04-09-2016, 06:36 PM
[#0000FF]If you look at fishing strictly as a system for acquiring protein, then you probably should stick with buying your fish at a retail outlet.
I am pretty good at rationalizing my vices. So I prefer to think of fishing in terms of either entertainment or "professional" treatment...as in doctors or psychiatrists. For me, a good fishing trip does a lot to reduce stress...and that reduces the incidence of stroke, heart attack, nervous breakdown, etc. All of those things can cost a lot more than a trip to Willard.
Heck, how much does it cost for a ticket to a sporting or entertainment event these days? And if you want food value you gotta spend even more.
Then there is the divided view of fishing trips as a marriage enhancer...or destroyer. If you take the spouse fishing...and she has a good time...big savings in legal fees, alimony and all that good stuff. But if you insist on going fishing alone...and blowing off the "honeydo list"...you could be setting yourself up for a lot of grief and a whole lot of new expenses. As the attorneys say: "Love is grand. Divorce is 10 grand." And that is only the ticket out. The costs never end.
With apologies to Bill Shakespeare..."To fish or not to fish. That is the question. Whether 'tis better to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous life circumstances...or to just go fishing and forget 'em."
My philosophy: You can fish or you can worry. But you can't fish AND worry.
Bottom line? I get a lot more out of fishing than just a meal or two. But I do enjoy keeping some of my catch for the table. So catching and keeping are a big part of the enjoys...and the therapeutic value. Like a lot of things...if you have to put a price tag on the fish you catch you have misplaced values.
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I am pretty good at rationalizing my vices. So I prefer to think of fishing in terms of either entertainment or "professional" treatment...as in doctors or psychiatrists. For me, a good fishing trip does a lot to reduce stress...and that reduces the incidence of stroke, heart attack, nervous breakdown, etc. All of those things can cost a lot more than a trip to Willard.
Heck, how much does it cost for a ticket to a sporting or entertainment event these days? And if you want food value you gotta spend even more.
Then there is the divided view of fishing trips as a marriage enhancer...or destroyer. If you take the spouse fishing...and she has a good time...big savings in legal fees, alimony and all that good stuff. But if you insist on going fishing alone...and blowing off the "honeydo list"...you could be setting yourself up for a lot of grief and a whole lot of new expenses. As the attorneys say: "Love is grand. Divorce is 10 grand." And that is only the ticket out. The costs never end.
With apologies to Bill Shakespeare..."To fish or not to fish. That is the question. Whether 'tis better to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous life circumstances...or to just go fishing and forget 'em."
My philosophy: You can fish or you can worry. But you can't fish AND worry.
Bottom line? I get a lot more out of fishing than just a meal or two. But I do enjoy keeping some of my catch for the table. So catching and keeping are a big part of the enjoys...and the therapeutic value. Like a lot of things...if you have to put a price tag on the fish you catch you have misplaced values.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]