vecchia capra wrote:
If bass fishing is a real sport, then NASCAR or any other motor racing would have to be included as a sport as well. The only real physical challenge to fishing is not falling into the water and picking up a fish with a net. The difference between a good bass fisherman and a champion is not how strong or fit the fisherman is, its how fast his boat is and his or her luck at guessing (an educated guess but a guess nonetheless), where the fish are at any given time.
You clearly don't fish. Luck? Not fit? Come surf fishing with me for a week, hell for a day. I study surf maps, water charts, tide charts, moon phase charts, migration patterns, barometric pressures, weather patterns, fishing reports, etc. I spend time hand sharpening hooks, learning to tie knots, and crimp and make all my own rigs for a large variety of wind, weather, species, and current conditions. I spend ~way~ too much money on gear.
I practice my casting technique on land to get optimum distance and bait retention. Getting the bait to the fish is both technique and strength.
Once I'm there I spend up to a full day scouting the beach, walking miles and miles (my last trip we walked to our campsite from the access point 3 miles, then had to walk another 2 miles to our chosen spot EACH WAY). Then, I'm chucking 3-10oz of weight + bait 100+ yards with either a 10, 11, or 12ft surf rod. This is done ~ every 20min. While that is soaking I'm often also constantly casting with an 8ft rod and a 1/2-1oz lure- probably 500-800 casts a day. I do this all day from 5am until lunch, which depends on the tide, then continue on through dinner (cook on the beach) and into the wee hours of the night (1 or 2am, if the tides are best maybe 3am or 4am). Get a big fish on? Like a ray or a shark, and you're in for a 1+ hour fight that leaves you completely shelled.
After even 3 days of this, I'm sore, exhausted, and often dehydrated. But of course super happy. Sound like another sport we know?
So, don't lump everyone who fishes together. Luck makes up some portion of what I do, but we try to negate this as much as possible. Also, it's very physical- It can be VERY tough and many surf anglers weight lift in order to not get injured, just like bow hunters (which I do not do)
____________________________________________________
I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it--
