Thanks for the re-acquaintance with the Travers quote and the introduction to some new reading material. I think Travers might be surprised with the popularity of urban fishing today.
It's an interesting topic to identify what is at the root of our choice to angle. What creates the deeply felt affinity with piscatorial pursuits? Do other people find similar satisfaction in other interest and endeavors? I suppose they do in a dissimilar manner. I often doubt it provides the same fulfillment of that being in such direct intercourse with nature. A landscape artist must be inspired by passion too I guess. I'm glad that other distractions and activities are there for them. I'm particularly glad for major sporting events that keep the numbers of people on the water down on a weekend. Aren't you really glad that everyone doesn't love fishing?
There seems to be a lot of legitimate conjecture about why we (sport) fish. At one time or another many things can be a trigger to go fish.
Escape from work, home, or routine. Check
Primordial urge to hunt and gather. Check
Quest for peace and solitude. Check
The addictive adrenal rush of a fish at odds with us from the end of our line. Check
Perhaps the most persistent underlying reason I fish is 'Wonder'.
I wonder how the weather will treat me and how I will find the current or tide. Will my strategy to find the fish pan out? What new thing will I discover today? What unexpected species will I catch? Will I have total solitude or meet a new friend? Will I have safe passage today or encounter an unexpected danger?
I wonder most what unseen thing is below the surface. I wonder what dwells below the surface whether it is a pond, lake, river, bay, or ocean. I wonder at the brief glimpses into another world, observed or caught. I wonder with amazement at what could be within casting distance that I am unaware of. I wonder what sees me and how different a vision I am to it, than what I see in the surface reflection. I wonder why I wonder so much.
I don't consider fishing an escapist hobby. It connects me to the world around me and to what is deeper in my subconscious mind. When I love something it is more than a hobby.
Nothing really pushes me to go fishing. I'm just pulled to do so… like I have a hook in my lip. I'm caught but feeling alive!
On Wed, Feb 27, 2013 at 3:19 PM, Nedak <johngkaden@gmail.com> wrote:
The landed carp from below.
On Wednesday, February 27, 2013 2:56:41 PM UTC-5, Nedak wrote:Not to get too deep but short story on why I fish. I love the challenge. I am late to fishing, starting in earnest in my late 30's. Started throwing bait into the surf in DE and progressively got better. I can usually get something to bite. I moved from spinning reel to a casting reel just because its harder to use. A few years back I was on business travel and had some time to kill in Denver. Met up with a friend of a friend and did some trout fishing with a fly rod. It was cool but still I was not ready to jump in full bore. Well, business travel started bringing me to CO and ID more frequently so I bought a rod, got waders, and am now hooked. It took a bit but I am full tilt obsessed. I just learned about this group a few months ago after attending a great presentation by Trent from Orvis on the local spots. Got a lesson from Snowhite in anticipation of a tarpon trip in the USVI in April.
If you can swing it, business travel combined with fishing will keep you sane. Those who are stuck behind a desk all day, I feel your pain but fortunately don't live it as I get out and about pretty frequently.
The simple way for me to describe why I fish took place last summer. My then 9 year old and I were using corn on hooks to try and get some carp in Silver Lake in Rehoboth.
He gets one on and the fish starts peeling line. We were using light tackle, 4 or 6 lb mono. He looks at me all wild eyed and says "Dad, what do I do?" I coached him through the 10 minute fight and he gets the fish close to shore when the line breaks. Rinse and repeat, same thing happens again he loses another fish. Finally he lands the third one. I asked him what it felt like to have the fish pull off line. His instinctive, guttural response, "Dad, it felt like I had my fingers in the electric socket."
That is why I fish, to safely stick my fingers in the electric socket.
On Wednesday, February 27, 2013 5:30:35 AM UTC-5, TurbineBlade wrote:Hey - I woke up super-early and was thinking about something - Do you guys consider fishing an escapist hobby? I work in an office that is about to be furloughed, and my first thought was "man, I bet I can get in a lot of fishing this spring!" rather than the more obvious response shared by others. Is this normal?Anyway - I'm pretty sure that I hate society at this point. Well, mostly just 40 hour work weeks, people wearing Express slacks, idle chit-chat, Starbucks, elevator outages, and the little bell-tone followed by step back, doors closing. All I do is think about where the tide is, if I need to tie leaders/flies, and where I might go fishing on the weekend with Beth. I think, at least in my mind anyway, that I'm never really "at work" and am thoroughly useless for the most point. Are you guys like this, or are you "go-getters" at work and "go-getters" on the water as an extension of this attitude? More power to you if you are -- I'm just not one of those people ;).Someone was telling me that fishing is "escapist", apparently implying that typing on a keyboard and staring at a glowing rectangle for 9 hours a day = "reality". I tend to think that fishing is reality and work is the fantasy, complete with colored sticky notes and "Hey Gene - Damn these pens in the supply room are terrible! Have you tried these?" He was right though, those pens did suck I admit.Anyway - thank God I married a woman who loves to fish! That's the only chance I have ;). Maybe I should read something by John Gierach -- I've been told that before.GeneOn Wednesday, February 27, 2013 2:56:41 PM UTC-5, Nedak wrote:Not to get too deep but short story on why I fish. I love the challenge. I am late to fishing, starting in earnest in my late 30's. Started throwing bait into the surf in DE and progressively got better. I can usually get something to bite. I moved from spinning reel to a casting reel just because its harder to use. A few years back I was on business travel and had some time to kill in Denver. Met up with a friend of a friend and did some trout fishing with a fly rod. It was cool but still I was not ready to jump in full bore. Well, business travel started bringing me to CO and ID more frequently so I bought a rod, got waders, and am now hooked. It took a bit but I am full tilt obsessed. I just learned about this group a few months ago after attending a great presentation by Trent from Orvis on the local spots. Got a lesson from Snowhite in anticipation of a tarpon trip in the USVI in April.
If you can swing it, business travel combined with fishing will keep you sane. Those who are stuck behind a desk all day, I feel your pain but fortunately don't live it as I get out and about pretty frequently.
The simple way for me to describe why I fish took place last summer. My then 9 year old and I were using corn on hooks to try and get some carp in Silver Lake in Rehoboth.
He gets one on and the fish starts peeling line. We were using light tackle, 4 or 6 lb mono. He looks at me all wild eyed and says "Dad, what do I do?" I coached him through the 10 minute fight and he gets the fish close to shore when the line breaks. Rinse and repeat, same thing happens again he loses another fish. Finally he lands the third one. I asked him what it felt like to have the fish pull off line. His instinctive, guttural response, "Dad, it felt like I had my fingers in the electric socket."
That is why I fish, to safely stick my fingers in the electric socket.
On Wednesday, February 27, 2013 5:30:35 AM UTC-5, TurbineBlade wrote:Hey - I woke up super-early and was thinking about something - Do you guys consider fishing an escapist hobby? I work in an office that is about to be furloughed, and my first thought was "man, I bet I can get in a lot of fishing this spring!" rather than the more obvious response shared by others. Is this normal?Anyway - I'm pretty sure that I hate society at this point. Well, mostly just 40 hour work weeks, people wearing Express slacks, idle chit-chat, Starbucks, elevator outages, and the little bell-tone followed by step back, doors closing. All I do is think about where the tide is, if I need to tie leaders/flies, and where I might go fishing on the weekend with Beth. I think, at least in my mind anyway, that I'm never really "at work" and am thoroughly useless for the most point. Are you guys like this, or are you "go-getters" at work and "go-getters" on the water as an extension of this attitude? More power to you if you are -- I'm just not one of those people ;).Someone was telling me that fishing is "escapist", apparently implying that typing on a keyboard and staring at a glowing rectangle for 9 hours a day = "reality". I tend to think that fishing is reality and work is the fantasy, complete with colored sticky notes and "Hey Gene - Damn these pens in the supply room are terrible! Have you tried these?" He was right though, those pens did suck I admit.Anyway - thank God I married a woman who loves to fish! That's the only chance I have ;). Maybe I should read something by John Gierach -- I've been told that before.GeneTo view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/-/BDFol17AdsMJ.On Wednesday, February 27, 2013 2:56:41 PM UTC-5, Nedak wrote:Not to get too deep but short story on why I fish. I love the challenge. I am late to fishing, starting in earnest in my late 30's. Started throwing bait into the surf in DE and progressively got better. I can usually get something to bite. I moved from spinning reel to a casting reel just because its harder to use. A few years back I was on business travel and had some time to kill in Denver. Met up with a friend of a friend and did some trout fishing with a fly rod. It was cool but still I was not ready to jump in full bore. Well, business travel started bringing me to CO and ID more frequently so I bought a rod, got waders, and am now hooked. It took a bit but I am full tilt obsessed. I just learned about this group a few months ago after attending a great presentation by Trent from Orvis on the local spots. Got a lesson from Snowhite in anticipation of a tarpon trip in the USVI in April.--
If you can swing it, business travel combined with fishing will keep you sane. Those who are stuck behind a desk all day, I feel your pain but fortunately don't live it as I get out and about pretty frequently.
The simple way for me to describe why I fish took place last summer. My then 9 year old and I were using corn on hooks to try and get some carp in Silver Lake in Rehoboth.
He gets one on and the fish starts peeling line. We were using light tackle, 4 or 6 lb mono. He looks at me all wild eyed and says "Dad, what do I do?" I coached him through the 10 minute fight and he gets the fish close to shore when the line breaks. Rinse and repeat, same thing happens again he loses another fish. Finally he lands the third one. I asked him what it felt like to have the fish pull off line. His instinctive, guttural response, "Dad, it felt like I had my fingers in the electric socket."
That is why I fish, to safely stick my fingers in the electric socket.
On Wednesday, February 27, 2013 5:30:35 AM UTC-5, TurbineBlade wrote:Hey - I woke up super-early and was thinking about something - Do you guys consider fishing an escapist hobby? I work in an office that is about to be furloughed, and my first thought was "man, I bet I can get in a lot of fishing this spring!" rather than the more obvious response shared by others. Is this normal?Anyway - I'm pretty sure that I hate society at this point. Well, mostly just 40 hour work weeks, people wearing Express slacks, idle chit-chat, Starbucks, elevator outages, and the little bell-tone followed by step back, doors closing. All I do is think about where the tide is, if I need to tie leaders/flies, and where I might go fishing on the weekend with Beth. I think, at least in my mind anyway, that I'm never really "at work" and am thoroughly useless for the most point. Are you guys like this, or are you "go-getters" at work and "go-getters" on the water as an extension of this attitude? More power to you if you are -- I'm just not one of those people ;).Someone was telling me that fishing is "escapist", apparently implying that typing on a keyboard and staring at a glowing rectangle for 9 hours a day = "reality". I tend to think that fishing is reality and work is the fantasy, complete with colored sticky notes and "Hey Gene - Damn these pens in the supply room are terrible! Have you tried these?" He was right though, those pens did suck I admit.Anyway - thank God I married a woman who loves to fish! That's the only chance I have ;). Maybe I should read something by John Gierach -- I've been told that before.Gene
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