Definition of a "die hard" fisherman

[Raider Ronnie]

So what do you consider a die hard fisherman???
Are you one ?
Have you been told you are nuts, or crazy ???
Do you think about fishing 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week ???
Do you think about it in your sleep, or even done things like set a hook in your sleep???
Do you go out in weather that is dangerous to be out in ???
Do you drop things that you really should be doing at a moments notice after getting a phone call from a bud suggesting to go netting bait all night , and then go fish them from 4:00am till about 10:00 pm that night, and then go sleep for 1 or 2 hrs, and do the same thing for 2 or 3 more days straight ???
Do you sometimes think you may need help, like a recovering alcoholic needs to go to to AA meetings ???
Capt. Mike and I have been accused of all these things and have been told we are anything from crazy, insane, nuts, ect....
I know Basic Patrick and and a few others are just as bad off!
So, are we crazy or just more dedicated than most and what do you consider you're self ???

[BigFish]

Yes....yes....yes....yes......yes....yes....and... .errr......yes!

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Yes....yes....yes....yes......yes....yes....and... .errr......yes!

Yes to what Larry ???

[afterhours]

ronnie, we have many that fit that bill. and some much worse!

[afterhours]

Originally Posted by Raider Ronnie

Yes to what Larry ???

[BigFish]

You asked 7 questions and I answered yes to all of them. Did you want details?

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally Posted by BigFish

You asked 7 questions and I answered yes to all of them. Did you want details?

No, but I want the number for your therapist !!!

[BigFish]

OK.....I started striper fishing about 7 years ago....maybe a little more. From day one the obcession got worse by the day! After about 2 years all of a sudden I have a beach buggy dedicated to seeking fish off the beaches.....rigged for nothing but! I find myself VP of MSBA and neck deep in the obcession! Custom rods are my standard weaponry......expensive custom rods. I wake thinking of fishing....I spend the day thinking of fishing.....when I am thinking of fishing I am thinking of fishing....I dream of fishing. I travel to offshore locals to fish....I drive to the backside to catch fish......I sneak in a couple hours when ever I can to fish. Did I mention the plug building....ohhhhhh the plug building! As if fishing was not obcession enough....now I have been building my own plugs for 2 plus years and now all I can think about is building plugs and fishing! How can I build this to catch that? Its madness! Madness I tell you! It just continues to consume me!

Do I qualify?

[Tagger]

Diehard = all the sicko's that come here all winter hoping to get a fish fix... Some are just strung out more than others..

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally Posted by BigFish

OK.....I started striper fishing about 7 years ago....maybe a little more. From day one the obcession got worse by the day! After about 2 years all of a sudden I have a beach buggy dedicated to seeking fish off the beaches.....rigged for nothing but! I find myself VP of MSBA and neck deep in the obcession! Custom rods are my standard weaponry......expensive custom rods. I wake thinking of fishing....I spend the day thinking of fishing.....when I am thinking of fishing I am thinking of fishing....I dream of fishing. I travel to offshore locals to fish....I drive to the backside to catch fish......I sneak in a couple hours when ever I can to fish. Did I mention the plug building....ohhhhhh the plug building! As if fishing was not obcession enough....now I have been building my own plugs for 2 plus years and now all I can think about is building plugs and fishing! How can I build this to catch that? Its madness! Madness I tell you! It just continues to consume me!

Do I qualify?

You left out the striped-bass.com obcession !!!

[Squid kids Dad]

[Raven]

wicked

["uffah!!"]

Originally Posted by Raider Ronnie

So what do you consider a die hard fisherman???
Are you one ?
Have you been told you are nuts, or crazy ???
Do you think about fishing 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week ???
Do you think about it in your sleep, or even done things like set a hook in your sleep???
Do you go out in weather that is dangerous to be out in ???
Do you drop things that you really should be doing at a moments notice after getting a phone call from a bud suggesting to go netting bait all night , and then go fish them from 4:00am till about 10:00 pm that night, and then go sleep for 1 or 2 hrs, and do the same thing for 2 or 3 more days straight ???
Do you sometimes think you may need help, like a recovering alcoholic needs to go to to AA meetings ???
Capt. Mike and I have been accused of all these things and have been told we are anything from crazy, insane, nuts, ect....
I know Basic Patrick and and a few others are just as bad off!
So, are we crazy or just more dedicated than most and what do you consider you're self ???

Only one person has that title:: CLAMMMMMMMER

[fishaholic18]

Originally Posted by uffah!!

Only one person has that title:: CLAMMMMMMMER

Nope, he won't fish if it's above 85 deg.

[Slipknot]

There is no known cure

[RickBomba]

I guess I'm in with the wrong guys..I go fishing for the same reason I play guitar...for the chix!!!
Plover chix!!!
HOHOHO,
Later,
Rick

[kippy]

I think of fishing 24/7. Started saltwater about 10 years ago and have become obsessive the last 5. Once I get a place with a basement, I'm going to start spinning my own wood. Winter time I am looking through all the tackle, going online, going to shows, buying more stuff, researching spots. There is no offseason when you are obsessed with fishing. Went out last saturday and all we caught was blues..I did not care! I was fishing..and that's all that matters.

[nightfighter]

Hard core? Not sure I would make the cut anymore. Find I'm making choices that put mortgage and work on a higher priority... example, this morning; not going out so i can conserve energy to run the crew through another humid day outdoors.... would not have happened when it was just me, myself and I. It's now about time , and safety on the job (I like all my fingers)
Find myself fishing through the 10pm-2am hours less and less. And my eyesight, which earned me my nickname in the service and offshore, has been going through some definite adjustments over the last 4 months....need longer arms to see the knots I'm tying...but can see the 5 oh on the horizon.
Doesn't mean I don't obsess. Can support the economy with purchases I wouldn't have predicted even this time last year, ie. kayak, 'nother kayak, 'nother custom wrap rod, 'nother reel used, and a VS. (Yes it's a beauty, thanks Bill, arrived yesterday) And then the plugs and rubber.... You think my kitchen is done? heck the windows are in the garage.......
Now if I hit the lottery. I would have the time to be a complete lulu....but at this time, I can't keep up with some of youse guys

[The Dad Fisherman]

I think I still have a ways to go to match up to some of the guys on this board, But, Up until 3 years ago I thought stripers had two "P"'s and you used a pocketful of singles as bait.

But since that fateful day on Devereaux when a certain member here turned me on to My 1st "Fix" of this site I have Purchased:

5 Rods
5 Reels
A Lathe
A Tabletop Sander
A Drill Press
A BandSaw
An Airbrush and Compressor
A myriad of different types of wood that have been sacrificed. (my kids actually gave me 6 red cedar Ballisters for X-mas)
Over 100 assorted Plugs and Lures
A subscription to "On The Water"
Breathable Waders
Wading Boots
Korkers
3 Plug Bags
and a 4x4 Truck so I can get out on the beach

You can Find fishing Lures/Tackle/Equipment in My Bedroom, Family Room. Living Room, Kitchen, and Bathroom. My Wife just a couple of weeks ago gave me crap because I was drying out a couple of plug bags worth of lures on her Shoe rack in the Bedroom.

My PC at work has a Surfcaster as its wallpaper and it starts up and loads up S-B.com and the Tide Charts 1st thing in the morning.

and I not only joined a Fishing club in the area but also took the position as its Tournaments Director.

all this when 3 years ago I didn't even know what a striper was.

[reelecstasy]

YOU guys have issues...

[RIJIMMY]

Went camping with my wife and kids this past weekend in NH, we camped right beside a river. I brought along a rod to fish with kids and maybe catch a few sunnies or possibly a trout. At dusk I saw some trout hitting flies on the surface and went down to take a few casts, after a few I got a hit on a rooster tail and it was like a shot of heroin. I couldn’t stop. My wife was getting frustrated because I was fixated on the fish. I finally landed a beautiful rainbow. I told I would stop now, the kids were impressed with the fish and I let it go. For the rest of the weekend, every time she went to the bathroom or took a walk, I grabbed the rod and made a few casts. I could have done nothing but fish that river, even if it was only to catch 15 inch fish. I’m 37 and it been that way ever since I was 5 or 6. Largemouths, stripers, blues, tarpon, barracuda, shark, snappers, it never ends. I am definitely addicted, it is a constant search for that rush of hooking a fish.

[BrianS]

I would imagine Die Hard doesnt have to mean you buy all kinds of expensive gear, or fish every night and obsess every moment.

Im not sure you can put a time requirement on it.

I dont use all that expensive gear, or go out every night and I would consider myself a die hard.. I do tend to think about it and obsess quite a bit - particularly in cases like my current dry spell.

Now those that do... I would consider fanatics.... zealots.... stuff like that.. Not that there is anything wrong with it. I am sure I would be borderline if I wasnt married and had a baby on the way.

A die hard is just a passionate fisherman/woman

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by reelecstasy

YOU guys have issues...

What's the saying "People who live in Glass Houses"


By the way how's the Kayak going Mr. VP

[JohnR]

This question requires a certain introspection that I am unwilling and unable to approach because:

I would need to think through all of this and come to the reality that I am obsessed.

I would need to think through all of this and come to the reality that because of family, work, and, personal reasons I cannot apply the focus necessary to acommodate that obsession...

[likwid]

Originally Posted by bjs

Now those that do... I would consider fanatics.... zealots.... stuff like that.. Not that there is anything wrong with it. I am sure I would be borderline if I wasnt married and had a baby on the way.

Your wife and my gf would beg to differ sometimes.

[reelecstasy]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

What's the saying "People who live in Glass Houses"


By the way how's the Kayak going Mr. VP

out for 6 hrs last night battling the commuter boat. I wish I had a place to tie off in Boston so I could commute to work in it.
Best fishing money I have spent..

[BrianS]

Originally Posted by likwid

Your wife and my gf would beg to differ sometimes.

touche!

[spinncognito]

My obsession was a main ingredient in the break-up of my marriage- and I do not care! Was happily single and fished for a season and now am with the sweetest woman who claims to "understand" and will fish with me weekly. There will be aproximately 3 days between now and November that I do not fish. I am a diehard and I love it!

[schoolie monster]

Obsessed... yes. Die hard... maybe. Hardcore... no, not really.

First of all, I don't think there's anything wrong with you, which probably means I've got some of the same "issues"

1. Obsessed: I think about fishing all the time. At home, at work, in the car... different areas, different lures, different techniques to try. In the season, I'm all about bass. During the winter, I completely obsess over my trip to florida. I read about fishing, I constantly have a cabelas or bass pro shops catalog in my hand. I record fishing shows and watch them over and over. If its not fishing, its probably ocean related.

My vacations always revolve someway around fishing. Now it may be one day on a flats charter and 4 days of disney and sea world, but I need to fish.

2. Die hard: Two saturdays ago I stayed out 10 hours in the sometimes pouring rain and well into the point the winds were approaching 30mph (and was rewarded with a nice 23#er). I had already caught 60+ schoolies which is all I had in mind for that day, but I'd found a few pollack and thought a good fish would top off the day. Whenever that moment comes when I'm debating going in or staying out, I almost always stay out, whether the fishing is good or bad... so, maybe a die hard.

3. Hardcore: If I won the lottery tonight, I'd be out there probably 5-6 days per week starting tomorrow. And then come winter, I'd be stalking the flats and mangroves somewhere very far south of here, 5-6 days per week.

As it stands, I have a nice job, a house, 3 kids I yell at too much, and a marriage that struggles enough as it is. I just can't devote the time to fishing that I want. And we all know its not just the time on the water. Its the travel time, time spent cleaning equip/boats, and the sleep you've lost. And how tired am I going to be when I have to take care of 3 kids when I get home.

I've thought about ways I could try and make a living at it, but it would be a leap I can't take. I have to keep the family first. I think I have a good balance. I fish a day each weekend. I have a good job with plenty of vacation time and flexibility, so I take a few days a month off to fish during the week.

I've been fishing since 4-5 years old... Serious fishing since around 12. Thats almost 25 years now. At times, its been hardcore, obsessive, etc for whatever species. I won my first of many BASS club tournaments my first year at 16. At Penn State, I'd be late meeting the crew at the bars because I was hitting the sulfur fly hatch at Spring Creek. Now its stripers, and occasionally redfish and tarpon (though, my tarpon record is not very impressive .

To me, its about the coolest thing there is... I've caught alot of different species in some awesome locales like remote canadian shield lakes, the cape and islands and the everglades. Alot of sunrises, foggy mornings, sunsets and starry nights.

Are you crazy? am I? No way. Are we crazy cause we want to be out on the water instead of crawling along I-93, or sitting in front of computer, or fixing a car, or mowing the lawn?

If you really think about it, wanting to fish all the time may be the sanest thing we do in life.

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by schoolie monster

If you really think about it, wanting to fish all the time may be the sanest thing we do in life.