What do men get out of going fishing? It's uncomfortable, dirty, stinking,?

Question

boring. There's bugs, bees, snakes. Then there's chicken liver, worms, ewwwwww. I can go to the store and buy plenty of fresh fish, cleaned and boned, ready to cook, for what they pay for a fishing license and bait and the time wasted! What is the facination? (Plus, I don't have to screw up a whole day for a pan ful of fish either!) Please explain this to me.

Don't say because it's "fun". I see no fun in it. It's only fun for a boring and lazy person maybe!

I'm not a nag, thank you very much, your ignorance

Marlo M......I'm not a "city slicker" first of all. I grew up on a family farm in Maryland. Second, I'm not afrain to get my hands dirty. I find fishing discusting, sorry your close minded to not be able to understand that. Are you a hillbilly? You insinuated that I'm a city slicker! You need to answer questions more approprately before making insults.

Answer 1

Well...first of all it's good to get up off the couch.
Fresh air and nature.
Adventure.
Good buddies company.
Good food (if your lucky).
What's not to like?
It's a guy thing.

Answer 2

enn is a woman after my own heart. Just wanted to say that first before I forgot. I'd never be able to say it any better than she did, but ya know what? I'm gonna try anyway!

Yes, you can go to the store and buy plenty of "fresh"* fish. But do you realize that 95% or more of all commercial fish stock is GONE? Yep. It's a fact. We're already working on only about 20% or so of some fish species that we didn't even consider food fish 20 years ago.... who ate tilapia back in the 80's? Oh, what's it matter if the fish die off, they're just fish, it doesn't affect me, does it?

Enjoyment of fishing translates (or at least should) into enjoyment of the outdoors and of nature. Enjoyment of nature equals the desire to conserve what we have. I am what I call a Rooseveldt style conservationist. I want there to be enough of everything that if I want to go out and eat one, I can.

True fresh fish outperforms grocery store "fresh" any day, obviously, no one's ever cooked fish very well for you, or you'd know the difference.

Yep, put me out on the kayak paddling alongside a pod of dolphin or worrying if the manatees realize I'm there or not. I'll have my rod and reel with me, whether I use it or not....

uncomfortable? bring a chair.
dirty? if all you have to worry about is dirt getting on you, there's a problem.
stinking? I don't see it, but maybe it's just that I grew up as thinking of the smells of nature being just that... natural.... muck after rain, i'll admit... not something I'd wear as perfume, but I do love the smell.....
boring? find something that interests you other than yourself and maybe it wouldn't be so boring.
bugs? bees? Insect repellent, and bees make honey.
Snakes? added bonus.
chicken liver? worms? plastic lures. or get over it.

And really, no, you can't buy more fish than we can catch with the price of a fishing license. Here in Florida for a year, it's $25 for basic saltwater license. $2 and change a month. If you're cooking up a mess of fish every month that you've bought for less than $3, remind me to NEVER come to your house for fish. Not that I would, anyway, because I only eat fish that I know where it was caught, who caught it, and how long it's been in the fridge.... Just the way it works.

Also, as mentioned, fishing is a wonderful way to step away from the daily grind.

You give "girl" a bad meaning. Sorry, but it's true. Why doncha sit home and enforce the stereotypes, I'll be out enjoying myself.

*As long as you don't worry about how long it's been sitting or how it was shipped, because most of the "fresh" fish in grocery stores.... *shudder*

Answer 3

Sometimes the most enjoyable part of angling is simply getting outdoors and away from the typical stresses that our lives seem to accumulate. A day or afternoon on the lake with no traffic jams, no nagging bosses, no cell phones ringing, etc. can certainly rejuvenate one's soul.

Also being able to mimic Mother Nature with a fake lure and entice a fish to eat it is quite a challenge at times. It's not all about the catching...it's about the experience.

Answer 4

Take a pole, tie some fishing line to it, and tie a piece of sparkly fluff to the line, and dangle it in front of a kitty, and watch that little paw reach out and grab it, and you feel that little tug...
It's like that, but in a $50,000 Bass boat on a beautiful lake in the middle of the forest and no one but the bugs to bug you while you think. (Hence the invention of insect repellent, which does work.) Or on the side of a gorgeous mountain stream where you are the only one around and the natural swimming pool formed by the granite rocks fed by a sparkling waterfall looks so good on a hot day you just dive right in sans - uhm, never mind. Or you are casting out on the beach when the sun comes out and the waves are just right and you catch a glimpse of the dolphins chasing the schools of sardines past your line. And sometimes you feel that little tug and you reel in a gorgeous Rainbow Trout that cooks up just beautifully in the cast-iron fry pan back at camp.
Tell you what, you go to the store and buy your fresh fish, I'll go to all those places by myself and enjoy myself without so many complaining bitter people around. I'll go hang out with the guys. Like I always have because all the other girls were so lame and preferred to paint their toenails instead of hike up to the top of Yosemite Falls or jump in the water and (gasp!) get wet at the beach.
Be having fun without ya!

Answer 5

I guess the same way non-city slickers like myself enjoy fishing. It's the excitement of the fish being on the hook and tugging. It's peaceful and you get to just enjoy yourself or be with some friends or your significant other, drink a beer or a glass of wine whichever. My suggestion is never move to Alaska! That's for sure. Usually people that are closed minded or what's the word I'm looking for...hmm not being able to get your hands dirty just wouldn't understand.

Answer 6

I think its the serenity and calmness of being out on the open waters and the excitement of catching something big. Most people I know don't go catching for the fish themselves but for some down time and to get away from the outside world. If you can get past all that stuff you said, its IMMMENNSELLYYY relaxing...

Answer 7

It isn't really about the fishing. It's a mini-vacation. Away from EVERYTHING there really is to bother you, just sitting with your buddies, or your thoughts, or really whatever company you enjoy best.

I've come to learn that anything enjoyable can be oversimplified in a negative light:

Football= Big guys bashing each other and running around with a ball

Basketball=Tall guys bashing each other, running around with a ball

Boxing=Buff guys bashing each other...(no balls involved)

My point being; there are enjoyable positives that are being overlooked when you look at things in broad sweeping strokes.

Answer 8

well fishing to some people is a sport. Relaxing & drinking a few beers helps.... Yes u spend money. Yes it can be boring although depending on the person like i said its relaxing... lol Easy was to be LAZY

Answer 9

For the majority of us, its not about the actual catching of fish. Its about spending time in the outdoors and reveling in the beauty of it. I am sure that some will say it goes back to mans desire to be a hunter/gatherer or that its something that is hardwired into their psyche.

Answer 10

Interesting. You call others who don't share your opinion "close minded", and yet when YOU don't "get it" about fishing, you insult the hundreds of millions of people world-wide who love fishing by refering to it in very derogatory terms. You are the one with the closed mind.