Why Fish?

Ever sit back in your boat and wonder, why do we fish? I know I sure have, especially on those days when the fish aren't cooperating at all, can't catch a thing, the only thing biting is the mosquitoes and gnats. When one truly sits back and tries to analyze this venture on those days, you truly have to wonder. Here we are supposedly the most intelligent creature on the planet, trying to outsmart a critter with a brain the size of a pea and failing. Now I don't know why we fail at this, or how we possibly could, except that we aren't able to think like a fish.

There are of course those that can and do think like a fish, and they never fail to catch a few, regardless of the time of year or the weather. These folks are however generally on the water more than most of us are at work, and thus the possibility of extended exposure of the old noggin to the elements becomes a very real factor in this ability to think that way. (Gotta watch myself here, I was about to leave die hard Ice Fishermen out of that one and reference only those with sun-baked brains.)

Now some will tell you that it's all for the sport of it, these are the guys that are generally the TRUE catch and release fanatics, they spend thousands of dollars every year on rods, reels, tackle, boat accessories, bait, gas, etc. and only eat fish at seafood restaurants. Like they didn't have to kill the poor little critter to serve him up there either.

There are those that claim they do it of course for food, but as with most of us gullible souls these days we have to have enough tackle to guarantee success, that we'd be far better off going to said restaurant sitting by the guys that released what we're trying to take home to fry, and that don't begin to include the $30,000 boat we're skipping across the waves in.

Then there are those that claim they're in it for the relaxation which that's awful hard to argue in any respect, except for the days that a die hard like myself has to go out and brave mother nature's worst and attempt to catch a fish in 30 mph winds on a canal that's only 80 feet wide, (alone I might add), without running the boat ashore. Nothing relaxing there folks. In fact it got pretty damned frustrating about the time that hawg I had on came off whilst trying to keep the boat off the rocks. And, when I wrapped 65 yards of spider-wire up around my prop a short while later and blew into the boulders on shore, I  was even less impressed. Then there were the endless nights I spent fishing the river looking for another wall hanger to release, and never even came remotely close. After which I often have to question why I was blessed with the one I have on the first trip thereto.

Tournament fishing is a totally different game however. The thrill of the competition alone, is more than most folks can handle. Most folks simply aren't brave enough to brave the elements encountered during tournaments either, let alone try to catch a fish in them. I would say they're maybe smarter than us tournament fishermen, but I've been known to exercise discretion in matters of weather when not competing as well, and by the same respect, I've been known to use the tournament fortitude to fish some damned nasty weather and catch some awesome fish, whilst everyone else was sitting home whining about the weather.

So why do we fish? I honestly think it's dependent upon the day folks! There are days I love just kicking back under a bridge on the canal picking on little bluegills not much bigger than my thumb, and then there are days I brave 40 mph winds and 8-10 foot waves on Sakakawea trying to catch big walleye. There are days I enjoy taking fish off the hook for the whole family, because everyone acts like they don't know how just to make me feel needed, and there are days I just want to be left the hell alone out there; don't even bother waving at me when you drive by, because I'm too deep in thought to care. We truly can't categorize this folks and say there is any one reason that we all fish. We can't even categorize it and say that any one individual does it for any one reason.

The reasons we fish are many, and they differ substantially from day to day. They may in fact differ substantially from species to species. As much as I wish I could tell you why I fish, I truly can't, because the reasons are as different and as complex, as the many species of fish I seek.