You also drink a ton of beer. That’s my favourite part, really.

Fishing is hunting done on water. Sometimes you wait, sometimes you’re actively searching for your prey.

You do get the bonus of being outside, seeing the world as it is today, and if you hunt successfully you get to eat better than anything you can get from the finest restaurant. And even if you catch nothing, you get to keep the memories of just being there. Maybe alone or with friends.

Such a great example of ‘reality is what you’re conscious of’, I feel! ‘Just throw the lure in and wait’ could for another person be ‘arrive at a beautiful waterside location, ritually prepare your tackle, cast it into the water (a skill that can be a minigame in itself, with all the associated space for practice, improvement, and intermittent positive reinforcement), then enjoy the wonders of being still in nature, but also focus on your task and be ready to react instantly.’ It takes all sorts.

People many years ago didn’t understand the purpose of looking at, and even copying, the squiggly little lines found in what we today call books, so as with every generation, you’re in company.

Nah.

You are hunting the right spot, with the right lure, with the right cast and return. You want to match the right gear with the right lure.

I generally do that waiting in a beautiful place chilling with friends. It’s the journey not the destination, etc. Although actually catching fish is great as well.

I think hunting and fishing are mostly an excuse for meditation or hanging out with friends. I have some family members in hunting/fishing geographies and they never seem to care whether they actually catch anything.

So there’s a few different ways of fishing. I also am not a big fan of the bait a hook and wait style. I mostly fish with lures and spinners and this has a different appeal. One, it’s far more active. I’ll cast and retrieve a lure a few times in five minutes. I’m not sitting around waiting for a bite, I’m trying to make one happen.

That brings me to point two, I get to learn, practice and exercise different techniques while fishing. I’m constantly learning what works and what doesn’t under different circumstances. If it’s cloudy, I’ll throw a particular set of lures vs when it’s clear. The water conditions matter, too. Is it clear? Is it murky? Is there a lot of vegetation? I’ll also change up how I retrieve a lure to try and better imitate prey fish. Do i retrieve fast? Slow? A combination? Do I wait until I see a fish following it then let it stop for a second to trigger a strike? Will jerking the rod a bit help? All these factor into a decision making process and experimentation element that keeps me engaged.

Three, to put that theory into practice, I have to study the very thing I’m trying to catch. I’m researching the fish I intend to target. What are their behaviors during different times of day? Different seasons? When are they mating and how does this change what they want to eat? And this changes for each fish! So there’s a great deal of study that I can do off the water to help improve my success on it.

Four, its simply a great excuse to be outdoors. More often than not, I’m not hoping to get a fish, I’m enjoying the beautiful lake or river I’m at. I’m relishing the hike I took to get here, the exploration and excitement of finding a new fishing spot or even finding out something new about one I’ve fished dozens of times. Also, to be an effective and conscientious angler, I need to participate in the ecology of the waters I enjoy. I’m as much a part of the environment as the fish I catch and I owe it to myself and them to be a good steward of the land.

Fifth, I also LOVE cooking as a hobby and fishing plays into that in a nice way that I don’t feel I need to explain further. I mostly fish catch and release, but sometimes you gut hook a fish and it makes no sense to return it to the water because it’ll die. So, now I gotta figure out how to cook this thing.

All that said, there’s the rare occasion (usually when I got a few friends with me) that I’ll set up a chair, throw out a hook on a bobber with some bait, sit back, sip a beer, and enjoy the weather and conversation with my buddies. Or the peace of nature alone.

But I understand it’s not for everyone and that’s a-okay. I just think fishing is a fun activity that’s fairly inexpensive that a lot of people sleep on because they think it’s inactive and boring.

Meditation.

I see it as an addiction like gambling. You put in some time but don’t always win. That causes a bigger positive feedback for when you do win.

Then the win is a delicious fish and you’re hooked.