The Finer Points of Fishing
To fish or not to fish - that is the question! Oh, come on. That is no question at all. We all know the answer is to fish and to fish as often as you possibly can. To that end, let us extol upon the reasons why heading out with a rod and real is just a good old idea.
"Even a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work." Ah, this old clich is utterly true, but most people fail to interpret it correctly. Work does not just mean the 9 to 5 drudgery from Monday to Friday, month after month, year after year. Nope, it also means getting out of chores and the like around the home. Ah, I'll get to those gutters next weekend!
Lying is both accepted and expected in fishing. Now, what can beat that? Can you name any other sport where a tadpole can become a Pike? Even the smallmouth bass can be converted into a beast that, if it had legs, surely would have been a relative of Godzilla and stomped up and down the local shoreline with ill intent.
Another fine point about fishing is it is fairly straightforward. A fish has three goals in life. It desires to eat, spawn and avoid being eaten. Throw in beer and that sounds like your average guy! Regardless, this makes fishing a pretty simple case of figuring out what the particular fish you are after likes to munch on and the time of day it likes to do that. This sounds complicated, but your local bait shop can give you the run down in a couple of sentences. After that, it is just bait up, cast and kick it.
Now I am fully aware of the great debates of our times on the possibilities of using this or that bait. In most cases, however, I've found this is primarily done for the entertainment of the debaters. Fish tend to be pretty simple. Fish see worm, fish eat worm. You can go exotic, but it is not necessary.
Perhaps the best thing about fishing is the day can be a total failure and still be a good time. I was once on a little river in Northern California when it suddenly began to rain. We were a long way from the car and, of course, the engine decided to take a vacation. We had bait, adult beverages and it was fairly warm out. The only thing I caught was a tree stump, but it was one of the best days fishing I've ever had. Laughed until I had tears in my eyes for hours on end. Talk about a great way to burn off the stress of daily life!
Fishing has a little of something for everyone. If you want to get serious about, have at it and nobody will bat an eye. If you prefer to just find a few hours of peace, the same is true.
"Even a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work." Ah, this old clich is utterly true, but most people fail to interpret it correctly. Work does not just mean the 9 to 5 drudgery from Monday to Friday, month after month, year after year. Nope, it also means getting out of chores and the like around the home. Ah, I'll get to those gutters next weekend!
Lying is both accepted and expected in fishing. Now, what can beat that? Can you name any other sport where a tadpole can become a Pike? Even the smallmouth bass can be converted into a beast that, if it had legs, surely would have been a relative of Godzilla and stomped up and down the local shoreline with ill intent.
Another fine point about fishing is it is fairly straightforward. A fish has three goals in life. It desires to eat, spawn and avoid being eaten. Throw in beer and that sounds like your average guy! Regardless, this makes fishing a pretty simple case of figuring out what the particular fish you are after likes to munch on and the time of day it likes to do that. This sounds complicated, but your local bait shop can give you the run down in a couple of sentences. After that, it is just bait up, cast and kick it.
Now I am fully aware of the great debates of our times on the possibilities of using this or that bait. In most cases, however, I've found this is primarily done for the entertainment of the debaters. Fish tend to be pretty simple. Fish see worm, fish eat worm. You can go exotic, but it is not necessary.
Perhaps the best thing about fishing is the day can be a total failure and still be a good time. I was once on a little river in Northern California when it suddenly began to rain. We were a long way from the car and, of course, the engine decided to take a vacation. We had bait, adult beverages and it was fairly warm out. The only thing I caught was a tree stump, but it was one of the best days fishing I've ever had. Laughed until I had tears in my eyes for hours on end. Talk about a great way to burn off the stress of daily life!
Fishing has a little of something for everyone. If you want to get serious about, have at it and nobody will bat an eye. If you prefer to just find a few hours of peace, the same is true.
