Why do we fish ?

[HarveysMinnow]

Perhaps the age-old question, but the answers have changed somewhat in the past 50 to 75 years. Before that, most fishermen fished for food, a very practical reason and one my father embraced. Fishing for any other reason was a major waste of time to him. The early days of sport fishing were the domain of the very wealthy. Only after WWII did the average Joe have the extra leisure time and the spending money to enjoy fishing just for the sake of fishing.

So why DO we spend so much of our time and resources seeking to hook and land fish? The obvious short answer is “because we enjoy it”. The more detailed reasons are probably as numerous and varied as the members of this forum. For me, it is the anticipation, the suspence, and the expectation that on my very next cast, something is going to take my bait. It may be my largest Bass ever or it may be hardly more than a minnow. Either way, the pleasure of pulling a fish of some kind out of the water is always there.

And even if nothing is biting, I know of no better way to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the world. Breathing the clean air on a lake at dawn is always a plus for me. Just sitting on the bank of a stream or lake, enjoying the sights and sounds in and around the water can be thoroughly fulfilling. On a really nice day, it does not really matter whether I catch loads of fish. It is being close to the beauty of nature that is most important. And on such a day, even if I catch nothing, I can still sit and daydream about the one that got away.

So, how ‘bout it, guys…why do you fish ?

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