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:

Providence Journal

Fishing boat sinks off Atlantic City, 1 missing
Newsday, NY - 18 hours ago
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Coast Guard aircraft and boats are searching the waters off Atlantic City for the captain of a fishing boat that sank. ...
Fishing boat sinks off Atlantic City, 1 missing New York Daily News
Coast Guard searches for missing fishing The Star-Ledger - NJ.com
Ruhle praised as fisherman who fought for his industry Providence Journal
Cherry Hill Courier Post - NBC 10.com
all 24 news articles


Fishing | Puget Sound chinook fishing off to slow start
Seattle Times, United States - 23 hours ago
The summer hatchery chinook fishery in northern and Central Puget Sound is not hot like last year, except the Port Townsend area where fishing has been ...
Outdoors Report: Line on chinook season blurred Seattle Post Intelligencer
all 2 news articles


ERIC SHARP Trout fishing picks up
Detroit Free Press, United States - 23 hours ago
But wherever you are on this river, you probably can count on good fly fishing right through the dog days of summer.


Fishing report for July 25, 2008
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN - 1 hour ago
Below the dam, striper fishing has been excellent. During the early-morning hours, anglers are catching a few on the Strike King King Shad and Wild Shiner ...
Area fishing report Grand Forks Herald
Fishing Report Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Fishing report Contra Costa Times
Pottawatomie Online - Pueblo Chieftain
all 18 news articles


Fishing report
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - 2 hours ago
He was fishing with a nightcrawler, targeting walleyes. • Also at Lake Arthur, fishermen have been getting some perch and walleyes and hybrid striped bass, ...


Fishing picks up in saltwater areas
Enterprise News, MA - 5 hours ago
By Randy Julius Last week’s full-moon tides kicked off some great saltwater fishing in many areas. Unsettled weather for most of the week helped, too. ...
Anglers hope bait will switch Boston Herald
Anglers need to work around the thunderstorms The Salem News
all 4 news articles


Weekly Minnesota fishing report
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN - 5 hours ago
Want a decent fishing report statewide? Minnesota Explorer (Explore MInnesota?) has a fishing report that you can get … read more weekly via email! ...


Fishing Sturgeon anglers get reprieve
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com, OR - 2 hours ago
Fishing has been so good, anglers will have caught more than their quota by the end of Saturday's fishing. Catch-and-release fishing will be allowed in the ...


Fishing Report: Tuning up for derby with big catch
San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA - 13 hours ago
The retired marine warden with the Department of Fish and Game cranked up a 39.9-pound halibut while fishing in 55 feet of water off the Port San Luis ...
Incredible bass fishing on tap in our own 'backyard' Bakersfield Californian (subscription)
all 2 news articles


Oil City Derrick

Pulaski Club fishing derby set Saturday
Oil City Derrick, PA - 3 hours ago
The annual Oil Heritage Festival fishing derby sponsored by the Oil City Pulaski Club will be held Saturday at the Izaak Walton pond off Deep Hollow Road. ...

Fishing - Google News

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