There are more than a few limits of fishermen on the water. Almost everyone has a fish story or two to tell. If people have not fished, it is often on their Bucket List. 

Some people hate fishing. The smell, blood, effort, outdoors, or just because hate of the sport or the finned critters. Anti-fishermen usually claim that the fish feel pain, killing fish is inhumane, we should leave all life alone. The response to this is that Fishermen were well represented in the Bible and all religions. Fish is a staple to sustain life. Predators, humans, and ecosystems rely on fish to replenish their biological and nutritional needs.

When I have taken an Anti-gun, fisherman, or hunter afield, they almost always become converts. It is not easy to do, and the process requires education, practice, and skill. Pulling the trigger, setting the hook, or launching an arrow is empowering and rewarding. Thanks to our army of outdoor sportsmen, we create, support, manage, and protect our precious natural resources. 

Fish are a renewable natural resource. This means that they renew their population after mortality or harvest. Fish such as cold-water trout symbolize a healthy ecosystem. Salmon and ocean fish feed the world.

So why do we fish? Is it the bite, the casting, the beauty of where you fish, the fight and battle, the food, the satisfaction of throwing the fish back, the memories, or? The answer is yes to all if these reasons. Fishing is a relaxing, beautiful, and rewarding experience. It takes us to beautiful and unique places. It challenges us physically, mentally, and builds self-discipline. Patience is also something that we all need to build, practice, and maintain.

I wish hunting was like fishing when it came to Catch and Release. We could hunt all year.  I would love to shoot a huge bull elk and not kill it. Instead, I would get a coupon for a freezer full of meat, and the bull could get hunted another day. The truth is that hunting is a blood sport. Harvests are fatal. Therefore, there are seasons, limits, rules, and enforcement.

We fish, hunt, and explore the outdoors to learn. Everything is fun and exciting. Our minds wander from life’s challenges so you can bait a hook, cast a fly, tag a critter, or simply relax and feel the joys of nature. Waking up in a high mountain camp, fishing during a foggy morning, hearing the water…it’s all good.

We are simply Bags of Water. Most of the mass in a human body is water. Perhaps therefore we are drawn to wet resources.

We need a water fill up occasionally.

Montana Grant