Why Do We Fish?

There was a time way back in our early history when the question of why we fish had a simple and direct answer — to put food on the table. While many of us still enjoy a good fish dinner on occasion, we would be hard-pressed to say that our fishing outings are strictly for the purpose of providing food for the family; I’ve tried that line of reasoning, but my wife isn’t buying it.

A recent discussion with a fly-fishing buddy, Doug Zehner, had us both examining the question more closely of why we fish. Doug is an outstanding fly fisherman who, like me, takes it very seriously and puts a lot of time into the activity.

As we talked about it, the question came up, “Is it a numbers game”? I’ll admit it; I’ve kept a careful written record of all my fishing outings for at least the past fifteen years; that includes how many of what species I caught and what I used to catch them. A lot of other pertinent information goes into the record book as well. But even though I keep such careful records, it’s still not a numbers game for me; and Doug, who is just as serious about his fishing, agreed that’s it’s not about “how many” but more about the actual act of fishing.

That being said, it is also true that when I go fishing, I definitely like to catch fish, and I’ll admit that a little friendly numbers competition between my wife and me or with some of my fishing buddies adds to the enjoyment of a fishing outing. So, while my fishing friends and I don’t take “how many and how big” too seriously, that’s not always the case — if you’ve watched any of the professional bass fishing tournaments on TV, you know what I mean. There is often some big money involved, which helps drive the fishermen’s fast-paced action — set the hook hard, reel like crazy, hoist the fish into the boat as fast as possible, and quickly make the next cast. Years ago, I fished in several area bass tournaments, and I could see myself getting caught up a bit in that kind of action.

So obviously, it’s not about money for the vast majority, and having the most every time isn’t a top priority either, so why do we seem to enjoy it so much? Probably a couple of reasons, one of which is just getting out and enjoying the great outdoors and soaking in God’s wonderful creation.

Truth is, though, we could soak in the great outdoors by simply taking a hike — no need to wade into a creek and carry a fishing rod, or is that actually a part of it? In addition to getting out and enjoying the outdoors, fishing also offers us a unique challenge, and that’s where the rod and lure come into play. There’s something exciting about knowing that you were able to “trick” that fish into taking your offering and that sudden bump that puts a bend into the rod still brings a smile to your face.

So that’s my theory on why we fish. Want to test that theory? Take a little kid fishing for the first time and watch what happens. They hold the little rod or try to, and they don’t seem all that interested; they might even want to put the rod down and play in the water. But watch what happens when they feel a fish throbbing and pulling at the other end of the rod — a big smile and obvious excitement.

Trust me, while that smile and the excitement may not be as obvious, that bump and bend in the rod are still just as enjoyable now as they were those many years ago.