I have enjoyed fishing for a long time and truly believe a lot of valuable life lessons can be learned from participating in this wonderful activity.
I especially enjoy fishing with family and friends as it’s one of the best ways to spend quality time and create lifetime memories.
And there’s just something about catching, preparing and eating wild fish that satisfies me on a powerfully primal level of which I make no apologies!
Many of the same qualities needed to succeed and enjoy fishing are also the same ones that will allow you to lead a productive and quality life.
Fishing teaches you to practice the following habits and qualities if you want to be successful at it:
When to be patient
There are times you have to give your fishing plan a chance to work before constantly trying something else.
For example, you may be in a good spot, but the tide phase may not have triggered a bite yet or the scent of your bait or chum may need a little time to entice the fish to your line.
I won’t wait around forever before switching to plan “B” – but being a little patient with my current fishing plan has many times produced memorable catches.
When to take action
When your current plan is producing no fish and you have lost confidence, it’s time to switch up your tactics.
I may need to move to a different spot with different structure, change up the lure or bait presentation, find better water temperature or cleaner water or focus on a different water depth to name a few courses of action.
But once you do decide on a new plan, have confidence and fish it hard in an engaged, confident manner before trying something new.
Environmental awareness and care
Physically being out on the water gives you the ultimate appreciation and perspective of how beautiful and sensitive our environment is.
There is nothing more disturbing than seeing man made debris and garbage in our waterways.
The folks I fish with all know to not litter and we all are conditioned to even pick up litter wherever we see it in order to dispose of it properly back at port.
This is a great lesson and example to set for your kids which I have found not only makes them great stewards of the environment, but opens the door for other meaningful life conversations and learning opportunities.
Team work and social bonding
I do a lot of ocean/bay fishing from many size boats with family, friends and new acquaintances.
We all will work as a team and each agree upon our responsibilities to position us all for success and have a fun, productive and stress free trip.
We all chip in for agreed upon expenses, show up on time and share information to plan our fishing trip.
We have set duties to perform, but we also remain flexible to fill in where necessary.
For example, someone needs to run the boat, help with launching and docking, take care of and prepare bait, man the anchor, manage chumming, netting/gaffing fish, snag bait/throw cast net, monitor fish finder/electronics/weather and clean the day’s catch along with the boat too.
You won’t always succeed
I always have the confidence to catch fish and expect to produce, but sometimes things don’t work out.
The best plans can go awry and they will no matter how prepared you think you are.
These are the types of fishing trips that you need to learn from and study the variables that may have detracted from your success.
Learn from those poor trips and compensate with a better plan next time.
Always have a plan
It’s rare to succeed without a plan.
Plan for safety, weather, comfort, fish species targeted, bait/lures, reliable tackle, food, water, first aid etc.
Good plans usually bring good, consistent results and promote quality trips without stress, confusion, hype and drama
Managing your expectations
I used to be disappointed when I had high, often unrealistic expectations of what a good fishing trip should constitute.
I wouldn’t be satisfied unless we all caught our limits and had non-stop action all day which in hindsight was an unsatisfying, mostly frustrating goal to keep chasing
My expectations are now tempered to having a safe trip, catching a few fish for the table and enjoying the company of quality family and friends.
While I still have confidence to catch, I find our trips are way more enjoyable when we back down our expectations and open our minds to the total experience
How to create your own good luck.
Fishing will teach you how to actively improve your outcomes.
This is done through trial and error, thoughtful planning and having a flexible attitude and desire to put the necessary time and effort in.
And yes, every so often you will haphazardly luck into a banner fishing trip without really trying.
This is the exception and not the rule so focus on creating your own luck for more consistent and rewarding trips.
How to read ever changing conditions.
Fishing teaches you to read, adapt and choose responses to ever changing conditions in order to create positive outcomes
The weather may suddenly change, tides may not be acting normal, there may be boat problems, equipment and tackle may fail, someone forgot to bring what they were supposed to or the fish just aren’t cooperating.
Your experience and ability to deal with these issues and develop ways to deal with unexpected/undesirable situations will forge you into a solid angler for sure.
Being receptive to learning
Don’t think you’re a “know it all.”
There’s always someone out there with more fishing skills and knowledge than you.
I constantly seek out and identify anglers with greater skills than my own and either respectfully approach them to learn from them or purchase/study their books, videos, blogs etc.
Solid anglers realize learning is a life long journey of collecting skills/knowledge and building relationships and knowing when and how to apply these acquired skills.
Be generous with your knowledge
Finally, be generous with your fishing knowledge that you have acquired.
But only to those respectful and responsible enough to learn from you.
I will help those who listen and not take my knowledge for granted or betray my trust if I tell them not to repeat certain information to the masses like a specific fishing spot.
When you think about all the concepts outlined above, these are the same habits to master that will serve you well when navigating life’s many challenges too.
Not a bad analogy if I do say so myself!
Now- wish me luck, but I prefer to actively create my own!
Related Posts: Finally Achieve Financial Freedom
Related Posts: The Only Ways To Get Rich
Related Posts: Slay Your Nasty Personal Dragons Every Day
I’m Mark Mellohusky ( Mellow-Husky)
An often barefoot eternal student of health and physical culture who will not go quietly into the sunset since I have learned how to age gracefully by adopting sane eating strategies, staying strong, lean and living life pain free and mobile.
All without spending hours haunting gyms doing hours of sappy low value media endorsed exercises or gulping down expensive questionable supplements.
I treat the world and people for what and who they are – not how I want them to be!
If you treat me good, I will treat you better.
If you treat me bad, I will treat you worse.
There’s a sparkle in my eyes and iron in my thighs!
Thoughts To Ponder
Money can buy you freedom and flexibility, but the happiness part is up to YOU
Nothing on the menu at Taco Bell, Mcdonalds or Dunkin Donuts will improve your immune system
Sometimes people are on a bad path and all they do is produce misery and chaos. You can’t help them, so you must detach
Never blame others for your bad decisions – Just learn from them and refrain from repeating.
If they call an orange an orange, why don’t they call a banana a yellow?