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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:


Louisiana Sportsman (blog)

Part of Miss. River delta reopens to sport fishing
MiamiHerald.com
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham reopens part of the Mississippi River delta in Plaquemines Parish to recreational fishing. ...
Recreational fishing reopens at mouth of Mississippi RiverLouisiana Sportsman (blog)
Venice area reopened2TheAdvocate

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The Hindu

Dudley to outline BP plans to help Gulf recover
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Deckhand Sang Nguyen swings in a hammock made from fishing net on the deck of a commercial fishing vessel while on standby with the vessels of opportunity ...
Incoming BP boss to discuss long-term recovery for the GulfCNN
BP New CEO ~ is dedicated American Robert Dudley who spent summers fishing on ...Examiner.com
Will Gulf of Mexico economy recover from BP spill?Retail Digital
Telegraph.co.uk -Montgomery Advertiser -Albany Times Union
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Idaho Mountain Express and Guide

7-30 Fishing Report
The Southern
Baldwin Lake - Fishing traffic has been extremely light. Water temperature has reached 92 degrees. A few anglers have been catching crappie on jigs. ...
Fishing report for July 30Memphis Commercial Appeal
Regional Fishing ReportThe Durango Herald
Bass fishing still slow at Clear LakeLake County Record-Bee
St. Louis Post-Dispatch -Seattle Times -Longview Daily News
all 29 news articles »


Metrowny.com

FishOn! Northwestern Pennsylvania fishing report for July 30
GoErie.com
The Times-News fishing report is published Fridays. To access it online, visit NWPAoutdoors.com and click on Fishing Reports. Fishing on Lake Erie had ...
Fishing reportDetroit Free Press
Trout, walleye, steelhead fishing strong off Harbor BeachConnectMidMichigan.com
State: Trout, salmon still biting in Great LakesMLive.com
Toledo Blade -Metrowny.com
all 21 news articles »


Brunswick Sells Triton
BassFan.com
The pillars of bass fishing continue to shake with today's news that Brunswick Corp. sold its Triton Boats brand to Platinum Equity. ...
Fishing Holdings, LLC Acquires Triton Boats From BrunswickPR Newswire (press release)
BREAKING NEWS: Triton joins Ranger/Stratos at Flippin plantBaxter Bulletin
Brunswick swings to 2Q profit on higher salesThe Associated Press
KFSM -Forbes -Wall Street Journal
all 135 news articles »


KOMO News

Boom set around grounded fishing vessel in Alaska
BusinessWeek
By RACHEL D'ORO Responders have placed containment boom around a sheen leaking from a grounded fishing vessel in Alaska's Prince William Sound, ...
Spill containment boom set around grounded fishing vesselSitNews
Seattle fishing boat grounded in Alaska's Prince William SoundSeattle Times
4 fishing boats go aground off AlaskaThe Associated Press
KING5.com -Seattle Post Intelligencer
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Mother bear rescues cub from a fishing net in Alaska
BBC News
Amateur video has captured footage of a mother bear saving her cub from a fishing net in Anchorage, Alaska. The mother desperately struggled to save her cub ...

and more »


Vail Valley fishing report
Vail Daily News
Any angler who has ever been in love knows that that fly fishing often comes in a close second if not a dead-even tie when it comes to significant others. ...
The most popular pan fish in the Pacific NorthwestHelium

all 2 news articles »


OUTDOORS | Hot spots fishing report
Bradenton Herald
The heat of summer has been a major factor in the fishing this past week. The speckled trout have been hitting in 3 to 8 feet of depth. ...
Berkley Gulp Introduces New Saltwater Ripple MulletThe Ledger (blog)

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