There’s no getting away from the news these days. It attacks you from all angles – TV, I-phone, I-pad, your laptop, radio – and sadly, it is mostly bad. The warring between Republicans and Democrats, the nuclear threat from countries like Iran and North Korea, mass shootings, gang violence – the list goes on and on. Unfortunately the news does not give us much to smile about.
Here on Long Island, many people struggle to keep pace with rising taxes and the escalating cost of homes. Many anglers have reduced the amount of fishing they do as a result of less leisure time and the expense involved. Others have been discouraged by a decline in fishing opportunities, shortened seasons and bag limits that they feel do not justify the time and expense involved – winter flounder being a prime example.
There are other factors in play that are difficult to clearly define, but certainly impact on fishing time. Those in the “family stage” see time (well spent by the way) eroded by all of the activities that kids are engaged in these days. Attending those activities and chauffeuring sons and daughters to and from them, get priority over your fishing schedule, and deservedly so. While there is certainly some benefit to all of these structured activities, they don’t leave much time for kids to be kids. It is rare these days when I see youngsters fishing on their own.
The lucky ones have a parent, relative or family friend to take them along, but few can go fishing on their own. The days of kids spending their day at a local lake or dock getting connected to nature and the outdoors have become increasingly rare.
For us adults, all of the things that conspire to take us away from fishing impact us in other less obvious ways. You don’t need a medical degree to know that stress is a byproduct of hectic schedules and financial issues, which leads me to the point of this diatribe. It goes without saying that we all go fishing to catch fish. It’s a pretty simple equation that if there were no fish to catch there would be no incentive to invest time, money and effort into the fishing game. But fishing should be much more than just going out to catch fish. Once we get past the need for fish to be present, there are a host of other reasons to ensure we continue to fish.
More than once, I’ve booked a beat on the Connetquot River and never made a cast. Just being in that environment served to slow the world down and refresh my perspective on life. The same can be said of trips to the beach when catching a fish was furthest from my mind. The peace and tranquility of a river or the sea is sometimes the best medicine.
There is no better way to define quality time spent with family and friends than to fish together. Getting away from some of life’s more mundane chores with those you love or care about, even for a few hours, is tough to put a price tag on. And if you enjoy eating fish there is always the chance that you might return home with some fresh fillets, even if that is not the trip’s primary goal.
Probably the biggest reason to budget some time for fishing is the relief it can provide from the stress and toils of daily life in a world gone crazy with instant gratification and little down time.
Whether you choose to go it alone, or with family and friends, fishing remains the best and cheapest therapy out there. As Herbert Hoover once wrote, “there is no better way to cleanse the soul than to go fishing.” Amen to that.
