fishing vs. marriage vs. children

[ricoboxing]

when i was single i use to fish 3-4 times/week

when i had a girlfriend i fished 1-2 times/week

after i got married and bought a house i fished once/week

now that we have a son i fish about once every 2 weeks

 

i love spending time with my wife and son and have no regrets, but sometimes i think to myself "the grass always looks greener on the other side"

 

only 36 more years till retirement

 

so whats your story?

[Gerritt]

I certainly fish ALOT less since getting married and having children there are just way to many things that need to be done. I used to be able to put things off etc when I was young n' single... that just simply is not possible now. Do I wish I was able to find more time to fish? absolutely! but would I trade spending time with my family? not a chance. I do get out fishing don't get me wrong... but I cant cant take off for a week on a whim like I used to.

 

Has life gotten in the way of the things I enjoy? YES!

 

 

Gerritt.

[Terry]

the thing is..

it's all a self imposed calendar on when you can and can't go fishing, sure there are forces trying to get you to do this or that but when push come to shove ..it's your decision in the end

 

so it's all on how/where you set your priorities ....self happiness is important and if you feel you need more me time...take it...you only live once and you don't take care of number one no one else will....

[Victor]

i shall keep that in mind and fish as much as i can while i'm still single lol ... o yeah, and buy as much gear as well =D

[Zamboni]

I loved fishing as a kid, spent a lot of time in early 20's fishing alone because my friends didn't fish. Eventually with marriage/house other sports I stopped fishing altogether. Its my kids who rekindled my interest, at the cottage at first and even more when we bought a boat. Fishing is a great family past time, my 10 year old looks forward to fishing more than rep hockey. You single guys don't have to worry, right after kids are past toddler years the wife will be thrilled your willing to take kids fishing, even if she has no interest.

[charlesn]

Last year I spent about 50 days on the water. 48 before my daughter was born, 2 after - and that was only because I was down in Tennessee picking up the boat. In 2007, I didn't get out fishing until the last Saturday in April and my boat wasn't in the water until well into May when normally it's been wet since first weekend of April.

 

Fish a lot less obviously, but don't consider it a sacrifice. If I'm with her, I think about fishing while she's napping in my arms. When I'm fishing, I think about her anyways.

 

Can't wait until she's old enough to hold a rod.

 

Charles

[snag]

i shall keep that in mind and fish as much as i can while i'm still single lol ... o yeah, and buy as much gear as well =D

 

Very wise!

 

Shop till you drop!

Justifying purchases becomes a part-time job.

[fishergirl72]

First I want to say that this is a very intresting thread! This is one of the main reason why I started to take up fishing.....was to spend more time with fishindevil instead of complaining that he won't spend time with me I chose to learn his love for fishing. Because our daughter is still small and with school, etc, Shawn still does a majority of his fishing either alone or with the guys and I don't have a problem with that. I am not the kind of woman to take away something that my partner loves..... it is not fair to do that to anyone.....it is called compromising, which we do alot of. If there are days or trips that he does not go out on it is because it is HIS choice, not because I said he could not go. When Angelina gets older.... I will have plenty of time to fish with Shawn. At least with him fishing, it is keeping him out of trouble.LOL There is alot worse things that a man can do than fishing.LOL In fact I encourage Shawn to go fishing, which means I can have the house to myself and I do all my cleaning without interuptions.LOL Seriously though, if there are things that need to be done at home and if I can do it myself, I will do it and if I need his help, I will wait until he gets home.

Edited June 4, 2007 by fishergirl72

[irishfield]

Julie..have you got three or four like minded sisters. Looks like a few members are looking....

[tbayboy]

Very cool thread for a Monday morning. Being single but fishing with lots of not single guys I certainly see that now is the best time for me to blow all my money and time fishing as much as I can. That said most of my friends still get out fairly regularly its the buying new toys that they seem to run into some pressure with most of the toys costing twice the list price - once for the toy once for the new kitchen gadget, expensive night out, spa trip, etc .

 

But then again, the joy you see in people taking their kids fishing makes all the missed days worth it in my book.

[fishergirl72]

Julie..have you got three or four like minded sisters. Looks like a few members are looking....

 

LOL, Irishfield, actually alot of people say I am way to easy on him, LOL. I even let him buy all of his goodies that he needs, and I don't say too much about it. I have my own obsessions and he does not say aword to me about them so it all works out great!

[Hooked]

Well I am married, have a son, and another on the way. I have cancelled 2 trips to Quinte already, pretty much outta luck for going to my buddies cottage in Haliburton this summer. I guess that says it all. Actually, its not the fishing part she has a problem with, its the being away from home she don't like, my son too. So I fish much less than I use to. Only little trips for an hour or 2 locally.

[dustink]

Fished less after the first son....but now's he is getting older (4 last month), so I'm planning to take him with me more, and looking forward to memories on the water with my kids.

 

 

"Fish a lot less obviously, but don't consider it a sacrifice. If I'm with her, I think about fishing while she's napping in my arms. When I'm fishing, I think about her anyways." Well said, Charlesn....well said!

 

 

dk

 

For what's it's worth....I play less golf since kids.......and Evan's not quite old enough, but next year, I think a family membership may be in the works...LOL.

 

dk

[irishfield]

I play less golf since kids

 

That's probably a good thing ! LOL

[HookNrelease]

its all relevant really with many rewards, I personally have 6 kids and yes it does cut into the fishing times, now they are a bit older, youngster is 8, i cant take the time to go fish the weekends away with a buddy but we fish a lot of eavenings and most wekends together, well at least 3 out of 6 are eager. now my fishing time is even more rewarding, I personally enjoy it more seeing their faces light up for a perch, watching them hunt down worms and having them fight over a rod in the boat and then complain they cant fight a 25 # plus salmon anymore. yes i miss the weekends with the boys, but the times i do get out with the mates is a better day than it used to be and overall i find the fishing times are more rewarding and have more meaning to me now than they ever did.

just my own opinion

cheers

ian

[bigbuck]

Well, I used to fish when I was in school, once I started working, golf was my passion then I got me a girlfriend, bought a house got married so both golf and fishing were foregone conclusions then the kids came along. A couple of trips to LOTW to visit the in-laws re-kindled my love affair with fishing. Now I can't wait to get out, it's only been once so far this year but hopefully I'll get a line wet at Centre Island on father's day. A trip searching for toothy critters in the Kawartha's is in the works before the end of the month.

[steve_paul]

I am lucky, I am fishing more now with kids than ever before. Of course they are older - 15 & 13 - but both love it too so it is great family time together being on the water.

 

As they grow and show interest in it, bring them along. Don't force it on them but if they love it you always have a great fishing partner handy.

 

Course buying tackle for 3 people sucks but I can always blame new purchases on them as well.

[lunkerbasshunter]

i guess im opposite. when i was a teenager i fished everyday. when i got older i slowed down as responsbility kicked in. Now i am married and have a 1 year old and fish way more then i did five years ago.

 

The main reason is my in laws are up in north bay and telling me i can go fishing is a great way to get me to go visit! lol

 

CHeers!

[solopaddler]

Nope, marriage and kids hasn't changed things much for me, although fishergirl72 hit the nail on the head when she mentioned compromise.

That's what it's all about with my wife and I.

[fisher]

Fished a lot before I got married. Once married, with the new house, I was lucky to get out once every month.

 

But now that my son is 3 years old , he has become a perfect partner to go fishing with. How can the wife get upset when she sees her son (and husband) come home with such a big smile on his face (of course that is after he wakes up from the ride back home). Now we try to have an outing at least once a week.

[OhioFisherman]

Dad started us off pretty young, I probably had a stick with a hook and bobber on it around 3 years old at the swimming hole catching bluegills and chubs. First real fishing trip was like a 5 year old birthday present to us from dad, and nothing could have been more welcome.

 

First trip to Ontario in 1957, a family thing, a cottage on Beaver Lake near Quinte somewhere, mom, dad, 3 boys and one in the oven and a family friends family. Clean water and it was like 50 feet from the cabin, swimming trunks? too much time, underware is good! nothing to hide!

 

Two of my brothers my dad and me hit it hard, my older brother never developed the fever. Very few of our vacations were anywhere but Ontario, my older brother joined the navy right out of high school so the rest of us would pack up and head north. Didn`t take much to make us happy, decent weather, and water!

 

Did a lot of fishing around here, but short trips a day or two. Some tournament bass fishing in other states and here, Ohio doesn`t really have a lot of places to rent cabins on the water and not really a lot of places I enjoyed here, it was just fishing.

 

My first wife went to Ontario once with us, she didn`t like it(bye!). We did the family trip every summer for like 25 years and a guy trip(family and friends, close ones) most Septembers. My daughters(older ones) were nervous about going to Ontario the first trip, LOL no Tv? Well ya there is but nothing much you would watch, and I don`t drive 500 miles to watch TV! they got into it, other kids at the camp, fishing, swimming, boating, cooks outs, campfires, what else do you need?

 

Had all the kids and my wife to a lake in New York several times for vacations/tournaments, sort of a little Canada, a primer for a longer trips that never happened.

 

LOL all my girls (3) will work harder at it than my son, go figure!

[Wes Bender]

i shall keep that in mind and fish as much as i can while i'm still single lol ... o yeah, and buy as much gear as well =D

 

It is much easier to beg for forgivness then it is to beg for permission..haha

Buy it all now.

 

I was just married last Aug. so I haven't really have much experience but I haven't noticed my fishing days reduce. Actually, this spring I fished steelhead more then in any previous year. Been out walleye and lake trout fishing 4 or 5 times since the seasons open up here in NWO.

 

I guess it is all a matter of priorities I guess. I make sure I do all my home renovations during the week, after work.

[SlowPoke]

I fished a lot as a kid and then backed off as partying, girls and cars took over. I got back into it in my late teens for a few years and met my future wife. She didn't hold me back from fishing but I found myself wanting to spend more time with her.

 

That feeling wore off and I bought a boat.

 

I spent lots of time and money rebuilding it and setting it up for Lake Ontario and then I transferred to London. We just had our first child and the boat sat. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with our first daughter, moreso not having anybody to fish with. It was such an ordeal to hook up and go, find productive water (Lake Erie only had 1 walleye back then and everybody took turns catching it).

 

I eventually traded the boat for a Gold Wing. That took up room in the garage for a few years. Sold that to my neighbour and bought my Jeep.

 

In late 2005 I decided I was going to MAKE TIME FOR FISHING! It was the best decision I ever made. In 2006 I got out more than I had in the previous 10 years and had some great success with a few personal bests in numbers and size. I was itching for another boat and began the seach.

 

Early 2007 rolls around and my Jeep gets stolen. It turned out to be a good thing I guess, it wouldn't have made a very good tow vehicle and I replaced it with a Tahoe. A couple weeks later I get a call from a guy that was selling his boat that I looked at last year (long story) and we come to a deal. Incidently, he bought a new Gold Wing.

 

I've spent lots of time and money setting this boat up and I have yet catch a damn fish in it!

 

Well, that's my storey. I'm not sure if marriage or kids (that was the point of this thread wasn't it?) hampered my fishing 'career'. Things happen, priorities change, interests wain. My wife is very supportive of my habit, at least for now and I'm careful not to take advantage of it.

 

-Brian

[Markystang]

I never really got into fishing until after I was married. Fished a few times as a kid, but nothing real serious.

Having young kids can slow things down quite a bit. Just ask me when I was at the gym last.....

But now that my kids are getting a bit older(daughter almost 5, son 3), I take them fishing with me fairly often. I'm out usually out a couple times a week, and take one of the kids with me half the time, even though they're only up to it for an hour or so. Often if I take one of the kids with me, I don't even bring my own rod. I just help them learn to fish.

[wask]

When I was single, I would fish 3-5 times per week. Come home from work, back up to the boat, change clothes and grab a sandwich and gone for the evening.

 

Then I got married and moved to Canada, and didn't fish much the first three years (living in the kawarthas!), even sold me boat (like an idiot).

 

Now I am doing a lot of fishing, once a week anyway. That is a lot compared to the first few years of marriage. I was really busy working two jobs when I first moved up here and lots was going on. Im not sure things have slowed down, but I have learned how to manage everything and still get out and at least make an attempt to catch some fish.

 

Still haven't reaplaced the boat yet though!