Why I Fish

Why I fish

I have 79 projects, with 127 tasks to urgently work on.  I have so much to do with of course all of it important.  That is what I need to focus on to be productive and to tick the box “productive day”….or is it?  I often wonder why exactly am I here; is it to accomplish everything, that in the short term, I have labeled  as urgent or important?  Or is it something deeper?

Lately I’m focused on living deeper, and in the moment; living in the now.  Don’t misunderstand this for some sort of hedonistic approach to completely disregarding the future, actually I view it as completely the opposite.  I am worried about looking back from the future when my youngest son is waving good by out the car window.  Will I look back with satisfaction or regret?

This fear of regret is one of the reasons I fish.  There has been nothing that has brought my son and I closer than the love of fishing.  We really have a conversation when we talk fishing.  Not the how was school….fine...brief conversation.  I honestly think in his 11 years he know more about fishing than I do.  We actually learn from each other on this fishing journey.  The best Father’s Day memory will be this year as we sat shoulder to shoulder tying files.  Which they actually caught fish.  I’m always about “following the recipe” where he is creating whatever he comes up with.  And like I said we both caught fish.  There is nothing like seeing someone catch their first fish.  It brings the join the forefront.

There is always a place for the “important projects and task” but I hope you take the time to decide what is really important in the long haul.  That is where fishing comes in for me.  Fishing and spending time with people important to me.  That is why I fish. How about you?

Is Fishing 99% Failure?

99% of the time you don't have a fish on.  Does that mean you're failing 99% of time?  Not a very motivating thought.  No, fishing for me is much more than just fish on. Interesting thought though and made me want to think about why I fish.  I do it for relaxation, the challenge of getting a fish on, and the satisfaction of catching fish on flies that I have built.  Fishing is a great stress reliever for me.  I also enjoy shopping for the next great lure or reel or rod; something that will double my success rate.  Boy, a lot of work for 1%.  Improvising on how I fish a bait to see if I can push my luck past 1%.  I really enjoy the scenery and nature as I fish.  I enjoy the anticipation and planning for that outing. I enjoy meeting new people or guides on the water.  I enjoy the learning part just as much as the cork in my hand.

Most of all I enjoy being with my son on the water.  The time spent with him makes it successful 100% of the time, even if we are just fishing.  Don't miss out on that.

Photography like Fishing

Recently I was out fishing with my son, when I realized how similar fishing and photography are. As any boy will do, after a few minutes fishing with a worm he decided enough was enough. For the next hour we went through every lure in the tackle box ending with a lure that was twice the size of any fish in the pond. He was enjoying himself but never caught anything. As I was watching him and changing the lures I realized how as adults we can act like kids with a full tackle box.

How often do we lug around that full tackle box and just run through all the lens in the bag, running and gunning and still not catching anything? I am as guilty as the next guy going through the gear as fast as my son goes through bait. But after that trip my son helped me realize that I needed to get back to basics.

In this day of instant gratification why aren’t we satisfied with the traditional 50 mil (worm)? Maybe even the red and white daredevil 85 mil.!! Back when we were kids we were able to spend the whole day using the worm, mastering the worm, catching fish and really enjoying the whole day. We need to be more like we were as kids (at least back when I was a kid). Rather than drag a full tackle box of lens and gear around just take the worm and enjoy it. When was the last time you took one lure and really enjoyed it, really mastered it, and really caught the big one with it.

Thanks - do you agree / disagree? Leave a note a let us know.

That’s it for today....goin’ fishing.