Work and Fishing

[Backroad Angler]

Hey guys!

How do yall find a balance between work and fishing? Long story short, I've recently started a career in law enforcement as a police officer and am struggling to find time to go fishing. When I was in college, or even before then it was so easy to just grab a pole and go out to the creek or lake or whatever, but It's been pretty tough since I've been in this line of work.

[casts_by_fly]

Clear priorities, clean separation of work and home, a solid home life that allows for pastimes. There are only 24 hours in a day.  If you’re only paid to work 8 of them (or 6 or 10) then work that many of them. Home life is important.  If you have family, friends, etc then they get as much time as you prioritize to them. Only you can decide what’s important to you.  If you decide that you want to do 6 days and 12 hours at work, then decide you want to hang out with your friends for another bunch of hours, then that’s your choice of how you spend your hours. Find what works for you, your family, your friends, and makes you happy. 

[The Bassman]

I put my painting business on semi hiatus this summer to try to rest some orthopedic issues and spend more time fishing. Result: 90+ consecutive days fishing and who knows how many bass caught. Upshot of all this is that I'm ready to give fishing a break. I've got Sept. pretty well booked and am actually looking forward to it. Everything in moderation.

[Woody B]

I'm going to say you've got to get used to your work schedule, then you'll find time for fishing.   I work 45 to 50 hours a week and normally go fishing 2 or 3 times a week.  My Daughter is grown, one of my Grandsons just started college and the other is a Junior in High School.   I don't have a bunch of family, or other obligations to keep me from going fishing when I get a chance.   

 

How many hours a week do you work?   Also, in your line of work be careful and remember that most of us here in the USA have your back.   

[clayton86]

[Mike L]

6 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Clear priorities, clean separation of work and home, a solid home life that allows for pastimes. There are only 24 hours in a day.  If you’re only paid to work 8 of them (or 6 or 10) then work that many of them. Home life is important.  If you have family, friends, etc then they get as much time as you prioritize to them. Only you can decide what’s important to you.  If you decide that you want to do 6 days and 12 hours at work, then decide you want to hang out with your friends for another bunch of hours, then that’s your choice of how you spend your hours. Find what works for you, your family, your friends, and makes you happy. 

Well Said 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Jar11591]

Owning a business definitely gives me more flexibility, and my business partner is also into fishing so that makes it even easier to get plenty of fishing time in. Fishing is such a huge part of my life that I start to get miserable if I go too long without being on the water. 

[GaryH]

You choose a profession that can be very stressful. You need to set aside time such as fishing to unwind and decompress. I was in your situation for many years and family, friends and your time are very important. 
Congrats on your new career. 

 

 

 

[gim]

2 hours ago, Woody B said:

I don't have a bunch of family, or other obligations to keep me from going fishing when I get a chance.   

 

This is the solution right here.  Family, pets, and a house keep me from doing what I want to when I have free time outside of my work schedule.  "Families are man-made prisons.  You're doing time." - Kramer

[Skunkmaster-k]

Go fishin when you can , cause it’s goood fer ye! Fishing is a sport second to none. 

[Mobasser]

At one point, I made a thread about this topic called Time. Managing your fishing time. When your working full time, it's not always easy. You could try some shorter trips in between, based around your job, family etc. Now I'm mostly retired, so I can fish more often.                                          Sometimes it can still be hard to find enough time to go fishing.

[J._Bricker]

12 hours ago, JoshFromBolo said:

Hey guys!

How do yall find a balance between work and fishing? Long story short, I've recently started a career in law enforcement as a police officer and am struggling to find time to go fishing. When I was in college, or even before then it was so easy to just grab a pole and go out to the creek or lake or whatever, but It's been pretty tough since I've been in this line of work.

Congratulations on your new career @JoshFromBolo, and yes working 5-8’s, 4-10’s or modified 12’s doesn’t leave a lot of discretionary free time. Work/Life balance is important especially in this line work, and it isn’t easy when you’re the low man on the totem pole. Maybe get a session in after your shift ends. Another option is to fish a team or club circuit where you know you have one day a month where you’re committed to fish.
BE safe out there Josh

[The Bassman]

2 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Go fishin when you can , cause it’s goood fer ye! Fishing is a sport second to none. 

And don't let that woman tell ya what to do! Whooo!

[TnRiver46]

Kudos for going into law enforcement, that’s a scary job to have where I live. You’ll get plenty of fishing in! 

[12poundbass]

My fishing this year has been no existent. I’ve been working 57-60 a week, and moving into a new house and everything that comes with that has left me with little free time and ‘wishin I was fishin’. 

[PaulVE64]

I went to work as a construction super at the start of the pandemic. Got into building singles and townhouses and then after sale repairs.

My time was mine to manage and since I'm able to retire now if I need to I make it clear to the builder before I start.

Most are happy I've given them my expectation. Admittedly, my salary suffers, but i think my profession is overpaid.

[DitchPanda]

Was gonna say I've got a buddy whose a Sheriff's deputy and he fishes more than me. I work 45 ish hours a week and the past 7 weeks I've done all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry and yard work as my lady has been laid up recovering from knee surgery. I've probably been fishing 15-20 times in that time frame. I find the best time for me has been early mornings. Hard to stay disciplined and get up at 5am on your days off after working all week but it is no doubt worth it.

[Darth-Baiter]

my brother is way up there in the LEO pecking order of things.  in the beginning he barely fished.  he really nurtured his career.  has he went he fished more and more as time allowed.  he even bought a bass boat.  

 

you'll know.

[Big Rick]

My years of law enforcement allocated a lot of fishing time due to 12 hours shifts. I understand the 8 hour shift guys have a much more limited amount of free time. However, make time for yourself. You didn't state in your post if a wife and kids are involved, so I'm assuming you're single. The single most important thing, other than ending the shift alive and well, is to take time to decompress. You gotta have time to let it all go, at least for a little while. Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders for days on end is very unhealthy. 

 

As a shift supervisor I had a ton of stress at times. I didn't realize how it was affecting my relationship with my family until it was bad. So, don't forget to decompress. The best outlet for me was to be all alone on the deck of my boat. It's almost as if I can feel the stress running out of my feet. 

 

I'm retired now and still feel the draw to get out by myself and just let life go by for a few hours. It's rejuvenating and relaxing. And it may very well save your quality of life. 

[volzfan59]

Congratulations on your new career. I'm retired law enforcement. When I worked for the state, our rdo's (regular days off) rotated but we got them. I always set aside at least one day for fishing/ decompression. After retiring from the state as a Lieutenant, I worked for the county sheriff's office as a Sergeant for four more years before I had enough. We had three days off so it was no problem. As you progress, you'll build annual and sick time. I always took a week off in March and another week off in October for fishing. Plus, take some three and four day weekends here and there. Also, there's always the old mental health days. Good luck

[Bluebasser86]

What do your shifts look like? I worked midnights for 10 years and got a lot of time to fish then. I switched to days this year with a new position at work (almost 15 year LEO), and it killed my fishing time. I've had a lot of days that I work 9-5, come back in at 10pm and work until 2am, get back up and go back to work at 9. Now we have to cover hospital duty on our weekends. Got that a couple weeks ago, worked 9-6, slept a couple hours, came back in at 10pm and was out there until 6am. It's just so much more hectic. 

[volzfan59]

8 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

What do your shifts look like? I worked midnights for 10 years and got a lot of time to fish then. I switched to days this year with a new position at work (almost 15 year LEO), and it killed my fishing time. I've had a lot of days that I work 9-5, come back in at 10pm and work until 2am, get back up and go back to work at 9. Now we have to cover hospital duty on our weekends. Got that a couple weeks ago, worked 9-6, slept a couple hours, came back in at 10pm and was out there until 6am. It's just so much more hectic. 

Brother, I don't know how you get any rest at all, those are crazy hours! Are you guys short handed or is that just how your duty schedules work?

[Bluebasser86]

27 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

Brother, I don't know how you get any rest at all, those are crazy hours! Are you guys short handed or is that just how your duty schedules work?

Short staffed like every LE agency across the country. We're about 55 short right now. Those hours all break policy but they're okay with it because we're at "emergency staffing levels". I usually sleep a couple hours, go to work, come home and sleep a few more hours, go back to work, repeat until the weekend when I get a few more hours of consecutive sleep if I don't have OT. 

[volzfan59]

@Bluebasser86, Short 55, that's more officers than we had total in the Sheriff's Dept I worked for! I probably should call some of the guys to see how they're all doing. When I retired and left, made a clean break. I went back one time.

[flyfisher]

It is all about priorities and making time for what you want.  Unless you are working 16 hours a day and sleeping 8 you have time to do what you want to do.  Now is it going to look exactly like you want all the time, probably not but the time is there.  

 

I was a teacher, have a wife and two kids who are active in after school stuff and was taking post graduate classes and I still found time to get out and fish.