|
I remember the days when I used to fish almost whenever I wanted.
Of course I had, and still have, a regular job. But evenings and
weekends were all fair game.
That was BEFORE kids.
Now, I wouldn't trade my kids for a day on the water, but these days
our evenings and weekends are usually so filled with their extra-curricular
activities, there is really very little time left to squeeze in time for fishing.
I'm not alone. I hear the same lament from almost every angler I know
who has kids below the high school graduate age.
If fishing calls to you the way it does to me, you WILL find time to
fish, while still being a good parent/spouse.
The answer for me was fairly simple. I get an hour allotted for lunch. I
live within a 15 minute drive to a number of decent fishing spots.
30-minute round-trip drive leaves me 30 minutes for fishing. Hey, I'll take it!
Sometimes my kids' activities are spaced such that I can squeeze in 15
minutes or more of fishing at a venue close to their respective activities.
I even found some decent new waters I hadn't fished before in just this
fashion.
I can even get at least one of my kids (at a time) involved with fishing
during these brief outings. Hey, kids sometimes don't have a lot of
patience for fishing, so a short, successful trip can be just what the
doctor ordered!
Granted, the middle of the day is NOT known as a peak fishing time.
Rather, mornings and evenings are widely considered the best times to
catch fish each day. But fish CAN be caught in the middle of the day!
Although I fished fewer evenings and weekends in the past 2 years, and
more short "lunchtime" trips, I have DOUBLED the number of fish I ever
caught back in the days BEFORE kids. Seriously! I sometimes like to
think this may have to do with the advancement of my own fishing knowledge
and skills over the years. Or maybe I'm just not wasting as much time in
unproductive spots? I'm just saying, hey, it CAN be done.
So, my advice to you? GO FISHING WHENEVER YOU CAN!
~ David Merical
|
