Why do you fish

[Joe Angelucci]

It's funny, I've been reading the posts over the last few weeks and I'm amazed at the level of detail I've seen in the common pursuit of out favorite fish. What I have not seen answered or asked is why we fish. 

I fish for the simple joy of a pull at the end of the line. I don't care if it's two inches or two feet in length. The simple act of slowing down my life to fish is at least in my mind the important thing. I try to keep my fishing simple since the rest of my life is anything but....

Just a thought 

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

WELL I gotta agree with ya Joe !!!!!! Me I"m just as content to sit in my lawn chair and take a nap as catch a fish. I go fishing to catch fish, but my number one reason is to relax .....

[Joe Angelucci]

David

I hear you... I find few things as relaxing as a few hours on the bank.

[jim cosgrove]

gotta agree joe i try to make it simpler every time i go.have some buddies that are into the tournaments.the boats the electronics and all .not to mention the truck you need to haul everything.life is getting way to complicated .really dont want the something i enjoy becoming just another chore and why does everything have to be a competition?work i do is hard.getting there and home is hard i.i like looking at the water and the sky and nature.what is next ?drones?might start a group here low tech fishing.read the water watch the wind etc.

[Joe Angelucci]

Jim

Sign me up. The only thing I've done is bank fish  ponds, a few streams and  lakes. You really have to learn the water, wind, weed lines, drop offs and shade areas. What I found is when I stopped caring about the size of my catch my catch rate actually went up. 

[jim cosgrove]

dont get me wrong i am serious about my fishing but the marketing and hype it's just a big business anymore and a lot of people are so caught up in it they forgot why they fish in the first place

[Jim Gronaw]

Amen to that! Although I admire the skill of the tournament pros and the amazing technical advances of todays angling, it's just not for me and my bluecollar fishing efforts. I still love those close-to-home, quick-hit trips with family and friends.

That's why bluegills rate so high in my book!

[carl hendrix]

reason i fish-- besides getting some extremly great eating--  its about-- sportsmanship-- getting out to see nature at its best!! to be able to slow down to see- hear ( what i can;; im nearly deaf!!)  and understand; ( to the best of my ability) of what nature is doing!!  not to mention-- when i do go fishing with friends- its to have fun!!  im not into competition fishing-- trophy size fishing;; just a fun filled day!  personelly-- i get as big a kick-- out of my fishing buddy -- catch the big one!!

[carl hendrix]

AMEN JIM COSGROVE

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Life is expensive.........everyday I get to fish is a "free" day......it's that simple!  I've been taught to have a balance in life and fishing is my release.......

[Jim Gronaw]

Pretty much the same here, Joe. Fishing gets me into Gods creations and allows me to just get such a rush every time that rod is bent over, whether bluegill, bass, catfish or carp. I caught my first bluegill when I was five, and I haven't been the same since!

[Tony Livingston]

I suppose I have a somewhat different take on things, since I basically live at the shoreline. I'm fortunate in that I can see and appreciate the natural wonders, and there are indeed many, pretty much all of the time. There is no real traveling involved for me to get a line in the water. Relaxation to me, at this period in my life, is something other folks talk about most of the time. I am driven by purpose, and time constraints, and schedules. One day I will relax and fish, but that day will not be tomorrow, or the day after.

Joe mentioned that when he stopped caring about the size of his catch, his catch rate went up. I'm just the opposite: when I stopped caring about my catch rate, the size of my catch went up. Never thought about it that way until tonight.

My days of measuring success by numbers of fish caught are over. I've been there, but now my interest lies in making the most of my limited time on the water, searching for trophies. And to be honest, it really does seem like work some of the time.

[Jim Gronaw]

Tony...indeed, the quest for big fish is challenging, but is it ever satisfying!

I'd be a liar if I said I didn't target bigger fish, most of the time. But watching my grand daughters squeal at the sight of a squirming bluegill brings me back to my boyhood days in a refreshing way!

GOOD DISCUSSION!