Why do we fish?

So as not to muddy the other threads running this morning, all the conversation about CPR has got me thinking why we really have this burning desire to feel that tug on the other end of the line.

Allow me to propose a few ideas and add to them as I have no desire to list possible.

1) To outsmart the fish. I know Fly fishermen really enjoy the strategy of matching the hatch, placement, etc. and find that “tricking” the fish into biting their offering to be rewarding. As do other fishermen of other methods as well. But are fish really all that smart to begin with? Isn’t it just right bait, right time, right place?

2) Trophy hunting. CPR fishermen seem to be driven to find the biggest fish they can find as their reward for fishing. Get that photo and all the other guys will be jealous. What is it about “big” that is more rewarding than “average” (no comments from the ladies here)? Perhaps like gold, large is more rare thus more valued.

3) Sustenance. But I really doubt for most of us here, that this is a reality.

4) Primal Urges. Is there still an evolutionary primal urge that fishing (or any sort of gathering) satisfies?

5) Social. No doubt this drives many to fish. I rarely fish unless I have a partner to share it with. Family is even better!

Feel free to add more, or just spin on one topic. And yes, recent comments about the IDO boards getting stagnant lately are the primary reason I am commenting so much lately. But I am genuinely also interested in the thoughts of others that I share this great sport with. I learn a lot from you all.

JD Winston wrote:

4) Primal Urges. Is there still an evolutionary primal urge that fishing (or any sort of gathering) satisfies?

I think this plays more of a part than most people think.

Our brains are hard-wired and pre-programmed through evolution to a much greater extent than most people believe. We like to think we’re these highly-evolved beings that make free choices about absolutely everything, but in reality about 80% of our brain right now is just chugging away on auto pilot doing its own thing. Things that we’re neither in control of nor even aware of.

Anybody ever been driving along and suddenly realized you have no recollection of what happened for the last few miles and you have to think about where you are? Well, who was doing the driving back there? Hint: It wasn’t you, it was your brain.

The primary mission of the brain as distilled through evolution is to ensure the survival of the organism. Therefore, does it really surprise anyone that we have hard-wired drives and desires to hunt?

The thrill of hooking a fish, fighting it, and landing it is the pre-programmed thrill of the anticipation of food and therefore survival if we’re successful. That rush of chemicals that gets dumped into the blood just feeds our in-built addiction program whereby the brain is encouraged to repeat things that are good for the organism.

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to hunt and fish.

Grouse

To prove (or disprove) that I am smarter than an animal with a brain smaller than a pea.

For me, a big part of it is time restrictions. I used to love to hunt, fish, bowhunt, pick mushrooms, play basketball you name it. I’m married with 3 kids now, spent a year going through foster care licensing, then 3 years with the two little girls we ended up adopting. I have a career that requires a decent amount of time from me and requires me to travel sometimes.

With all of this, I basically had to decide what passion of mine I wanted to keep, and let the others go. Look at everything on my list, and fishing is really the only one I can do year round, whenever I get a chance. I live a life where everything I do professionally is super detail orientated and learning new programming languages etc… is a day to day activity for me. I can translate that into Walleye fishing, that attention to detail and desire to always learn translates well to fishing.

So, all in all, I’ve chosen fishing as my one last option to connect with nature, find solitude when needed and relieve stress. It also doesn’t hurt that I grew up with it, and am not terrible at it.

You are on for the questions this morning. This one has got me thinking though!
The simple answer, I enjoy it because it is fun. Why do I enjoy it? What makes it fun? To me, it all starts with early memories I have from fishing with Grandpa. Which has lead to a passion for the outdoors. A desire to learn more. A satisfied feeling when you outwit the fish or the animal. A feeling of wanting more when the fish or animal outwits me. The feeling of just being away from everything and forgetting about things. The feeling of competition when fishing with good friends. I hate waking up early Mon-Fri to go to work, I’d much rather sleep in. But on Sat-Sun I have no problem with that 5am alarm to head out fishing. Sunrises and sunsets are awesome. Being in touch with nature and everything that surrounds it. I don’t like sitting inside, I don’t watch much TV, I have never played a video game. So being outdoors is what I live for. Lastly, and I hope people don’t take this the wrong way, but a sense of “manliness” by being able to coincide with nature and the outdoors, the means to live off the land, etc.

I think it is hard-wired as well. My friends and I talk about the “walleye buzz” and deer hunters are familiar with buck fever. That stuff is REAL. Like Grouse says, it’s a survival mechanism.
Being on or near water is a big part of it for me. Whenever I sit down in the boat or the fish house, I go “aahhh, finally.” Never more at home.

I am an INTJ.
Unique in my own way. I’m OK with it.

I grew up on a farm, outdoors much of the time.
I enjoy being outdoors more now than then.
I’ve never cancelled a trip to a lake because someone cancelled on me.
I rarely go fishing with someone. Not that i don’t enjoy the company of others, but my enjoyment of fishing is not dependent on others.

I enjoy the solitude, in a boat, with my thoughts, challenging myself to catch big fish. They are the smallest percentage of fish available. They put up the biggest fight too.
I’m 6’7″, 285# and i have to catch big fish to make them look like big fish LOL.
I need time outside by myself to collect my thoughts. Keep me centered.
Put me in a bar for a night and by tomorrow any social activity is probably the last thing i want to do.
Outdoors i get to see many things. All kinds of weather. I sleep in my boat often, sunrises, sunsets. Lots of time to ponder the WHY’s of fishing. Why are the fish here. Why is this bait working and this one isn’t? Why why why.
I enjoy the challenge of trying to spend so many hours outside. Many hide from the wind. I embrace it. It makes me a better fisherman enduring the non-ideal weather conditions… Fishing makes me a better person because it is that one hobby that allows me to greatly relax & reflect.

mnrabbit wrote:

You are on for the questions this morning.

lol! I only started with one post and those responses led to another core topic that would have derailed the existing one, and so forth. And considering no one really works all that hard on a Wednesday when at the office, I thought I’d poke the bear, as it were.

But truthfully, my own opinions on all three existing topics are not fully formed yet but listening to other thoughts is helping me get there.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Lots of time to ponder the WHY’s of fishing. Why are the fish here. Why is this bait working and this one isn’t? Why why why.

THIS I can relate to. My primary fishing buddy and I often find ourselves changing baits that ARE producing just to find ones that WONT work to help answer part of the puzzle (or find the boundaries) of which ones will produce. Sounds stupid, but that’s how we roll. lol

We should have a daily limit on posts that make people think to hard, after the last two its starting to hurt

I only fish for one reason is to get out of the cities…

Because we suck at golf…

Will Roseberg wrote:

Because we suck at golf…

Speak for yourself Will, I am up to 130 strokes now and if I keep at it, my golfing coach tells me I can only go higher!

JD Winston wrote:

Speak for yourself Will, I am up to 130 strokes now and if I keep at it, my golfing coach tells me I can only go higher!

So what you are saying is that you get your monies worth by using the whole course, not just straight down the fairway?

Huntindave wrote:

So what you are saying is that you get your monies worth by using the whole course, not just straight down the fairway?

Absolutely! I’m also saying the courses I golf at now require me to pay for a truck load of sod when I leave.

Will Roseberg wrote:

Because we suck at golf…

I may have been a better golfer than fisherman…which isn’t saying much. To piggyback on what Wimwuem said, I chose fishing and gave up golf. Time constraints and financial constraints made me force myself to choose. I imagine the fact that I have never thrown a tantrum when fishing played into it too.

As for primal instincts, I would have never made it as a caveman because I have a hard time killing a mosquito. I blame self awareness and personification.

Not in any particular order

1.) Problem Solving
You are tasked with trying to find fish based on the conditions. So you have to think. You have to figure out where the fish may be based on your experience and knowledge.

2.) Social
I hate walleye fishing, but it never stopped me from fishing with my brothers.

3.) Satisfy competitive urge
Not against other people, but more against myself. I want to be successful which can be gauged in many ways. Did I catch fish? Did I catch a lot of fish? Did I get a PB?

4.) Relaxation & Nature
This one trumps them all.

Actually 1 and 3 could be summed up in 4 words…I enjoy a challenge

I found your problem. You need a new coach.

JD Winston wrote:

Speak for yourself Will, I am up to 130 strokes now and if I keep at it, my golfing coach tells me I can only go higher!

In golf, lower scores are better.

Wow, no one mentioned the money we spend…..

Because thousands of retirement programs are desperate for the money I contribute each year. If I didn’t fish, thousands more would be filing for unemployment.

I don’t know if it’s “outsmarting” the fish. I think of it more in the sense of solving a puzzle.

Having done a fair amount of hatch fishing for trout my thoughts are the fish are using a survival instinct that leads to selectivity during a hatch event. Given there is a prolific food source available at an instant in time the behavioural trait to simply focus on the most vulnerable aspect or most efficient method to the exclusion of everything else was probably the winning ticket for survival. Some guys love the challenge of solving this puzzle. When you get it right and dialed in the fishing can become a pure Rush. Get it wrong by the slightest amount and all you’re doing is flogging water. Maybe it’s the Boom and Bust of reward that feeds the desire to keep at it.

Fishing has always been fun for me, but now I enjoy it even more because of my kids. I have a 5 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. I know that time flies and before I know it, they will have more activities going. They will want to go out with friends instead of hanging out with boring old dad. The opportunities to go fishing together will get fewer and fewer as time goes on so we take advantage of every opportunity to hit the water or the ice that we can. Nothing beats the look on my 5 year old’s face when that bobber goes under and she hauls up a big bluegill! Having a big fish fry from time to time doesn’t hurt either!

Because we can!
Actually fishing is only a bi-product of my drinking while I’m by a body of water.

I can’t chase wild women anymore, they’re just to fast. So therefore I must FISH!!!

It’s been too long since I was out last so I can’t remember😭😩😡

“Why do we fish?”

According to JD’s list above initially I would have said in the order of 5, 2, 1 for me…

But maybe one other… I’ll try to capture it –

Yesterday, took the morning off, phone turned off, 6:00am driving to the boat ramp, sun just coming up, 54 degrees on its way to 72, water temp 63, flat calm, steam rising from the little river, no one in sight …

I think it was the most calm, and truly happy I’ve been in I can’t remember how long…

So maybe to add to the list – something about beating stress, taking the time to enjoy natural beauty, anticipation of the catch …

Attachments:

1. 

   IMG_2993.jpg
   

For me its all of the above, but two of main reasons I love to fish are fairly contradictory…

#1 Solitude. I really enjoy my alone time. Fishing provides a way for me to just get away from it all. You can often find me 10 miles out on Lake Michigan fishing all by myself. Not always the most productive idea, but it’s where I find my peace.

#2 Socializing. When I do want to see friends and family, I prefer to be out fishing. I’ve got a certain degree of social anxiety, and having “something to do” while spending time with people, makes it much easier for me. I do not do well just BSing at a bar or around a grill. I can do it, but don’t enjoy it very much.

So, besides fishing being a cherished pastime, challenge I enjoy, and all around fascinating deal for me, it helps me keep a level head. I’m lucky enough to have a fiance who understands this fully, and often tells me “You need to go fishing”.

Problem solving, comradery, solitude, and nature, both overcoming the challenge and enjoying the beauty of nature.

Fishing is something that I have enjoyed since childhood and something that I can equally enjoy in solitude or in groups. It is also something that I can do almost year round.

As part of the problem solving I do not like to fish inactively. Bobber fishing is about as boring as life gets to me. I rarely carry an anchor for this reason. Or I will lie and tell my fishing partner that I don’t have an achor so we can move on. I will often ignore known spots where bobber fishing is productive and search out different spots to target in a different way.
This also means that ice fishing is lower on my scale of fun things to do. Unless I am hole hopping, ice fishing to me is strictly a social game.

Boating is part of the experience and part of the puzzle. Not only boat control but driving skills, and learning to understand weather enough to know when it is time to head in while you can still make it safely, or how to get back on big bodies of water when the direct route is sometimes the worst route.

For me it fills the competitive void. Not against other fisherman but against the lake, river, conditions, efficiency of movement in the boat, moving througout the day feeling like few mistakes were made or time was wasted. My best days i can remember duck hunting or fishing are days when everything was done right regardless of the catch or kill rate. Just feels good being out and testing your strategy for the day against any odds you face.