Fishing Information

Why Do I Fish?


As part of an email discussion list I'm part of, the subject of following our passions came up. I mentioned that one of my lifelong passions was fishing. I got the following reply...

Thanks, John for sharing your passion with us. So -- John -- when you are fishing... What do you enjoy most and why? I've never fished and would like to understand your passion better.

That made me stop and think. Why did I spend so much time with a line in the water? Or reading about fishing? Or watching fishing TV shows and videos? What did I get from that, that I don't get from other things? Here's how I answered her...

One of the best things about fishing is that it can be different things on different days. Some days, I can set up a chair on the beach, throw my line out, and just stare at the horizon and listen to the water. With the fishing rod, I'm fishing. Without it, I'm a loony without a clock tower ;-). On those days, I may or may not catch anything. It really doesn't matter. When the sun goes down and I leave, I feel renewed and totally relaxed.

On other days, I have to catch something. Solving the puzzle -- where are the fish and what will get them to bite -- is important. So is the execution -- doing things just right, as evidenced by that electric tug on the line.

Did I mention that fresh fish, well prepared, is one of the greatest eating pleasures on this earth?

Fishing as an activity can also be solitary or social. Catching fish is cool, so is not catching any. When you're out with good friends and that magic day hits when all goes perfectly right, you come away with stories that brighten your eyes for years in the retelling. On the days when the fish don't bite, you can spend time in conversation, solving the worlds' problems or your own. Sometimes there's the quiet time, when all of you can sit back and bask in the feeling that you are all doing exactly what you chose to do, with people you chose to spend time with.

Finally, (bet you didn't think I'd make, did you), I practically grew up in a fishing boat. My folks had a cabin on a lake in Minnesota where I spent hours in an old rowboat with my Dad and my grandfather. Listening to them, and later joining in, taught me a lot of what I know about being a man. Those evenings of watching for the bobbers to sink are some of my best memories.

As a labor of love, I have a web site called Outdoor Adventures (no longer operating). I'd like to share the opening with you.

"Why do we venture outdoors? It makes us alert, pulls us out of ourselves, and engages us in something bigger. It's a restorative that cleanses us when we've become muddied and makes us healthy when we've become sickened. It's a brace against pessimism."

I hope I've been able to let you feel a little of what I feel for this wondrous pastime.

John McCabe's Web Guides show you how to find more and better success in all facets of your life. For more articles on living an abundant, vibrant, joyous life, come to http://Web-Guides.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

Ice-fishing festival gets assist from cold weather | Outdoors
The Seattle Times
With a deep freeze settling into areas east of the Cascades, anglers are breaking through the ice to catch fish. By Mark Yuasa No comments have been posted to this article. With a deep freeze settling into areas east of the Cascades, ...
Mild weather not as nice as iceWilkes Barre Times-Leader

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Bellingham Herald

OUTDOORS: Lower Columbia fishing set, halibut hold line
Bellingham Herald
Early 2012 salmon, steelhead and sturgeon fishing seasons are now set for the lower Columbia River, giving anglers some hard information on which to plan trips. Expectations rate as good for the lower Columbia's early returning chinook fishery this ...
Biologists predicting strong run of Columbia spring chinook this yearTheNewsTribune.com
Outdoors Digest: Tuesday's ODFW meeting will explain public proposalsCoos Bay World

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Minister Ashfield Announces a 2011 National Recreational Fisheries Award ...
MarketWatch (press release)
GRANBY, QUEBEC, Feb 04, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced that Claude Bernard is a winner of a 2011 National Recreational ...

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For-profit fishing limited on reefs off Georgetown
MyrtleBeachOnline.com
Commercial spear fishing was stripping clean artificial reefs that were meant for recreational fishing, anglers claimed. Two years later, after The Post and Courier's 2009 report of the alleged abuses, a federal law has been put on the books to ...
For-profit fishing limited on reefsCharleston Post Courier

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Craftsmen have a passion for bamboo fishing rods
Duluth News Tribune
He's fishing a bamboo rod again. But he didn't buy it. Bamboo rods are prohibitively expensive for most anglers, running from $800 to $3000 or more. So, in his retirement, Johnson learned to make bamboo rods. He buys bamboo from the south of China.

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Feb. 2 fishing report
The Tennessean
There's still too much generation at the dam to allow for decent fishing. • Center Hill. Lots of smallmouth bass are being caught on swim baits and jigs. Try the creeks. • Cheatham. Striper are being caught below the dam. Crappie bite is good in main ...
Fishing reportsPryor Daily Times
Fishing Report 2-6-12Log Cabin Democrat
Outdoor notebookMuskogee Daily Phoenix

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The first fish of Feb Fest
Chanhassen Villager
(Photo by Richard Crawford) Mason Hagen checks in with the first fish of the ice fishing contest. Denny Laufenburger, master of ceremonies for the event, was on hand for an interview. Mason Hagen, 6, of Chanhassen, landed the first fish, a perch, ...

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Federal wildlife officials offer ice fishing day in Mississippi River refuge
The Republic
Federal wildlife officials are planning a free ice fishing day for kids on the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Children between the ages of 6 and 13 will be allowed to fish for free at a Mississippi River boat landing in Winona, ...

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BBC News

Prince Charles optimistic for fisheries' future
BBC News
By Richard Black Environment correspondent There are reasons for optimism about the future of the world's fish stocks despite their currently dire state, said the Prince of Wales at the launch of a report from his green think-tank.
Prince Charles learns about Island's approach to fishing conservationisleofman.com
Prince Charles presents proof of profit in sustainable fisheriesThe Guardian
Charles in sustainable fishing pleaThe Press Association
Telegraph.co.uk -The Grocer -Fishnewseu
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Fly Fishing Film Tour hits Seattle on Feb. 4
Highline Times
Fly fishing's most celebrated annual event, the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T), the original and largest event of its kind begins its continent-wide trek January 26th. The Traveling spectacle serves as a stage for the best filmmakers in the industry, ...
A fish tale, in honor of tonight's fly-fishing photo show, Surface Film IIWestword (blog)

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