Head scratcher?

[kennethdaysale]

There are lots and lots of things that I just can't understand. Suicide, homosexuality, unsweetened tea and the list goes on and on. One of the biggest ones hit me right between the eyes this morning. An old friend that I haven't talked to in years happened to call me. For well over twenty years we were best fishing buddies. From 1980 til 2000 we fished together all over the southeast. Shared countless hours in the boat, caught countless fish. but beyond that we were also just plain close. You know...he was one of those guys you could call at 2am in a jam and he'd be there for you etc etc. I considered it an honor to be his friend.

So during our talk this morning I of course asked him how the fishing was out there (CA). His response--I haven't been fishing in 5 years---just sorta lost interest. I still and will always consider him a good friend but I think I would have been better able to understand if he had blurted out something less off the wall.........like I'm gay now.

Oh well.

[Marty]

It's not a head scratcher to me. I've gotten heavily into many hobbies only to lose interest in them after a while. I've even given up fishing a couple of times and came back. But it's easy for me to understand someone giving up an interest because I've done it so often.

[joedog]

I really don't understand much at all. People especially.
I do feel there are only two true emotions that all of man's actions are based on. And that's...To acquire happiness or to avoid pain.

Sometimes it's as simple as he enjoyed fishing with you! As opposed too fishing itself?
Bottom line...you'll always have the MEMORIES!

[bassinbob]

Sometimes I wonder, and other times I just don't know. Gave up hunting but will never give up fishing.

[lilmule]

I had a good buddy we fished together a lot,I moved hes still mad at me.
Many a day i dont go fishing simply because no company its a rough lake,eq old,and a bottle of Nitrostat isnt the best company just reassuring.
But havnt quit all together recently started fishing aba T again but as a nonboater,2 T in, fish both times.373 pts , ranked 182 so far but just early birds as more t occur later will drop back.But in the mean time have another dec 1 at pickwick,yeah an away T,should hop up a bit more,but who knows.

[WallStreetAmigo]

You had me at unsweetened tea....WTF is that all about anyway??????

I have sort of been in your friends shoes for the past few years. I have not fished often at all, and while work and family have been a big part of that it is also the fact that I got pretty bored going out by myself all the time. One of my best fishing buddies got into another hobby so we went less and less. So I ultimately found it tougher to get up and go.

EDIT: Having a big chunk of my fishing rods, reels, lures, baits, and other gear stolen did not help as it will take me years to replace it all.

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by WallStreetAmigo

You had me at unsweetened tea....WTF is that all about anyway??????

I am unable to comprehend unsweetened tea. I'm guessing the same people must enjoy a spoonful of alum washed down with a glass of Quinine then have a shot of straight Vermouth before bed?

[keithdog]

I'm going to lay odds that where your friend moved to, he hasn't found anyone to enjoy fishing with, and over time, lost the drive to go. Myself, I enjoy fishing alone. I enjoy the peace and quiet of solitude. Having a fishing partner is enjoyable too! But for your partner, not having you there to fish with probably is why he has stopped fishing. He enjoyed the comradery.

[66KingFisher]

I stopped fishing for a decade or more when I became involved in motorsports....even let the wife sell all my gear in a garage sale on summer(which was really, really, stupid)lol. So I understand how one could loose interest in fishing, but as for the unsweet tea comment, I fail to see how you can take a glass of sugar water and drag a teabag thru it and call that a drink??....Sorry guys, but I grew up in the south and I can't handle our "Southern Sweet Tea".

Don't get me wrong....I don't mind adding a touch of sugar to a glass of iced tea, but somewhere down the line the sugar over ran the tea, and it ain't never been the same since. But I like my tea, like I like my coffee....Dark and rich with flavor....keep the sugars and creams and other additives away from my glass.

If I want sugar water, I'll drink a soda pop....

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by 66KingFisher

Don't get me wrong....I don't mind adding a touch of sugar to a glass of iced tea,

sometimes just a touch means so much

[bluebasser86]

One of my friends shocked me a couple years ago while we were on a fishing trip at Table Rock when the fishing was tough, even for Table Rock. After we'd boated 3 fish in 5 hours of fishing with no keepers he sat down and declared he was "tired of fishing". I was having a blast with the amazing scenery and still trying to figure out the puzzle (which we eventually did). I just don't know if I could get tired of fishing and I thought he was the same way since we've spent hundreds of hours on the water and fishing was about all we'd ever talk about so I was pretty surprised. I guess he just enjoys the catching more than the challenge of figuring out the puzzle and being out there like I do. Being on the water is an very theraputic experience for me.

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by bluebasser86

One of my friends shocked me a couple years ago while we were on a fishing trip at Table Rock when the fishing was tough, even for Table Rock. After we'd boated 3 fish in 5 hours of fishing with no keepers he sat down and declared he was "tired of fishing". I was having a blast with the amazing scenery and still trying to figure out the puzzle (which we eventually did). I just don't know if I could get tired of fishing and I thought he was the same way since we've spent hundreds of hours on the water and fishing was about all we'd ever talk about so I was pretty surprised. I guess he just enjoys the catching more than the challenge of figuring out the puzzle and being out there like I do. Being on the water is an very theraputic experience for me.

I guess the bold blue "way" above is what's at the heart of my OP. My friend was like me in every "way", sure he enjoyed my company in the boat, but it was because we had complimentary fishing styles and shared the same goals and approaches to a day on the water. We looked at fishing and life in general in the same "way". Never in 20 years did we ever go to the movies together or bowling or golfing or go on a pic.nic. If we were ever together outside the boat it was to go to BPS or scout around for new lakes or plant brushpiles....that's just the "way" it was.

I certainly understand that everyone that fishes brings a different level of commitment and passion to the game, that's true of any hobby or pastime. For Maurice though, like me, this wasn't a hobby or a pastime. It was truly a way of life, he fished as often alone as he did with me or any number of other guys. He built in a certain number of fishing hours in his schedule every month come hell or high water. So that's what puzzles me....baffles me. If a 50+ yr old grown man, well adjusted and secure, wakes up one morning and hangs himself I'd be.........baffled. If the same man, known throughout his life as a lover of women, wakes up one morning and decides he'd rather be with men, I'd be........baffled.

[lilmule]

Sometimes it just isnt as much fun without some one to help enjoy,share things events,etc.And the desire then isnt so strong.
The holiday season is one of the highest times when those without family or friends think off the grid.Such are not much danger to others ,just to themselves.

[WallStreetAmigo]

I know for me having gone through ebbs and flows in regards to my passion for fishing over the years that sometimes life gets in the way. And moving can disrupt things a lot as well. We just moved and I am finding that the prospect of new lakes to map out and explore along with all the challenges associated with it has actually re-energized my passion for fishing. In contrast, maybe your friend instead found other things to fill that void in the past 5 years.

I understand your point though about how someone goes from something being so ingrained in their daily life to completely losing interest in it. It is definitely not the usual way things go in that regard.

[Rebbasser]

Originally Posted by bluebasser86

Being on the water is an very theraputic experience for me.

Amen to that, brother!

I have heard it explained we don't fish for fish-we fish for fishing. I do believe most of y'all know exactly what that means. Its not about catching fish-for me that is just the cherry on top. It is about the whole experience, from rigging up to putting your gear away ready for the next trip. It is kind of difficult to explain it to someone that does not fish. I tried to explain it to a buddy at church a while back, that being on the water is, like bluebasser said, theraputic. I told him everything else just melts away and you spend time in your own thoughts just enjoying what the Good Lord made and how blessed we are to be able to enjoy it.