Getting out of fishing.

[bassninja]

I don't know. If its something you truly love you will likely find a way to make time for it. I doubt many people say I really love sex, but I just can't find time for it.

If you get off on fishing then I guess that's your thing.

People grow and change. I use to love fishing til I started tournament fishing. Now it's a love/hate thing. This isn't strictly an "enthusiasts" forum so you don't have to have something wrong with you to stop fishing. Maybe if I had as much money as some people do to afford buying expensive gear and taking the boat and truck out then I would, but it's really getting out of hand with these high prices on gear.

I hope you guys aren't bank fishermen with your nice gear. Wouldn't make any sense to me as to why you would want to spend money on gear like that to bank fish and claim to love fishing. A boat opens up a whole new world like fishing with nice gear does. Nothing like flying down the lake early morning wind in your face. Things add up and priorities come into play. Fishing really exhaust time and money more so than anything I can imagine.

So I guess only boat owners can "claim" to love fishing or can buy high end gear? I'm not getting that statement at all. Fishing is fishing, regardless of the gear you use. High end gear just makes it more enjoyable, no matter from shore or from boat.

[bassninja]

not everyone can afford to own a boat and truck to trailer it everywhere....or even have the space to put a boat at home...nothing wrong with bank fishing...ive done my majority of time fishing from the banks and have had days where its been even better than fishing from a boat....obviously i would rather be out on the water and have the luxury of having a good friend that owns a boat that takes me out with him....or on occasion i've rented boats for daily trips too....to me..fishing is getting out and getting a line in the water....catching them is just a bonus....lol..

Oh I can understand everything you said and agree.

I got to the point where it just doesn't make any sense anymore to keep going at this rate of buying all this crazy gear and only bank fishing. I don't own crazy expensive gear but I also don't have a boat. I fish with others that have a nice rig and I can't see myself ever getting there so I chose to tone down and possibly taking a break from this all. It's just not feasible and it's not because there is something physically wrong with me. It's just you have to step back and realize that it's not going to kill you if you stop fishing.

In the end, its what matters to the individual. I can't see myself forking out that much for a nice rig and only being able to fish once a week. The amount I'm paying doesn't justify the cost. I would rather take that money do something else with it. Some people think that one day is worth it to them, to me, it isn't. I also tournament fished this past season and it was ridiculous. Pre fish every weekend and free nights then top it off with tournament fees. It's sickening. Add the gas too and its nuts. It then dawned on me why the top end stuff doesnt push as much as the lower end. The reason why a Curado is so great and why Daiwa fails in the game. Go build a aresenal of Steez's and Zillions paired with Megabass rods all the while doing the tournament thing. Good LUCK! Boat payment and truck payment as well as house payment too! Then the family needs. Oh my.

I worked at a tackle store and had a customer come in and spend like $5-600 weekly, no lie, but he banked fished. I asked him why he didn't just get a boat and he said he couldn't afford it. He had a new truck and everything so towing wasn't the problem.

I looked at the picture I wanted to paint for myself and realized that I don't have enough paint so I don't mind getting out of it for now. Who am I kidding though.

Fishing in it's purest form is just about having a good time. Whether it be with family, friends or just you by yourself. If you don't fish for that sole reason, then yeah, it could be time for you to find a new hobby. I can see that for a lot of us on here, fishing could end up being a life long thing. Like the saying goes, "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work".

[legendaryyaj]

So I guess only boat owners can "claim" to love fishing or can buy high end gear? I'm not getting that statement at all. Fishing is fishing, regardless of the gear you use. High end gear just makes it more enjoyable, no matter from shore or from boat.

Fishing from a boat is FAR more enjoyable than from shore with not so high end gear. That is my own opinion so to each their own.

You can have your cliche saying, but its not entirely true. Not saying I live the life of a pro, but I lived the small tournament life and it's just as much as work. Sitting in the office making money is good for me at times. In the end, its not that I don't enjoy it, it's that I'm not rich enough to enjoy it to how I want. Fishing isn't just your definition nor mine. I think we can agree that hobbies can sometimes get out of hand. Good for you if it doesn't.

[offdahook]

i actually think fishins waste of time...unless u bring home tons fish for friend and fam

[Afrayedknot]

i actually think fishins waste of time...unless u bring home tons fish for friend and fam

[lpquick]

i actually think fishins waste of time...unless u bring home tons fish for friend and fam

My feelin egsactly reedin ur post!

[facelessnewsouth]

I stopped fishing for about a year recently. Didn't have time at first, had responsibilities, bought a new house, moved, tried out some different hobbies...but I came back because I like it. I don't have a boat, I fish from the shore, and I don't buy super expensive gear most of the time, and that's fine. I like the nice gear, it makes it more enjoyable for sure, but I do it cause it's fun. I guess if it stops being fun, it's time to hang it up.

[Ong Jim]

Every statement has it's place, just like fishing has it place. I started bank fishing with my dad at the age of 4 and love it. But there was a time in my life where school, work, and life took over and halted fishing for about 5 years. It wasn't until 2009 when I slowly started fishing again using an Ugly Stick with a beat up Okuma spinning reel. Then I came across this site and seen what guys are using and said I can't see myself using those gears. Now I have a couple of Steez, Zillions, Plutons , and Certates. At one point, I was up to 19 combos and bank fishing. It wasn't until last year that my cousins and I pitched in and got a multi species boat. But I could still be found busting the banks for carp or bait fishing with sardine for stripers with Steez in hand.

As mention previous by other members, fishing is about getting the line wet regardless on a boat or on the bank. And fishing is a privilege not all could afford. I seen people give up a lot more than fishing for a loved one. So giving up fishing isn't that significant. We are all blessed to enjoy this hobby.

[Teal101]

I beat the bank 90% of the time when fishing and have high end gear. I enjoy it tremendously. I can get into some nasty spots taking a boat into would be stupid. I can also fish smaller waters boats are not allowed. I catch fish, lots of them usually, from shore. Would I like to have a boat, you bet. Will not having one stop me from having the best gear I can get and having an awesome time using it? No way. Fishing from the bank has taught me a lot about fishing in general, things I can apply to fishing from a boat.

This is a sport I can not see myself ever giving up. From cheap gear to high end, from young to old, from ponds to lakes. It does not matter how I get out to fish, what I use, or where, I'm in this sport because I enjoy it. The day I stop enjoying it is the day I give it up. That is a day I do not see ever happening.

[joeyblackwood]

In San Diego, owning a boat is a big issue, space is limited and many lakes have huge restrictions to the point some only allow you to use their rental boats. Everyone knows about the epic fish Dottie caught at Lake Dixon in sd county, that lake only allows rental boats, so if you are dreaming of catching a record breaker, you don't even need a boat to do so. The worst bit is finding a safe place to store your boat. Many are forced to just stick them on the street as garages here are tiny even if the home cost over $1 million. In my town you are better off not owning a boat and just renting and spend ur cash on gear.

BTW, I'm one of those guys who got out of fishing a couple of times, but luckily I always had gear that keeps its value and didn't get ripped off in the sell off. I recommend gloomis and classic shimano to those who want the best return should they b forced to sell like in a cross country move where u need cash fast, like in my situations.

[fishingman88]

I would never personally call it quits on fishing for the rest of my life at any point, but I can definitely see taking an extended break. Life can change very quickly and priorities change as well which leads to not fishing sometimes. I used to think fishing was everything, but as I get a bit older I realize that I do love spending more of my time helping others and finding a deeper purpose for my life.

[grumpydog]

After growing up fishing small water with whatever tackle I could afford, I ended up with a beach cabin and spending major bucks on beach tackle. No time for fresh water anymore. Came a hurricane, lost cabin and all gear. Didnt have the heart to go thru that again, so ended up with lake place, and spending lots of bucks on fresh water gear, as high end as I can afford. Having a blast, but...
I still think the most fun we have is sitting on the dock with home made cane poles and a bucket of crickets, tearing up the perch.

[ezcue]

Good post with a lot of insight. I stopped..for a long time. My issue was a divorce, hang on. In the divorce I lost my fishing partner. I tried to stay with it and every time I went little things would happen that reminded me of, well, the past. I ended up selling the boat and just packing everything away from 2006 to 2009. I met someone that loves to fish as much as I except it is inshore/flats fishing. I still have some of my favorite bass gear and she lives on a lake. I slowly began fishing again, purchased a pond prowler for the lake and year before last pulled the trigger on a NauticStar 2110SE bay boat. I doubt I will ever quite again. However, like several other poster I completely understand extended absence. I had it as bad as anyone at my high water mark and still feel the tug of the JDM stuff. I cannot help but think how a big redfish would feel on that Megabass Destroyer gathering dust in the corner of my fishing room. I can tell you this, there was a huge hole in my life for those years and I was not truly complete until I began fishing again.

[Martin Lo]

I agree, with all the time and money I’ve spent? I will NEVER give up fishing the hobby and sport I love! I told my kids and my fiance that if I die please bury me with 5 of my beloved things, CQ51, Stella 5000, Monobloc Topaz, I’Ze light and my custom Colt Commander 1911.

...the CQ, I'ze and 1911.
Would you consider a 3D printed copy? Someone living would be looking for them and I heard in Vahalla resin fishing and hunting gear is all the rage...

[Sore Thumb]

I can not see myself giving up fishing. The outdoor life and fishing in particular are my passion. Even when work, or, just life in general has taken me away from the water, I have found a way to reach some lonely water hole and fish. When I work outback, it can be a long, long off road trip to find a waterhole that may or may not have fish in it. Long droughts play havoc with a fragile ecosystem, then floods come and nature springs to life. I have never seen catching fish to be a bonus, every minute spent fishing I try to learn some thing, try something new and sure I dont catch fish every trip but the chance to be there is THE BONUS. If I can borrow a phrase, when I go I hope they are pulling a fishing rod out of my cold dead hand.