Fishing for Relaxation

[Moveon]

I really do enjoy watching the wildlife while I'm out on the water. I enjoy a good sunset or sunrise.

But I get frustrated while fishing and would not always say I'm relaxed. I don't see so good anymore up close and it's irritating to me when I get my line tangled up on something or have to tie on a new baits. I can't see the fishing line without taking off my eyeglasses these days. And then I have to close my left eye to see better.

I read that the medicine that I take for my heart makes my vision blurry. My left eye has a cataract now and it's getting worse with time. And I have blind spots in my retina or eye that float around and make it hard to see up close with my left eye.

I put a rod protector to keep the rods from banging together when in the rod holders on the side of my boat. But when I caught a fish and brought it into the boat the crank bait's treble hooks got caught up in the nylon webbing and it took me 5 minutes to get the hooks out. So I took all the rod protectors off my spinning rods and then took the three bait casters out of the boat and put them in the house with my other 50 rods. I still have three ultra light spinning rods and reels in my boat that get in my way and I'm going to take them out too. I'll still have a new ultra light spinning rod and reel up at the front of my boat and two trolling rods at the back of the boat. Plus two spinning rods/reels, a fly rod and a frog gig along the side of the boat in the rod holders.

If I want to cast for bass I'll just take the spinning rods out of the boat and load up the bait casters. Problem solved.

But what should I do with the hard tackle box, and the two other soft tackle boxes and the other junk that I keep in the boat. The plastic box with all types of fishing stuff inside it and the cooler which I must have with me out on the water.

The last time I went out I almost feel down getting into the boat and had to jump in the bottom of the boat or fall out of the boat. I was lucky to find a open spot in the bottom of the boat to land on without falling. It's a good thing I still have my balance. I could have broke a bone if I didn't land right.

Oh yea. The very front of the boat has the anchor, depth finder, Temp gage and the trolling motor along with the navigation light. That's what almost made me fall in the boat. I was trying to get my feet over those obsticles so that I could get back in the boat and put it back on the boat trailer at the end of the day. I was already tired and sunburned on the top of my knees. I forget to put on sun screen as it was not that hot outside but the sun was blistering my skin. I'm in pain right now as I type this. The top of my knees are burned badly and it hurts to walk or change position.

Fishing should be relaxing but to me it's a lot of work. Maybe I should try bank fishing for catfish and see how that works. I'd have to haul out the propane lanterns and the Thermacell to keep the mosquitoes away. And put some bug spray on my pants to keep the ticks off.

The other day I was bank fishing at the ramp which is concrete. I was standing on Concrete and had three **** ticks crawling up my leg. I wasn't even in the grass at all. The grass was three feet away. Those ticks are really aggressive and hungry this years. I guess so many people fish there and launch their boats there that their CO2 exhaust draw the ticks there by the hundreds. Ticks can detect the CO2 that animals give off. And the cars also give off lots of CO2 from the tail pipe as the launch and load up the boats. So that's probably why there are so many ticks there even on the concrete launch ramp. Ticks can move pretty fast when they want to.

[sglass]

I work 2nd shift and have a little girl who just started kindergarten and a wife who does not like me going out all night fishing since I am always gone at work but I still sneak away when I can sometimes just about every time alone. I used to tournament fish alot with good success but both my partners moved away and I just couldnt get back into the swing of things. When alone I tend to enjoy the surroundings more like the fireflies at night, the horses in the pastures at dawn, the accasional crane that scares the crap out of you when you troll up on it. I do miss the days when I would carry a cooler full of ice and bait down to the dix river with papaw and my dad and sit all night and just fish and talk but those days are long gone now. I do enjoy company while on the boat ive had alot of fun over tha past years fishing three deep on a 16 foot tri hull hooking big bass with my brothers. Now I have a 19 foot boat its hard to find someone to fish with most the time.

Shawn

[barren basser]

I like to fish the trolling motor only lakes around here.there is hardly ever anybody else around and no jet skis to dodge. just me and nature its very relaxing

[Bonefish]

After reading everyone's posts, I can relate to some of your comments. I can be intense like Stripernut said on days. Fishing can be such a challenge sometimes that you totally lose yourself when trying to figure fish out. I like what DJD said about tailoring the way you fish as to the partner you have in the boat. I think that says a lot. Then again I can relate to Bassmaster who can have fun and be stressed out at the same time. I can also relate to Moveon's comment on "not seeing very well"... I too have a problem with my eye site. I guess we need to be flexible and try to enjoy whatever the day on the water demands. Thanks again for everyone's comments.

[R19]

I am a fisherman. It is not something that I merely do. It is who I am.
Fishing is not my escape,it is where I belong.
It is where I am suppose to be.
It is not a place that I go,it is a lifelong journey that I am on.
Once you understand this you will understand who I am.
I am a fisherman.