Fishin's Age Old Question?

[Moosebunk]

I remember someone saying...... or maybe I read it...... OK maybe I don't remember how it came about in my mind, but, the jist of it was a fishermans usual progression.

 

In the beginning the fisherman simply wants fish, fish and more fish. It's about getting out there and catching tonnes of fish. A total numbers game making everyday fun, rewarding and important to the growing fisherman. It's totally new yet still safe and accommodating as well.

 

During the process of catching so many dang fisheses the fisherman learns to love the bigguns most. It becomes about the trophy. Gotta get the big one. It's a hugely personal pursuit that is often a challenge mimicked from one's everyday work and home life. A more goal-oriented practice that if done right will ensure peace of mind brought forth by success.

 

After some time has gone by, numbers have climbed infinitely and big fish have been abundant, the fisherman finally comes to realize how much they have loved every moment of it all. Content, and maybe even tired from the pursuit, the greatest times now see the fisherman passing their fishing onto others, taking new found joy in the happiness for others.

 

 

Even though many people may teeter somewhere inbetween the numbers, the trophies or the love for others, WHERE ARE YOU REALLY???

 

 

 

Enlighten me, I'm bored at work all weekend.

[johnnyb]

At the end of the day, I'm just happy to be on the water...and I would have to say that sharing the experience with someone barely edges out catching that monster. To catch the trophy while enjoying it with someone else....that's the ideal.

Good luck at work this weekend....I will be sharing your pain until about 5:00 tomorrow.

[JohnF]

WHERE ARE YOU REALLY???

Enlighten me, I'm bored at work all weekend.

 

Still waiting for my pool to cough up something edible. I'm not likely to get many trophy bass here, but the fridge is close and my den is air conditioned. The real bonus is I don't have to clean the rapalas I catch.

 

JF

[danbouck]

I start looking for the trophies but by mid day I'm going for the little guys and I always come home with a smile on my face!

[jwl]

I have always enjoyed the challenge of 12 month a year multispecies angling. Being lucky enough to grow up in the Niagara Region where there is always somehting open 12 months a year. I also have spent a huge part of growing up travelling to different areas up north more camping and fishing for many species over the years.

 

For me also I would say since being "hooked" as a kid I soon found myself in the quest for big fish more and more, starting probably when I was about 12 catching big Chinooks and Coho's in the river, heck I even have fun catching big carp and suckers. I have never really been one that goes fishing for my dinner, lucky if I keep between8-10 fish a year tops, most likely less althuogh my wife wishes it was alot more I am sure.

 

I love that 12 months a year I have developed pattern through lots of time on and around the water experimenting, keeping fishing journals, and pics of fish along the way, and learned some great tactics that will help me catch fish all year long as different species come into play.

 

Some of my most memorable PB's include a 42 lb Chinook,22.5lbs steelie, both caught in the 80's in the lower Niagara,a couple pike in the 48 incher-25lbs plus range -1 of which was a local fish and a real giant as far as I am concerned, a couple at my camp,my PB musky is about 56 inches, I based this ona 52er I kept for a mount and another I measured at 54, the PB was bigger so that's my guess, now I am in the quest to break the 60 incher mark.

 

Although I keep making it harder on myself all the time, I still like the challenge of beating my PB's, and I think that will be an ongoing quest for years to come.

 

I love the alure of "trophy" fishing but I also take note to myself that a "trophy" is certainly different from one body of water to the next..for example, anyone with the knowhow can easily go out on the big lakes like Erie, or fish lake O in the BOQ and boat eyes in the 30 incher plus well into the teens range...to me that's not much of a trophy and more common place for those bodies of water...but on the other hand, to pull a 8-10 lber out of a small lake is a trophy in comparison. Or like when I lived up in The Soo for a while and would tag along with some guys when they where moose hunting and go and fish little back woods lakes, streams ,ponds you know are virtually untapped and you pull out a few speckies in the 5-6-7 lber range...those are real trophies for sure.

 

I also like other aspects of enjoying fishing and the outdoors for example, I am a trustee on the executive commitee for a local conservation club, and volunteer on a walleye enhancement project together with the MNR for the last couple years, as well as being involved in different aspects of wildelife and habitat enhancement projects that our club is involved with....this is just one way I like to give back to a sport/hobby that I enjoy so much.

 

I also like see some of the values shared by fellow sportsman over the years, as well as countless memories with my 3 daughters along the way. I value the family aspect of fishing,the bonds that can be made with good friends along the way as we share our values together, and sometimes even the serenity of a few hours on and by the water quietly alone soaking it all in.

[stbruce25]

I say its all about being out there!!!

 

Being in the middle of it, clearing your head of everything and thinking bout nothing else than the moment you in!

[Zubris21]

I'm always out searching for a new personal best, but the best times are when I have my good buddies in the boat recently. I got my girlfriend into the sport a couple of years ago, and she loves going out to catch the giants (she always gets the biggest one of the trip). I love seeing the smile and excitement on her face when she finally lands those trophy fish.

[misfish]

Ok, since you asked,and have all weekend, let start here.

 

When I first started fishing,as far back as I can rememeber,it was about the excitement of catching that fish,for years thats all it was about. Getting out,in the fresh air,doing the thing on the water.Fishing from the ol wooded boat with my bros and sis and pop. Dunk,n minnows for what ever would bite our hook/bait. Great times. Then came the teen years."HERES WHERE IT STARTS" Get a job,have your own money.Ok lets buy this new thing and this and that and try this and that. It was a whole new world when you could buy new lures with your own money. Then came the noodle rod thing. Oh man ,I got to buy a noodle rod,it,s what all are using these days. First one I bought was a hand made one made by Jay from Jays tackle in Snellgrove.It had to be hand made as that was the thing.Fishing Heart lake with my new noodle rod,I was the guy who knew what he was doing,well so I thought. Noodle rod,marshmellos(small pink ones) and a dew worm. Oh dont forget the slip wieght. Slip wieght? Now there was another thing. Did you know there were different wieghts? LOL

I had the biggest sinkers you could think of. Yes had to be the one to have the biggest.This was one of those times that size did not matter. God I wish it was still true. HAHAHA

After mastering the lake stock bows I thought I would do the river thing. Here we go again with buying the newest this and that and yes,another new rod and reel,cause it was the thing to do,,,,,,RIGHT.

I learned that the river had so much to offer. Rainbows and suckers and oh, lots of snags. The snag thing makes you a perfectionest in the art of tying. To me it meant a waste of fishing time. While I was tying,there was another fish on,man that could of been my fish. Also theres this mental thing,why are all these guys catching and not me. I step back and watch. Oh I need a float and smaller hooks and lighter wieghts.

Ok now Im off to get more new tackle,AGAIN. By this time Im thinking this tackle store thinks I am a great angler,but all I am is another fishing fanatic that buying and filling thier til.

So I buy up new split shot wieghts,floats and small wieghts,and a box of small red worms.

Oh I got to share this one with you. Anyone hear back in the 80,s about these worms that were to be the best and were to be kept warm? Well this local dealer in Brampton had such a worm. I being young and always trying something new,I bought some. Put them on the furnace duct over night. Next morning grab the bag head out. Go to grab one out of the bag and theres nothing but dirt. I said oh crap,the wifes going to poop when they are wiggling all over the place. Turned out they were to be kept at room temp,and I baked them to ashes. So I was told anyways.

Ok on with my story.

I got pretty good at the river research thing. Tying row bags and setting up the floats. Caught some real nice bows during my time. If I could get my scanner to work,I could show ya.

Spin forward to fishing the stacks. Yes the four sisters. What a great fishery. Lots of German browns to be caught by many. Again,another era that money was spent on new tackle,but I had a hands up on the BIG sinker thing. LOL

We used the slip sinker system like back on Little lake,but the bait of choice was salted minnows not mellos and worms. I spent a whole winter down there fishing the way most did and caught a few fish,but many others caught more then I did many times. It turned out,you had to get there early to get the third rock from the skimmer to have the best spot.(I rememeber smelting back when the skimmer had the wooded docks aswell with my pop and grandfather) This became my most important thing of the fishing day. Get there before anyone else did. I would wake up at 3am and be there by 3:30. Yes the ol mustang did fly. I would be the first guy there, set up and watch as others showed up to see me already on the spot. It didnt take long before,3:30 was late to get there. IT WAS THE SPOT TO HAVE.

After a couple of years,there seemed to be other hot spots off the wall,and it was the same thing,get there before the other guy.

When the fishing seemed to get slow, there was always someone using something different and catching. Thats where the "CORKIE" came in. Oh man I got to get some of them. They kept the bait off the bottom,but thinking now,it probly didnt as the flow of the discharge was probly to strong and push the bait to the bottom anyways. After the flow slowed from the plant,the rocks just outside was the main playing area. Again it was,get your spot first and you caught fish. Talk about snags though.LOL

Time goes by and the lake fishing comes back into play. Start fishing Simcoe. Lots of ice fishing,looking for lots of perch and bragging how many you got that day out. First outing at a night fish with my pop and uncle,we fish Chubbs.We had chicken wings warming up on the heater in tinfoil,and they had thier wobblies on ice . The tip ups are going crazy. Pop turns out the light and puts the flash light on and theres a zillion herring swimming around. Man ,we haul up the lines and start catching as amany as we can. We had to have about 50 or so on the ice outside the shack. WOW,we did good.

The there was this time out ice fishing out of Hanks huts. We were put in the smallest hut he had. Let me tell ya,it was the best day I have had with a friend I have not seen in sometime. Laker after laker the whole day. Started off witha small one then a bit bigger then even bigger then the mother of all hit. Bubbles were coming up through the hole. I got to just see the fish as it turned and broke the line.

Man I was ticked,what a trophy that would of been.

After this is where I got in to the bass fishing thing. Top water,plastic worms,chucking live frogs. Man this was exciting stuff. This I got hooked on like a fat guy on marshmellos. I couldnt think of anything else to say right now. LOL

I realy got turned on by this fish. I cant explain what it was,but they just put up such a great fight. The ultimate surprise of a hit on a top water,not knowing when or where. Throwing out that worm thinking is there one under that pad or in that mess of weeds.

 

To this day ,I want to get that big one,the trophy sorta speak,be the first one on that spot,Im just getting older and probly thinking like the ones that showed up later in the day on that wall, to have a conversation with friends and talk about old times and what the weather is like.

Im not going to slow down,but I am going to stop to smell the daisys.

 

Thanks for reading.Forgive spelling errors.

Have a great weekend Moose,Im working Saturday aswell.

[misfish]

To this day ,I want to get that big one,the trophy sorta speak,be the first one on that spot,Im just getting older and probly thinking like the ones that showed up later in the day on that wall, to have a conversation with friends and talk about old times and what the weather is like.

Im not going to slow down,but I am going to stop to smell the daisys

 

BTW

I owe this comment to Terry. He,s been trying to tell me this for a couple years now.LOL

What do you mean 5 AM. L M A O

[misfish]

You zigged, when you should'a zagged

[Moosebunk]

Thanks for the replies guys. Good morning read and worth it to know where people have come from and where they'd like to go with their fishing.

 

Misfish... I pegged you for a trophy hunter for sure.