I lean toward “efficient entertainment”, but I do sometimes wonder what that chunk of my free time would look like otherwise.
I lean toward “efficient entertainment”, but I do sometimes wonder what that chunk of my free time would look like otherwise.
I will never understand fishing. You just throw the lure in and fucking wait.
I see it as an addiction like gambling. You put in some time but don’t always win. That causes a bigger positive feedback for when you do win.
Then the win is a delicious fish and you’re hooked.
And therein lies the catch. I don’t like fish.
Y’all don’t need to eat them. I have a friend that is a avid fisherman, he doesn’t like to eat fish. But he loves to go fishing and catch and release them. He even enters into fishing tournaments a couple of times a year.
Yeah sure but you’re missing my whole point. I do not see the appeal in fishing. I think it is boring and also you get nothing out of the activity if you don’t like fish.
Then you have missed the point of fishing and generally being a part of nature. Which differs greatly from simply being out in nature.
Yes I do not see a point in fishing that is correct. I do however like being in anture and being part of it.
I think there’s SOME element of truth to this, but there’s a lotta skill that can be applied to fishing. Also, most days I don’t even get a nibble but it doesn’t bother me. I just enjoy getting on the water and soaking up some sun in beautiful scenery. I’ll fish less “productive” waters for a nicer view.
That said, the other week I “caught” a lure I lost last season and that was a bigger rush than some fish I’ve landed.
Ayyyy
I think hunting and fishing are mostly an excuse for meditation or hanging out with friends. I have some family members in hunting/fishing geographies and they never seem to care whether they actually catch anything.
Yep. They have reached the understanding of what it means being a hunter/fisherman. While it’s nice to bring home something to eat, it’s not a necessary. It’s the memories of that day that matter the most.
Well sure but then I could just meditate without the need for an excuse.
I’ve meditated in my room and I’ve meditated on a deer stand. They are not the same.
Deer stand?
A place to sit and watch for deer when hunting them. Often an elevated seat, either on it’s own frame or attached to a directly to a tree. It gives the hunter a better vantage point to see the surroundings from. It’s amazing just how few critters actually look up. I have seen many wild animals going about their daily business from one. From little birds landing around me to rabbits, raccoons, fox, the odd bear. And ever so often I see a deer. Sometimes I have shot, sometimes I have let them pass freely.
But I find it an excellent place to look inward into myself. It’s a far better place to see deeper and more honestly than any room in any building.
Sitting still /= experiencing nature. There’s nothing wrong with meditation but it’s an unrelated exercise.
I can sit next to a lake without a fiahing rod.
So there’s a few different ways of fishing. I also am not a big fan of the bait a hook and wait style. I mostly fish with lures and spinners and this has a different appeal. One, it’s far more active. I’ll cast and retrieve a lure a few times in five minutes. I’m not sitting around waiting for a bite, I’m trying to make one happen.
That brings me to point two, I get to learn, practice and exercise different techniques while fishing. I’m constantly learning what works and what doesn’t under different circumstances. If it’s cloudy, I’ll throw a particular set of lures vs when it’s clear. The water conditions matter, too. Is it clear? Is it murky? Is there a lot of vegetation? I’ll also change up how I retrieve a lure to try and better imitate prey fish. Do i retrieve fast? Slow? A combination? Do I wait until I see a fish following it then let it stop for a second to trigger a strike? Will jerking the rod a bit help? All these factor into a decision making process and experimentation element that keeps me engaged.
Three, to put that theory into practice, I have to study the very thing I’m trying to catch. I’m researching the fish I intend to target. What are their behaviors during different times of day? Different seasons? When are they mating and how does this change what they want to eat? And this changes for each fish! So there’s a great deal of study that I can do off the water to help improve my success on it.
Four, its simply a great excuse to be outdoors. More often than not, I’m not hoping to get a fish, I’m enjoying the beautiful lake or river I’m at. I’m relishing the hike I took to get here, the exploration and excitement of finding a new fishing spot or even finding out something new about one I’ve fished dozens of times. Also, to be an effective and conscientious angler, I need to participate in the ecology of the waters I enjoy. I’m as much a part of the environment as the fish I catch and I owe it to myself and them to be a good steward of the land.
Fifth, I also LOVE cooking as a hobby and fishing plays into that in a nice way that I don’t feel I need to explain further. I mostly fish catch and release, but sometimes you gut hook a fish and it makes no sense to return it to the water because it’ll die. So, now I gotta figure out how to cook this thing.
All that said, there’s the rare occasion (usually when I got a few friends with me) that I’ll set up a chair, throw out a hook on a bobber with some bait, sit back, sip a beer, and enjoy the weather and conversation with my buddies. Or the peace of nature alone.
But I understand it’s not for everyone and that’s a-okay. I just think fishing is a fun activity that’s fairly inexpensive that a lot of people sleep on because they think it’s inactive and boring.
This guy fishes. Glad to see you enjoy it. It is probably quite location dependent. Where I live there are basically no lakes I could go to and fish in peace even if I wanted to.
People many years ago didn’t understand the purpose of looking at, and even copying, the squiggly little lines found in what we today call books, so as with every generation, you’re in company.
What a roundabout way to say I am not alone in that opinion.
Nah.
You are hunting the right spot, with the right lure, with the right cast and return. You want to match the right gear with the right lure.
Such a great example of ‘reality is what you’re conscious of’, I feel! ‘Just throw the lure in and wait’ could for another person be ‘arrive at a beautiful waterside location, ritually prepare your tackle, cast it into the water (a skill that can be a minigame in itself, with all the associated space for practice, improvement, and intermittent positive reinforcement), then enjoy the wonders of being still in nature, but also focus on your task and be ready to react instantly.’ It takes all sorts.
I might just be influenced by all the fishermen I see fishing at my local lake. There is no peace to be found there due to all the tourists.
Meditation.
Okay but I can do that without buying expensive fishing equipment.
The money needed can be less than the cost of one popular video game. And you can fish for years without fear of the servers ever being turned off…
You can also do it without buying an expensive plane ticket but that hasn’t stopped the idea of “raw-dogging a flight” from spreading
Fishing equipment doesn’t have to be expensive. I got everything I use off of Ali Express for less than $50 and I got a full set of tackle and lures that’ll last me years. I reckon you could spend $25 and have solid equipment that’ll have you catching fish for a while.
You don’t need expensive gear to catch fish, you don’t need name brand stuff. People have been fishing for millenia with very simple tools, fish aren’t going to really care you cheaped out on line and got knock off lures.
Location depending, there’s probably plenty of local water ways to explore and enjoy, too, you don’t need to travel to do it.
Well sure. But there are 4 main issues.
Well, I’m not here really trying to sell ya on fishing, I just really enjoy talking about my own hobbies, honestly!
And, of course, different strokes for different folks. Sucks you need a daily license to fish where you are, though. I pay like $10 once a year for a license and money goes to maintaining the ecology of the state and programs to revitalize local fish populations through reintroduction of farmed fish to the wild. We’re encouraged to catch certain kinds of fish and report tagged fishes to the state so they can better understand the effectiveness of their programs and we get a little prize for the trouble.
I think a lot of the similar joys of nature of fishing can be achieved through hiking, if that’s more your speed, and that needs far less equipment. Sure you can buy fancy gear, but all you really need is a pair of shoes and probably a water bottle.
Don’t worry I have mountaineering gear. I just struggle to find time to actually go and do it.
I generally do that waiting in a beautiful place chilling with friends. It’s the journey not the destination, etc. Although actually catching fish is great as well.
Fishing is hunting done on water. Sometimes you wait, sometimes you’re actively searching for your prey.
You do get the bonus of being outside, seeing the world as it is today, and if you hunt successfully you get to eat better than anything you can get from the finest restaurant. And even if you catch nothing, you get to keep the memories of just being there. Maybe alone or with friends.
I don’t like fish though. Especially fresh water ones.
No one says you must keep and eat them. You can catch and release them if you so choose.
You also drink a ton of beer. That’s my favourite part, really.