50 Reasons to be Happy- Fishing

Reason #48- Fishing

My dad never had time to take me fishing, but I managed to find friends to fish with. In fact, one of my best fishing buds was so into it that he opened a tackle shop and guide service. The last time he and I fished together, we had driven up the California coast and hopped on a full-day party boat in Monterey. We each caught so many we had to stop with a couple of hours to go because our arms were too sore to hold the deep-sea rods. After processing, Jack (yes, we were a pair of Jacks) had 52 pounds of luscious filleted meat and I had 37 pounds, both the tops on the boat that day.

I had a few significant fishing days with other friends, too. Scott introduced me to barracuda fishing, or “backaruda,” as we used to purposely mispronounce it. Barracuda feed in groups by swimming beneath large schools of anchovies and eating the small fish from the bottom, forcing the whole school up out of the water with nowhere else to go. This causes a 20- or 30-yard-wide ocean “boil” as the anchovies continually try to escape from being eaten. A fishing boat, having noticed the boil, would pull up close enough to cast across it with 12-inch-long jigs or lures. We would cast and retrieve as fast as we could, reeling in catches of the 3-4-foot-long barracuda, unhooking them in the boat and casting back out. Speed was of the essence, because the feeding frenzy could end as quickly as it erupted.

I have fished for both salt-water and fresh-water species, from shore or from a boat, guided or not, in a dozen or so states, including Alaska, Florida, California, Washington, Kansas and others. I’m looking forward to getting a Texas license as soon as we settle in at our winter space. [Note: Texas does not have annual or monthly non-resident fishing passes, so this didn’t happen. However, a temp fishing license is included in all state park pass fees.] One problem with fishing as we move around the country is that I have to purchase a non-resident license wherever I go. Florida conveniently sells annual licenses to out-of-staters, but they seem to be the exception. All-in-all, non-resident license cost keeps fishing from being a desirable activity everywhere we visit.

There are many things about angling that can make you happy, starting with the adage that a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day of working. Experiencing nature and wildlife is always something I appreciate, and the entire pace of the sport is calming. It’s difficult to feel stressed when you are watching your pole for a bite. Like many outdoor activities, sharing them with friends and family can help strengthen those relationships. Like camping, you can improve your self-esteem by learning to master several outdoor skills at once.

Many a great fishing spot requires a long or strenuous hike (or it probably wouldn’t be so great), another physical activity to improve your health. Then there’s the thrill of the catch and the taste of the freshly grilled feast.

Fishing is a lifetime skill and can be enjoyed at any age. I’ve been fishing for over 50 years and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

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There is a great quote from President Herbert Hoover that would be appropriate to share here: “Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers.”

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Trappings of the Years

The Life and Times of Jack Huber