Is Hentry David Thoreau Right?

[reevesr1]

I've been thinking about the Henry David Thoreau quote:

"Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after"

and started to wonder if it was true for me.

 

Something that has always struck me over the years are the responses I have seen to changes in fishing regulations. Where I grew up, the number of fish seemed limitless and you kept everything you caught. What we couldn't eat, we sold. As it started to become obvious that this was not sustainable, limits started to be imposed. The negative response was almost universal. It was going to kill fishing. If you can't keep them, whats the point? Well, all that really happened is almost everyone kept fishing, and the sport continued to grow in popularity. In fact, I think I can safely state that as limits have gone down, number of people fishing has gone up.

 

So here I am years later living in a place where I can't keep anything. And I want to fish now more than ever. But does that mean it isn't the fish I am after? I wonder. I absolutely love hooking and fighting fish. I can't for the life of me imagine that I would still be walking a stream or stalking a flat if I couldn't fish. But history has shown me that there is a good chance I am wrong about that. If you would have told me when I was a younger man that when I was older I would love fishing more than ever even though I couldn't keep anything, I would have called you crazy. So is it so far fetched to believe that I would still be out there even if I couldn't fish at all? Probably not. But why? What could possibly replace the feeling I get when I set the hook and the perfect moment when I realize "this is big"? That I don't know.

[Brownstone]

I've been thinking about the Henry David Thoreau quote:

"Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after"

and started to wonder if it was true for me.

 

Something that has always struck me over the years are the responses I have seen to changes in fishing regulations. Where I grew up, the number of fish seemed limitless and you kept everything you caught. What we couldn't eat, we sold. As it started to become obvious that this was not sustainable, limits started to be imposed. The negative response was almost universal. It was going to kill fishing. If you can't keep them, whats the point? Well, all that really happened is almost everyone kept fishing, and the sport continued to grow in popularity. In fact, I think I can safely state that as limits have gone down, number of people fishing has gone up.

 

So here I am years later living in a place where I can't keep anything. And I want to fish now more than ever. But does that mean it isn't the fish I am after? I wonder. I absolutely love hooking and fighting fish. I can't for the life of me imagine that I would still be walking a stream or stalking a flat if I couldn't fish. But history has shown me that there is a good chance I am wrong about that. If you would have told me when I was a younger man that when I was older I would love fishing more than ever even though I couldn't keep anything, I would have called you crazy. So is it so far fetched to believe that I would still be out there even if I couldn't fish at all? Probably not. But why? What could possibly replace the feeling I get when I set the hook and the perfect moment when I realize "this is big"? That I don't know.

 

 

I totally agree .. as you can see from my signature .. Fishing is somthing different for everyone, for some it's about catching/hooking fish, for others (and this is the category in which i stand) It's about being out there fishing, in your own world, not worrying about money,work, health, anything.. I grew up (well, got older anyway) fishing salmon on the east coast where (back in my time) you got 10 tags a year to fill .. I can't remember a year where I filled them all, but usually released enough fish to keep your limit..It was about fishing with my dad .. being out there one on one with nature .. it did'nt matter if you caught a fish, hooked a fish or even seen a fish .. you'd fish just as hard and be back at it the next day, regardless of the outcome..a fresh fish for supper (or to land/hook one) was indeed a bonus but not the ultimate goal .. looking back on my childhood its alot easier to understand the values instilled in me by my father .. and I would'nt change it for the world ..

[hydropsyche]

I've been thinking about the Henry David Thoreau quote:

"Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after"

 

Agreed. Fish has never been my favorite food. Prepared right, and fresh, it can be awesome and a treat, but its just that. A treat.

 

Brownstone, I never noticed how similar your sig is similar to mine.

[Brownstone]

Agreed. Fish has never been my favorite food. Prepared right, and fresh, it can be awesome and a treat, but its just that. A treat.

 

Brownstone, I never noticed how similar your sig is similar to mine.

 

 

Thats been my sig since the start .. only quote i could find that truly expresses the way I feel about fishing..I'd imagine you feel the same way ..

[Weedy1]

Thats been my sig since the start .. only quote i could find that truly expresses the way I feel about fishing..I'd imagine you feel the same way ..

 

Hey Brownstone, you stole my Flyangler signature.

[dryfly]

Agree with everything. There are many reasons why we fish. I love to hook fish, but without wanting to seem like a wuss, the fish are in merely an excuse for the other stuff.

 

I wrote this article nine years ago .. and it all applies. I wrote that when my fishing partner was in hospital and I was feeling a bit down--he passed away 3 months later. There's a short piece in ths article that sums it all up for me. As I see it there are at least four reasons to fish: the anticipation, the actual experience, the memories, and the friendships we develop as the seasons come and go. If it were not for the memories of our experiences and the bonds we develop, why would we fish?

 

Y'all have a swell Christmas.

[lonefisher]

as you can see from my signature its got nothing to do with the fish..... Its all about the Jetboat

 

edited (sorry it was bad humour after dryflys post we musta both posted at the same time)

[reevesr1]

My signature implies that for me, it is about the fish. I love the friendships, time with nature, solitude when I need it, but I think the hookset trumps all. I don't need to catch fish to enjoy my time on the water, but I'm not convinced that I don't need the idea that it could be the next cast.

 

So maybe that's a big part of it for me, the anticipation.

[Castuserraticus]

For those who aren't familiar with Thoreau he spent just about 2 years (I'm uncertain about this time period) living a subsistence lifestyle on Walden Pond, a small lake on land owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson. He wanted to show people that much of what they sought in the pursuit of happiness was without meaning and that a simple life was more fulfilling. With product from a well tended garden and wild foods he lived quite well. (However, he also refused to pay taxes and avoided jail only through the generosity of friends.)

 

Fishing is a full on physical and mental experience for me. From the first decision to head out, picking the location, deciding the method, rigging up, reading the water at the specific spot, casting and managing the line, and fighting the fish. I don't have time to think about what I should be doing at work. It's very rejuvenating, especially since my success rate has picked up. It seems to be about the fish. Catching a fish is an attainable goal that is achievable only through your concentrated effort. It's a microcosm of life. But, there is never THE fish or THE experience that ends all pursuit. My pursuit has evolved as I've become less clumsy with my approach. I take time to observe the world around me. I can sit for some time watching the concentration of another fisherman completely lost in doing something they really enjoy. Some radiate a contentment and ease of effort that's mesmerizing.

 

I hadn't really thought of fishing in terms of a spiritual experience but many philosophers speak of how a connection to nature is essential to man's spirit. This was also a big part of Thoreau's message. With his increasing mastery of the subsistence skills, he had ample time to observe and understand the natural world around him.

[flyangler]

In this day and age, it would be hard to believe that of anyone but a commercial angler. And even then. . .

 

Certainly applies to a whole passel of human pursuits, I think. Our work, hobbies, loves, compulsions. Fishing has also exposed parts of me that no one likes, like jealousy, lust and greed. While out there getting my "vitamin O" for Outdoors, I connect with nature and also learn just how human and flawed I am. And how perfect and divine I could be, endowed with the abilities to see, touch, hear, smell and taste what the natural world has to offer. To understand how lucky this makes us is a true treasure.

 

Well, all that philosophizin' makes me thirsty. Who's up for a scotch?

[Hawgstoppah]

I think he's right. The older I get the more I realize... that I could care less wether or not I catch a fish, or how big it is. My fishing = spending time with old friends and making new ones. It's waaaaaaay more about hanging out, than the fishing part of it is just a huge bonus as it's an enjoyable pasttime.

[alhuger]

I think he's right. The older I get the more I realize... that I could care less wether or not I catch a fish, or how big it is. My fishing = spending time with old friends and making new ones. It's waaaaaaay more about hanging out, than the fishing part of it is just a huge bonus as it's an enjoyable pasttime.

 

I echo that. My best fishing memories are about my friends and family, not the fish.

 

-al

[Taco]

Of course it's all about the fish.. the place, the people and the memories just like Clive says.

 

http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?...&hl=circles

 

 

Merry Christmas all!

[Teck71]

Sorry Brownstone Never noticed you Sig line before I set mine to that quote, it was one of my Dad's favourites. So I have changed it But still like Thoreau

 

And am in total agreement some of the best days are when the fish teach you.

[ladystrange]

for me fishing is not about the fish, but about the experiience. the ability to learn somethin new, see new places, whether that be somewhere around the world or in my own back yard such as today, solstice fishing with Teck and Cheeler.

 

today started out early as most good fishing days do, in the tim hortons parking lot - where else. we threw our gear in the back of the van and headed off to the crow, a little conversation but more importantly was the comfort with those of your own, complete strangers yet not, somehow.

 

it was a blustery -4 in the paking lot by burmis lake when we arrived, complete with snow, either fresh or blowing from the nearby forests. mountains stood majesticly beyond the foothills. Wes showed and DBT was already lurking on some solitary stretch only to find us later down stream. Terry and (sorry i missed the name) dropped by to 'scout' for us. short story of yesterday's adventure were shared while gearing up. and a little teasing of clive, who started this journey for us by could not lead the charge.

 

Now, feeling a little silly in the michillen man get up, we treked off to the river. Terry mentioned the river had started to close up again even from the day before, so we wandered towards the hole above the 'tipped tree'. crossed the frozen river, sun just starting to peek out; the silence was overwhelming with serenity. the beauty of the moment not lost but appreciated. a moment to slow down and avoid sliding a$$ over teakettle across the frozen stretch yonder lay.

 

since there wasnt much open water to speak of, 4 of us lined the banks and prepared ourselves for the hours ahead. both Teck and I had a fish on and off again with in a few casts. DBT found us, we shared a smoke and recognition of again another perfect stranger whom we know well, without knowing him at all. Wes and DBT went off too find another adventure whilst the rest of us lingered next to this perfect pool.

 

the wind died, the ice floes moved on, leaving us to cast to the dark depths of the pool before us, chasing what we knew was there. us, ourselves, serenity and the spirit of the fishing gods we were honouring today. complete silence again over came our group, except for the small splashes of the nymphs landing in the seem and the odd cursing over the treetrout that instantiously grew behind us, which had not there when we arrived.

 

time stood still, a moment frozen, there i stood in a snowy bank above the seem, looking over my new friends. time did not exist, there was nothing beyond that moment. such a perfect day. we decided to move on after coming to the conclusion that if there had been anything in that pool, aside from the 2 whom had been stung and were not coming out to try their luck; any others had long since been harrassed in to seeking shelter somewhere else.

 

we meandered downstream to the next pool; after navigating 9 and 12 ft rods under trees hanging 5ft off the ground, through grass tall than I, logs, rock, snow, more ice and 'shrubs' 7 ft tall, we made it our destination. a sexy seem, deep and long, open with rocks for shelter. we had found the perfect hole. a cigar was had, flies changed and another new and beautiful pool lay just beyond the ice shelf. in trade, there were fewer tree trout here; however, the ice a little more hazardous. but calm water, calm air prevailed. 4 hours seem to pass by in days and seconds all at once. a white fish was caught and released to his home in the deep stretch.

 

another moment was had for reflection. and then we turned for home. i silently thanked the fishing god for a wonderful day and an incredible experience.

 

i fish not for the fish, but for days like this one.

[toolman]

That's awesome LS. Thanks for sharing your day with us.

[reevesr1]

So you guys only caught a whitie?

 

Kidding. Wish I could have been there. Very well told story there LS.

[ladystrange]

except for the poor gramer and spelling that i realized after, but i'm sleepy and would make more of a mess if i went back and did some editing. LOL.

 

it was my first whitie. we had a great day. i was hoping to meet you rickr. another time. i was also hoping to meet clive. but i did get to meet DBT, WesG, Teck, TerryH and Cheeler.

[reevesr1]

I think that sometimes stream of consciousness is the best way to tell a story. I enjoyed it.

[Teck71]

The perfect summation of our day LS,

[DonAndersen]

Ya' But!!!

 

Nearly all the talk on this web site and other FF sites is about gear, how-to & where to. What we say is important and is NOT reflected in the postings generally.

 

I don't know about you guys, but I fish to catch fish. Often said by anglers " I had a great day" which in angler speak means - I haven't caught anything If the object of the fishing is really to get away from it all, how 'bout choosing some out of the way place and quit mucking up the water for the rest of us.

 

I fish 'cause I like the challenge - the game if you will. Certainly the experience is heightened by friends or location, but the object of the game is to catch fish.

 

Now if I could just get a big hug from you all, maybe I'd really get into the Xmas spirit.

 

catch ya'

 

 

Don

[Teck71]

Well Don each takes from every experience something different. some enjoy the thrill of the take, some the fight, some the solitude and for what ever reason they have all the best to them

 

but no one is wrong in what they take, if they are respectful of the environment and other anglers all the power to ya

 

Teck

 

P.s. So that pickle in your butt today Don is it Kosher

[fisher26]

I don't know about you guys, but I fish to catch fish.

 

We all fish for different reasons.

 

I kind of think we all go through an evolutionary path in fishing... Some get stuck on thw fish; others end up fishing merely for the experience.

 

I lie somewhere in-between, but I don't think I've stopped evolving!

[DonAndersen]

fisher26,

 

Na, taint no pickle - just Xmas spirit rearing it's ugly head.

I'm still evolving as well. 'Bout made it full circle.

 

Still waiting for my group hug.

 

 

Don

[maxwell]

lmao don ur right on the money....its all about the game! adventure is great but its all apart of the game