After reading Quetico Mike's thread on % of time fishing, it got me thinking... Is fishing really relaxing ?

When I think about my Relaxing, get away from the hustle and bustle of my everyday life fishing trips, they are anything but relaxing and taking it easy. It seems I spend all my time seeking to find the "Spot on the Spot". Endless days trolling around vast expanses of the lake, eyes on the depth finder for hours on end, fighting the wind, weather, and heat, and cold, just to catch a fish that I seldom keep.

If I go for an hour without catching a fish or 20, I immediately break out in a cold sweat, cursing at myself for not being able to outsmart a creature with a brain as small as a pea. I then try 543 different lures in succession, say just about as many cuss words in succession until I find the fish again!! Boy this has been a relaxing day!!

Even when I get into a school of 3 to 4 pound Walleyes, I'm still not happy because I want a 10 pound fish. So I leave the good fishing spot to find a better fishing spot, and the whole cycle starts again.

At the end of the day I find myself miles from camp paddling back into a strong headwind, hungry, tired and cold. My eyes are paying no attention to all the beauty that is all around me, but are glued to that fricken depth finder that is sitting directly under my thwart.

When I get to camp , which was a bitch because it is dark, I find myself swearing at all the mosquitoes as I try to start the campfire. I guess my question is why as I am snug in my tent do I think I had the best, most "relaxing day of my life?" Am I the only one that finds this fun. Please tell me know!!

Its a labor of love Wallee, a labor of love :-) p.s. A little less time fishing walleyes means a lot less time staring at the depth finder.

Freedom + persistence + challenge + anticipation + rejuvenation + exhaustion = relaxation

For me it is the zen-like single-mindedness. It is not what you are doing, but rather what you are NOT doing that makes it relaxing. Fishing is an elemental human endeavor. It is meditative and refreshing.

On the other hand, it can really piss you off.

Ha! A man after my own heart. Fishing is anything but relaxing when I engage in piscatorial pursuits. I am hardly ever interested in catching small fish and will only hang with a pod of small walleyes because I know there is likely to be a big northern around,

I always mock and shake my head when I read that bumper sticker talking about the worst day of fishing being better than the best day at work.......um, let me tell you about my worst day of fishing........

But nevertheless I'm definitely a fish head, no doubt about it. Not catching big ones? Then it's time to try a different spot, a different depth or a different lures . And yes, always fishing until just after dark.........only to be severely punished!

When I was younger and a intense fisherman I use to worry about catching fish.

Now I don't, I bring enough food now so I don't have to.

quote lundojam: "For me it is the zen-like single-mindedness. It is not what you are doing, but rather what you are NOT doing that makes it relaxing. Fishing is an elemental human endeavor. It is meditative and refreshing.

On the other hand, it can really piss you off."

+1 when all the works like its made too and then very relaxing. But you can't count on it

The way I fish is not relaxing. I don't go to Quetico to relax. The only time fishing is relaxing is when you aren't really fishing. You might have a line in the water but you really aren't paying too much attention to it. You float in your canoe and take in all of the wonder that surrounds you. You look up to the big white clouds floating in the cobalt blue sky, you view the mirror reflection on the lake, you smell the pine scent blowing in from the woods, you see a wolf jogging along the shoreline, an eagle soars over your head, you listen to the loon wail, and you think to yourself that it really doesn't get much better than this. Then you are relaxing. Quetico is not a vacation, it is an adventure, no two days are the same, it is a big beautiful place with a spiritual existence residing within its borders. I love to fish and it is my passion. When I fish I am not relaxing, I am thinking and I am working. Every now and then you just have to stop and smell the pine.

I guess I relax now because I fish the same water. I still explore and try to fish new lakes every year while still nailing them on the old spots. To me the whole northwoods experience is what it is all about. Believe me im all about the fishing. Setting up camp. Listening to the loons and occasional pack of wolves. Gathering wood. Cooking on the fire. Sitting in a relaxing chair as I sip my oh give or take 4 fingers of dark bacardi rum. Find my way to bed and get up and relax all over again.... Fishing up north is more than relaxing. Fishing where we do Wallee is not relaxing. Im talking Illinois and Mississippi rivers is not relaxing.. Get up north on a lake you know. Start catching some fish, get your blood pumping. Sit back and relax and think... I wonder what all the people driving in the fast lane are doing tonite. Relax smell them roses...while might I add and eat some of the best fresh water fish available. Ok pardon me while I go get my turkey gear ready while I finish my last finger of rum;)

You're doing it all wrong. I throw a leach on a lindy rig and slowly paddle, looking at the different campsites, gazing at the palisades, watching the wildlife, etc. I let lyonboy stress over how to catch the fish. Then when he figures out what's working, I check out what he is doing and start doing the same thing.

quote Captn Tony: "You're doing it all wrong. I throw a leach on a lindy rig and slowly paddle, looking at the different campsites, gazing at the palisades, watching the wildlife, etc. I let lyonboy stress over how to catch the fish. Then when he figures out what's working, I check out what he is doing and start doing the same thing. "

I think I will try that this year capt !!!!

Stu Osthoff covers this topic (among many others) in the Spring BWJ. In summary, his premise is that "Wilderness Canoeing at the Highest Level" is the opposite of a vacation. It is an adventure, with specific goals that need to be achieved. He busts his ass on the portages with huge packs for long days to get to just the right 5 star camp, the spot on the spot for a species of fish, etc. He does the extra work to bring more food so the group can eat amazing meals, and takes bigger tents so the group has comfortable accommodations. It seems to be more about knowing that you have the right gear, and mindset, to meet and beat whatever challenges the wilderness throws your way.

It goes on and on for about 10 pages, and I don't agree with all of it, but I have to say the guy is an animal.