Why do we fish?

[DaveKile]

Fishing beats watching Dr Phil or Oprah.....

I now can only see you tying flies this winter with Oprah on the TV. Sad.

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

Fishing is good medicine for seasonal blues. A good day of catching fish keeps me in better spirits through the stretches we go through when the sun doesn't seem to shine for weeks at a time.

 

[Bamboozle]

Because it gives me an opportunity to smoke cigars and sip whisky from a flask... 😉

No one in my family fished, so a few sunnies brought home in a bucket by neighbors and seeing some pumpkin seeds suspended in a somewhat local reservoir is probably what memorized me into deciding I HAD to go fishing.

After being gifted a used casting rod & reel, I read everything I could find and picked the brains of the clerks at the local sporting stores when I bought the stuff I thought I needed. A short time later, I was invited by some experienced junior high school buddies to take public transportation (bus) one Sunday morning to a not-so-local reservoir.

The anticipation the night before was like Christmas on steroids so it was easy to get up to meet my friends around 4:30 am, catch the bus and somehow catch a fish on my first outing. With the memories of that and a few other firsts; fast forward a few decades I still get that same thrill whether its a trout or a suspended pumpkin seed.

FWIW - I was a somewhat delinquent "yoot"on that first outing and was off by myself when I caught that first fish. Coincidentally, I sipping my share of a bottle of cheap wine I went "in" on for the occasion and I smoked cigarettes...

That may explain why fishing, alcohol & tobacco still go together in my mind... 😎

 

[The Rodfather]

I was watching a documentary once about flyfishing and the guy explained it this way.

When people ask me why I fly fish, I tell them : "The places it takes me and the people I meet along the way"

That has stuck with me and is a really good explanation.

 

[Striperbobby]

We are all adrenaline junkies and fly fishing is our fix! There are a lot worse things we could be doing, at least that’s what I tell my wife!

 

[dryflyguy]

Ran into a lady along a stream one day.
And she asked me how the fishing was.
I said it was good.
Then she asked what I was using, and I showed her.
To which she replied - "You're one of them there bug fishermen"!
Never forgot that....

 

[HoboWithAFlyRod]

I grew up swimming competitively and I admire animals that live in water.

 

[nd1001]

Fishing can be both relaxing and engaging. When I fish, I experience excitement but also leave the stream feeling recharged.

 

[Swattie87]

All I can say is there is a noticeable difference in my disposition on Sunday evenings when I’ve fished that weekend, versus weekends I haven’t.

If you combo a weekend with no fishing (this one) and the Suckers (Steelers) playing like they did yesterday, and it’s a almost a guarantee of me having a malodorous mood on Sunday night.

 

[GoldenRfly]

I wear a Stetson when I fish and kayak.
I love water and the woods.
I climb up & down embankments (which my wife wouldn’t approve of).
I experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, but the defeats always make me appreciate the thrills and the lessons for the next time.
Most of all, at 60+ … I feel like a 10 year old kid every time I hook one.

 

[rancid waders]

It's the moving water, for me. A mental health thing. I know my mind is gonna be clear as long as I'm in the water.

 

[Kyle]

i fly fish to relax. get away from everything. i have many great memories on the rivers. i have been fishing since i was 14 years old so its just the norm now. its what i do. and its part of me. no turning around now. one way road.

 

[scottrum]

The tug is the drug! I've been fishing all my life started using fly rod dunking worms and now its been over 50 years of nothing but fly fishing. I've been heading to God's Country for over 30 years that started out with just my dad and I . Now its Dad, Brother, Son, me and two lifelong friends. Unplugging is the best medication for your soul. Tight Lines

 

[krayfish2]

I grew up without an outdoorsman in the family. Don't really remember how I got exposed to fishing but glad it happened. Highschool hooks and horns club helped get me more interested.

Sometimes I go for solitude, sometimes I go to hang out with a couple of buddies, sometimes to help a new angler, for the challenge it presents or maybe chasing a personal best fish. The one thing that remains constant is my awe at the magnificence of mother nature. One day I'm in awe of a hatch and the beauty of the fish I've caught. Other days, it might be the way light comes through the trees creating a sight where even photos don't do it justice. Many folks have never seen a doe with a newly born fawn in tow or a merganser swimming with her hatchlings scampering to keep up. Etc, etc.

I go fishing for too many reasons to list.

 

[salmo]

Wow. I don’t think I have an answer. I know that I enjoy it, but …. How to define the why? Perhaps it’s like another state of mind. Maybe if I knew the why I might stop. Some things just are. To bastardize Descartes, “ I fish therefore I am.” “Piscari ergo sum?” Boy now I really need a Tylenol.

 

[JimKennedy]

It’s one of the few things I’m pretty good at, and it’s fun.

 

[troutbert]

All I can say is there is a noticeable difference in my disposition on Sunday evenings when I’ve fished that weekend, versus weekends I haven’t.

If you combo a weekend with no fishing (this one) and the Suckers (Steelers) playing like they did yesterday, and it’s a almost a guarantee of me having a malodorous mood on Sunday night.

On weekends when you can't fish, an outdoorsy fix can still be had to combat cabin fever by going for a walk outdoors, such as at a park, woods, open space etc.

Most people have something like that close to where they live. If not, move. A place to walk outdoors is a basic human need. Even in NYC, people have Central Park where they can take a walk outdoors.

In Philly you can walk trails along Wissahickon Creek or along the Schuylkill River.

 

[Swattie87]

On weekends when you can't fish, an outdoorsy fix can still be had to combat cabin fever by going for a walk outdoors, such as at a park, woods, open space etc.

Most people have something like that close to where they live. If not, move. A place to walk outdoors is a basic human need. Even in NYC, people have Central Park where they can take a walk outdoors.

In Philly you can walk trails along Wissahickon Creek or along the Schuylkill River.

You’re right (as usual), and when I do that, it’s not the same as fishing for me, but it’s usually enough to avoid the Sunday evening doldrums.

Two young kids is the big hurdle. It was less so with just our son (almost 2), but with our daughter now I don’t even try to broach the concept of leaving my wife with both of them for an extended time probably 50% or more of weekends. And of the other 50%, I’m not always successful in my bargaining.

A walk with the kids in the stroller around the neighborhood would probably be a good alternative solution, which is feasible most days. (Both sick at the moment, so not taking them out in this cold.)