This thread is proof positive that when it comes to a GOOD day of fishing, everything is relative. It depends on your situation and managing expectations.

For the guy swamped in the workplace where he/she is imprisoned for most of the day, just getting out... fish or no fish... is good enough.

Those who have the luxury to prioritize more time on the water probably have higher expectations.

Seeking solitude is a great goal, and for some, very therapeutic. It lends itself more to discovering relatively remote smaller intimate settings that take a little more effort to find/access. The solitude is the reward for that extra effort. As the population grows and landowners limit/prohibit access here in the PNW, that kind of solitude will become more difficult to find/maintain.

The problem with "solitude" is the almost irrepressible human urge to share something good with someone else. When you find that great fishing spot, you are almost immediately presented with a deep internal conflict. Do you selfishly horde it to yourself, or do you take a buddy along the next time? Before long, it's not just your buddy, but his buddy, and his buddy's buddy, and so on. Not saying it's good or bad... just that it happens.

I think we've all been at both ends of this scenario... either the generous guy taking the risk in sharing his 'solitude', or the lucky guy who gets the coveted invite to tag along to discover "new" water.

As the owner of a large boat, I ain't goin' nowhere that ain't already been discovered. Even if mine is only one of a handful of boats (or even the only one) in a certain location, fishing from a big sled loaded with a crew of 5-8 can hardly be construed as solitude. At this particular stage in my fishing career, solitude usually takes a back seat. I've caught enough fish over the decades that it's way more important to me to pass the torch and share with others. I get as much if not more satisfaction putting my guests on the fish as I do catching them myself, esp young people. Budding fisher folks are very impressionable, and this is the best way to imprint my personal brand/style of angling technique and conservation ethic to the next generation.

Without recruiting some new blood into the sport, it will surely die.

So back to what constitutes a GOOD day of fishing in my boat. It starts with good people. Life's way too short to surround yourself with a$$ho!es, esp within the limited confines of a boat. Since I do all the inviting, I guess that one's all on me. Suffice it to say that good people generally get invited back.

Since all recreational opportunity starts with a bite, the first prerequisite at our chosen destination is a sufficient pool of willing biters. Preferably enough to make every rod in the boat bend at least once during the fishing day.

Filling the box with a boat limit is nice, but NOT necessary. And while it's nice to responsibly catch enough keepers to send everyone home with a little something for their table, I got no problems catchin' and releasin' all day either. By god it's SPORT fishing after all... with a greater emphasis on catching them, not necessarily killing them. If it's really all about the meat, may as well go to Safeway or QFC.

Add in a bit of sunshine, good tunes, good eats, and good beer ... well that's just the whipped cream with the cherry on top.