Fishing all by your lonesome

I fish by myself most of the year except for maybe April and May. Not by choice but most of my fishing friends are either busy, fair weather fisherman, or into spin fishing. Im probably 75% self taught too. The other 25% coming from my neighbor who gave me back yard casting, basic entomology, and knot lessons.

I've learned to enjoy fishing by myself but I do miss the company a lot. It's not bad when I'm fishing close to home but to drive 1 1/2+ hours to somewhere by yourself sucks. There's no way around it. It's almost torture for me lol. I think I end up being limited in my fishing range a lot by solo fishing.
 
So I fish pretty much alone. And even when I take someone with me, I am off in the distance.
 
I mainly fish by myself because it's typically spontaneous that I get time and decide to go to fish. I will admit that sometimes when I see a couple of 60/70/80 year old anglers together shooting the breeze and catching fish, I'm a bit jealous because I taught this to myself and never really had a full-time fishing buddy and it seems like a lot of these pairs of anglers go way back. I'm only 36 now so I guess I have time to find that special someone LOL....
 
I prefer to fish alone only because you can be more flexible. If the fishing isn't good you can move and not worry about if your friends want to move or not. But I also like to fish with a friend or small group but i always seem to do better when i fish alone and can really focus on what Im doing. I tend to fish harder when Im alone and when with friends not as much.
 
JackM wrote:
I started fly fishing all alone. No one got me into it, but myself. I read how-to books and articles and practiced on the stream. Eventually, I met other anglers and we planned trips.

Even when I fish with others, I always take the time to be alone. This is why I love to fly fish.
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Same here, cept I was only about 12 years old and I didn't remember reading up on it.

So consequently was doing it wrong for a few years. And I mean really wrong.

But the bluegills didn't seem to mind.

I was probably 18 when I first fly fished for trout and it wasn't exactly legal to fish there. ;-)

But didn't make the full switch until years after that.

The last several years now that I am less young, I haven't fished nearly as much. So when I am able to get out it is usually with others.
 
krayfish2 wrote:
For the first 15 years of my fly fishing, 95% was done alone. Yes, it afforded solitude but many times I had wished someone else was there to share in some of the stuff that I got to witness / experience. Over the last 15 years, I've found myself fishing with a group mostly. I'm a person that frequently says "I freaking hate people" but really enjoy fishing as a group. I'd rather fish with a good friend or three nowadays but will do a little solo fishing from time to time for solitude.
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I should have just seconded this one.

I do enjoy the jam for the fishing, but get more enjoyment just spending time with a bunch of misfit friends.

BTW, Norm told me about the fish he hooked while in your boat. I still say it was a carp. Not the one you knocked off of his hook with the net, the other one. LOL!

 
I remember a couple times only fishing for about 10 minutes because that was all the time I had.

Once I quit after just one [d]case[/d] cast. It's actually a funny story that I told before, so I'll spare you.

 
FD Wrote: I was probably 18 when I first fly fished for trout and it wasn't exactly legal to fish there.

Sounds like the concrete piers at a hatchery.
 
I'm a loner by nature. So I fish alone.
 
Solo most of the time. Enjoy the freedom and flexibility.
 
ryansheehan

+1

I found a good buddy with a similar affliction is great for sharing memories, but also for off-stream messages,discussions, etc. It's made me a better angler.

Sometimes the solitude is nice, but I enjoy the shared experience better.

Same with playing music: I played for years solo but prefer playing with my band, even if the music is not what I normally listen to.
 
I also fish solo most of the time and usually on a lot of spur of the moment outings. Love the solitude of being on the stream alone and taking in all that nature has to offer. That mink working the stream bank, a flock of cedar waxwings in the streamside vegetation picking off mayflies over the water, momma wood duck and her young ones and that majestic bald eagle sailing right overhead. Sometimes I just enjoy standing in the middle of the stream with my rod in the crook of my arm and watching the trout for a half hour so while they feed on an active caddis hatch.

On the other hand I also enjoy those times with good friends on the stream as limited as they are. Working up through a nice wide riffle on a good sulphur hatch side by side with a good fishing buddy is just a whole lot of fun. Those times are special and I take them when I can get them.
 
PennypackFlyer wrote:
FD Wrote: I was probably 18 when I first fly fished for trout and it wasn't exactly legal to fish there.

Sounds like the concrete piers at a hatchery.
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No. I was in an actual crick, but I could see some some concrete runs from there. LOL!

Not as bad as it sounds. Small native stream that flows past a hatchery. Most of it was legal to fish, but back then the lower end where it flows past the hatchery was posted as nursery waters and stocked with pet trout. My line may have accidentally landed in that part once of twice. ;-)

I think it is all open now.


 
Most of my outings are with a partner any more. I like fishing with friends, and a lot of the places I go it's a bit of a safety deal too. Always good to have someone with you in the backcountry in the event of a fall or otherwise.

I do once in a while enjoy a solo outing for the reasons previously discussed. Sometimes you just need some solo peace and quiet. Plus more Gemmies for me that way.
 
Im surprised how many people prefer to fish solo.
 
Maybe it is because they don't want to be scrutinized like the poor guy in the Eliquis commercial? ;-)

Seriously though. It surprised me too.

I used to be that way and the reason was that I often fished simply for the peace and quiet. A way of unwinding and getting my head on straight. I often just went for walks in the woods for this. Often it was along a stream, and I didn't even fish. In fact, there was a stretch where I did more scouting for fishing spots than actual fishing.

And the more I think of it, this change may coincide with buying the farm where I have my own woods to walk in quiet contemplation. I've been known to just sit in a tree stand without a gun, bow or even a camera just watching to see what walked of flew by.

I suppose that has become my release.

That likely isn't the entire story, because I don't even fish in my own ponds very often. Since I was throwing everything back anyway, maybe I just gravitated away from the fishing part.

So, when I fish now, it is usually for the friendship.

Plus, I think it is what old people not named Pete41, like to do. ;-)
 
I fish alone a lot but unfortunately I still can't escape people because most of my local angling is done on stocked suburban streams around Pittsburgh. But, I'll still get those days where I fish delayed harvest sections for a few hours and don't see another person the entire time, those tend to be my most productive days too since I can clear my head and really concentrate on the fish and surroundings. The few times a year I get to fish for wild fish are usually a multi day expedition with my uncle and Pap's friend but sometimes we'll split up on the creek for a while and meet up later in the day.

 
I mostly fish alone. Not necessarily by choice but with two young kids when the wife says ok you can go fishing, I go! Usually very little planning or scheduling. Just grab my stuff and go for a few hours. Another thing is most of my friends dont fish for trout or fish at all.

I would like to fish with people more often but I dont know anyone that would want to fish streams local to me at first light on a Sunday for an two hours.

 
Sometimes it's nice to have someone there for company and maybe even create a shared long lasting memory. And other times it's just nice to fish and not have to consider anyone else's feelings, interests, time table, etc and just be able to do your own thing. After fishing with people I do like a lil solitude. And after fishing alone for a day or two it is nice to chat with a friendly face and sit down and have a sandwich by the stream while you take in the setting. Either way beats the heck out of sitting at a desk all day daydreaming about it.
 
I fish solo a lot because of my work schedule - off sundays and mondays. I usually spend sunday with the family, and fish on mondays - when most of my buddies are working.
I enjoy going myself. But still prefer company if I can find it
 
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