what it takes to best the bass. In the process of doing that all the other things that have clouded my mind start to dissolve into nothingness. I tune the world out and it's me and the fish playing chess. I tell my lovely bride of 29 years that when I'm on my casting deck I can feel the stress of everyday life running out my feet onto the deck. 

 

Fishing is my escape because I love the challenge bass provide every single time I go out. And it never gets old.