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:

New York Times

Plenty of fishing activities on the menu in the days ahead
The Seattle Times
"This is the last hurrah for Puget Sound steelhead fishing as there are (six days left before it closes Feb. 16) in some of the terminal areas still open. It hasn't been anything spectacular in the terminal areas, and just a few hatchery steelhead.
Fishing Report: Feb. 10, 2012Mail Tribune
FishOn! Northwestern Pennsylvania fishing report, Feb. 10GoErie.com
Fishing report — Feb. 10Portales News-Tribune
The Spokesman Review -Calaveras Enterprise -Times-Standard
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Ice-Fishing in the Deepest Depths
New York Times
The Russian mission in Antarctica has had for years an astonishing goal: to explore the remotest ecosystem on earth, lying directly beneath the most extreme climate on earth. The ecosystem is Lake Vostok, an enormous freshwater lake more than two miles ...

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Fishing good as it gets on west coast
Tbo.com
COM | Staff GO FISHING is a look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Mike Anderson, right, with "Reel Animals" partner Billy Nobles. Is west coast fishing as good as ever?

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Hartland to host ice fishing derby
Kennebec Journal
By Erin Rhoda erhoda@mainetoday.com HARTLAND -- The Hartland Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its third annual Ice Fishing Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19. About 100 people attended the ice fishing derby last year, ...

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Center For American Progress

The Uncertain Science of Fisheries
Center For American Progress
Crewmen on the trawler Erika-Lynn of Port Clyde, Maine, work on rigging while fishing in the Gulf of Maine. By Michael Conathan | February 10, 2012 Faith is integral to fisheries. When fishermen cast off their lines and leave the dock, they believe ...
Fishermen meet as cod problem in New England threatens end to historic industryWashington Post

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Best Bets: Southwest Florida fishing prospects positive
The News-Press
The Cape Coral Tarpon Hunters annual tarpon fishing seminar, open to the public, is all about making tarpon anglers out of newcomers to the birthplace of big game fishing. The clinic will feature local experts explaining ins and outs from cast-netting ...
Fishing Around Tampa BayThe Ledger

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Fish Factor: Future of natural resources debated, governor defends ADF&G
The Arctic Sounder
Common Use, says: Wherever occurring in their natural state, fish, wildlife, and waters are reserved to the people for common use. The governor also was asked at the press conference about recent law violations with some staff at the Dept. of Fish and ...

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Travel permit of whale shark fishermen seized
DAWN.com
KARACHI, Feb 10: “We had no idea what we had found until it was pulled out of the channel and we saw a giant fish before our eyes. We were all flabbergasted. None of us have ever seen such a big fish before,” says Mohammad Dilawar, captain of the ...

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Shep on Fishing: Absecon Inlet tautog fishing remains strong
Press of Atlantic City
He reported that all six on board last Sunday had a four-fish limit with the largest hitting the 8-pound mark. He said his patrons have been racking up good catches on every trip. His best outing recently scored four tog that weighed between 11 and 13 ...



BassResource.com (press release)

Tharp thrashes 'em again
FLW Outdoors
Although his sack included no 9-pounders, each of his five fish was of the tournament-winning variety. “I went and got five squeakers so I could relax and fish for big fish,” he said. “But my big bites don't come until later in the day.
Tharp Still Leads FLW Tour Bass Fishing Tournament on Lake OkeechobeeBassResource.com (press release)
Tharp Leads Walmart FLW Tour Season Opener on Lake Okeechobee Presented by ...Sacramento Bee
Outdoors news and notes: Bass tour begins season on Lake OkeechobeeTampabay.com

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