People always ask me why I am so passionate about fishing. I have been a very active angler for the last 23 years and I still can’t get enough of it. So I thought I’d write an article about this wonderful passion and explain why fishing is the best hobby there is.
It is that never-ending and always renewed excitement you feel before each and every trip. It is the hunt for a fish, the nature, the quietness, the depths of the water, your own thoughts when fishing, and, of course, the pure and complete joy you feel when catching a fish.
If you are considering fishing as your new hobby, or if you simply need to be reminded of the reasons that made you decide to become a fisherman, this article is exactly right for you.
Why Is Fishing Such a Good Hobby?
The most powerful aspect of fishing is that it always gets you excited. I know of few other hobbies that can get people excited over such a long period of time. In many cases, it even has the power to keep that flame of excitement burning throughout an entire lifetime.
I know plenty of very old fishermen who have been fishing all their lives and who still get as excited over a fishing trip as they once were when they were just young children.
If you are getting into fishing as a hobby, know that it can quickly turn into so much more than that. To many anglers, it is really more of a lifestyle.
Now, if you are browsing the internet and checking for answers to why fishing is such a great hobby, you will find man general articles on the topic that’ll explain the benefits of fishing.
In fact, I wrote an in-depth article on that topic myself, which you should definitely check out as well: 10 Reasons Why Fishing Is Good for You and Your Health
But this article is not about those benefits! Instead, it is capturing the very essence of fishing as a lifestyle, and as a passion. It describes the power that fishing can have over you and how it will turn you into a child again, each and every time you are heading towards the water.
This hobby will bring out the child in you and for the very best of reasons. When we grow up, we naturally forget about our childhood, and all the carelessness, timelessness, and simple joys that time equaled.
When you are fishing, it is exactly those feelings of freedom and happiness that will automatically gain new growth within you.
When fishing, there just is no time and no worries. It is just you and the water in that ultimate zone that is each and every fishing trip.
You enter that zone, that window, as soon as you are on your way to your fishing spot, leaving behind the routines, dos, and musts of your daily life.
And it is first when you decide to stop fishing and head back home, that you will leave that zone of joy and freedom and return to the challenges of your life, at least for the time being.
To fish is to enjoy life to the fullest. But it is also a very good way to relax, to gather, or regather, your thoughts, as well as to enter the realms of philosophy.
Sometimes, when you are really tuned in and connected to the nature around you and to your own spirits, fishing might even be a form of meditation!
Why Is Fishing so Much Fun?
Of course, one of the core principles of fishing is in fact catching fish. That’s where the fun really comes in!
When you start out, you might try and fail a couple of times. No worries, we have all been there. The most important thing is not to give up at that point!
So many people are discovering fishing for themselves and then disregard their new hobby almost immediately because they do not catch fish directly from the start.
You have to give it a little time, but when that first fish is biting, you’re at risk of being hooked for life.
Because once you are catching fish, you will start to feel this extreme excitement in you and you will notice how much fun fishing really is. That, I can guarantee you!
Every trip you’ll make and every fish you’ll catch from that day forward will be a memory that will forever be imprinted on your mind.
The act of catching a fish is so profound and so joyous that you will literally be able to remember most of the fish that you have caught throughout your life.
I can honestly say that I still remember catches that go 10, 15, or even 20 years back. All those moments were just so intense and wonderful that I have simply never forgotten them.
(time goes too damn fast!)
Fishing is also a perfect way of spending quality and memorable time with your kids! I cannot count all the times I have brought my little daughters with me to the water, and we have always enjoyed it immensely, together.
As you get older, you will look back at those times, with mixed feelings, of course.
If you start fishing, you will experience the same type of moments, the same intensity, fun, and joy that I get to experience on a daily basis as a fisherman. that’s why fishing is really the best hobby in the world!
RELATED ARTICLE: 5 Benefits of Practicing Catch and Release Fishing
Is Fishing Hard to Learn?
No, that’s another great aspect of fishing. You can literally start from scratch and learn everything you need to know by simply going fishing on a more or less regular basis.
Fishing is very multi-faceted, true, and there are many different types of fishing, as well as numerous methods, species, venues, and tackle to learn about, but the more you get into it, the more you will naturally learn all those different aspects of fishing.
Why, you ask? Because it will not feel like learning! It will feel like a work in the park, or like reading the greatest book you’ll ever read. Because fishing will be your passion! And to those who have a true passion in life, learning comes easy.
If you are totally new to fishing and want to learn all the basic for your first trip, make sure to read this article I wrote: How to Actually Start Fishing (Ultimate Beginner’s Guide)
What Skills Do You Need to Become a Fisherman?
There are a few traits that might be helpful to possess when starting a fishing hobby. But don’t worry if you do not possess them when you start out. Fishing can also be capable of teaching you those traits later on!
Whether you already have them or will acquire them later, the following set of skills is most certainly positive to have for a fisherman:
Patience
As I mentioned earlier, if you are not patient enough to wait for your very first fish, you might never get into fishing at all. Fishing takes time, and getting the fish to bite takes time!
Having that time available and being willing to wait, can be a very rewarding thing to do, and it allows the thoughts to develop and run freely.
Being able to balance and optimize one’s time
If you, like most of us, have other things to attend to in your life, such as school, work, your partner or family, maybe even another hobby, then being able to structure and schedule your time is a very good skill to have, if you want to become a fisherman.
If you always know what you have to do and when you have to do it, it will be easier to find time to go on that next fishing trip. This way, you also decrease your stress level a lot, as overlapping events always are a cause for stress!
Having a driver’s license
If you want to explore many different waters and catch many different fish, having a driver’s license (and a car) will make your life so much easier!
Trust me, your car is the most important tool when it comes to your fishing. If you are too young to drive, get on that bike or moped! You can definitely get further on two wheels than on none at all, right?
A good aim for casting
This is a skill that you will most likely not have tried out prior to starting fishing, unless you play a ball sport, perhaps.
Aiming and casting will definitely crave some practice and time in the beginning, but the more you cast your lure, float, or bobber, the better you will get at it!
More patience
And finally, we round up this article with a little more patience. It is really a very important personality trait, or skill, whatever you want to call it, that for anyone to possess, fisherman or not.
Patience is a virtue! That, if anything, encapsulates the very principle of fishing. If you can wait for a bite long enough without getting frustrated, or even giving up, then you can call yourself a true fisherman!
If you manage to do that one thing, you will succeed at fishing (and most likely in life in general). You have my word on that!
Here are a few helpful related articles I wrote on the different aspects of fishing that can help you on your way to becoming a great fisherman: