Well, I know that title should get lots of responses.

I'll narrow it down some for you though. Here is my dilemma. I'm hooked (pun intended ) on fishing. Love it. Between work, honey-do list, church and playing daddy to a wonderful 5 year old, I don't get enough time to explore the different rivers and fishing options that are available. It will become more difficult for me to get out next year with a new little Jacobite on the way in April.

I feel this leaves me few options:

1) pay for guide service - probably my best option for learning fisheries that are furthest from home but expensive! (not saying it is not worth it though depending on the guide )

2) just hang up the gear for a while and keep dreaming and try to get my fill from the stories on the different bulletin boards. This one is my least favorite option because it is like smelling chocolate brownies fresh from the oven and realizing that they are not for you.

3) Get to know one or two close fisheries well so that when I do head out...what?, yes dear, if I get permission to head out , I might really have the chance to do something other than get my line wet.

This is all complicated by the fact that I am still without a boat. I do have an 8ft pontoon boat though and am trying to rig a small electric trolling motor to it.

Well now you know my situation. Anyone got some good advice?

Just for fun, I would also like to hear some really humorous responses as well.....not juvenile stuff, but humorous.

Thomas Jacobs

If you really love fishing as much as you say you do you will find the time to go fishing.

I guided for over ten years, and I never have taken a single guided fishing trip other then my own, in 55 years. Yes, a guided trip will most likely put meat on the table, but there is much more to fishing then bringing home meat! When I was young, I too had a child when I was only 17 years old and I was still going to high school at the same time. During that time, I also worked nights to support my 15 year old wife. During that time, I always found some way to go fishing. It was tuff for a couple of years, but I never gave up my fishing. Now I am 55 and having the time of my life! You just need to go fishing when ever you can. As time rolls on, you will fine that you will have more time to enjoy your fishing and most likely will be taking your kids with you. My dad took me fishing from as long back as I can remember, and I can never thank him enough because he has pasted on.

You probably need to fine a good fishing partner, so that he can do a lot of the searching and leg work for you. Hang in there! Lots of things will happen and change your life, but the dreaded fishing bug will only get worse. Good luck with your new baby and start taking both your wife and the little one with you when you go fishing.

Cowlitzfisherman

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????

If it were me,I would choose option #3.That way,if the pocket book allows you can always hire a guide,and if not or if time is a factor you have your home waters as a fall back!I have a similar situation,26 years old with 3 boys!It takes a little compromising,but I always find time to fish!!!Scratch #2 off the list,not an option!Fishing is a lot more to me than bringing fish home,more than even catching fish(don't get me wrong,if I never caught fish I probly would have hung it up a while ago!)Thats why I would only suggest hiring a guide if you want to learn a new piece of water!Save the money,you can buy a lot of gear with what it costs for one day of fishing!Take care!!--------------Fish

Learning to fish is best accomplished by study and finding a good teacher. I like the guide approach. However, you should hire a guide to teach you how to fish the way you can fish alone. If you have no boat, then hire a guide to teach you how to bank or pontoon fish effectively. Otherwise, you go for a boat ride and deal with techniques that don't necessarily apply to you.

You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting a guide or two, so look around. Someone should be able and willing to teach you how to bank fish your local streams or rivers.

Learn the close to home fisheries and befreind some of the successful anglers and pick there brains. You'll pick up some good tips quickly!

Pick a home river and concentrate on it if you want to get in more fishing time. Don't try to rush it, it takes time to experience what happens under different conditions. Explore, it's a lot of fun finding new places to fish, learn how to fish in with the crowds, because that's where the most fish will be, and besides then you will really enjoy the solitude when you hit those special places you've found. I've made weekend trips to OP rivers, week long trips to Oregon & Canadian rivers, and many others too, but I spend 95% of my time locally and after 15 years of concentrated effort I never get tired of my home river. Know what else? I still don't know everything about it because there are sections of it I've still not fished. I always enjoy being on my home river because of the memories that I can revisit and the welcome familarity that only a home river can hold. I'm sure you'll get that first steelhead soon, but no matter how long it takes, once you get it the time will have been well worth it.

TJ,
I have 4 kids and I`ll tell ya what.
It`s easier to get time to fish when they`re young than when they get older.
They have a lot more stuff going on in thier lives as they get older that you`ll need to be involved in, (coaching thier soccer team, whatever etc.)
I used soccer because that`s what I coach, but the point I`m trying to make is, if you think you don`t have time now, you ain`t seen nothin` yet.

Like this weekend for instance, 4 day week-end, my first full weekend off since Sept. and for the last 3 weeks before this holiday, I thought, right-on, 3 days of fishing and what happens, my 12-year old has a holiday cup soccer tournament to play in, 2 games a day, one at 10:00 a.m. and one at 5:30 p.m.
Oh,and not having a boat is the smallest part of that pie....

[ 11-24-2001: Message edited by: rainycity ]

TJ,

Number three is the way to go. You can catch fish year round on the rivers you will consider your local rivers and depending upon your river choice you can go out for the morning and be home in time for lunch.

From a fishing standpoint you are better off to spend time on one or two river systems until you know them real well.

Congratulations on the arrival expected in the spring - I have two kids at home and have always been able to find time to fish - but the trades with the Mrs can be costly!

[ 11-24-2001: Message edited by: Stadle ]

I have been precisely in your situation these past nine years. I built a drift boat while tending my infant daughter. Saw plywood, make bottle, change diaper, saw plywood, etc.

After she got older, I started taking her out fishing with me. Not very productive, but lots of fun. Lake Washington and Potholes reservoir were prime destinations, for perch and sunfish.

Then as she got older I would take her on short expeditions. Again, catching fish can't be the goal, having fun is. A good destination is one of the hatcheries when the fish come in.

I knew that this was all working when the following happened. I took Kate out to one of my cutthroat spots, and put her in the front with a rod with a little bit of roe on it while I cast a fly to the cutthroat slot. She caught 3 smolts, all carefully and safely released (barbless hook) while I managed one measely searun. I then had to listen to her brag to anyone that would listen that she caught three fish, and dad only caught one, at the very end.

I got the best christmas present one could ask for last year when I took her out plunking for a few hours on the Sky Christmas day, and she caught her first steelhead.

Now, my little guy, her younger brother, he looks like he might REALLY turn into a fisherman. But he's got a few years yet to grow into it.

So, I haven't been really responsive to your questions. Let me try to do that. I focus very tightly on a few rivers, and work on learning them well. I have believed for a long time that a few holes learned well will do you a lot better than driving to every river in the state. We are fortunate to live within easy driving distance of some good bank fishing rivers. I have done well on those, but prefer fishing from a boat.

If you can afford it, your son is probably getting to the point where he'll like fishing from a boat. My five year old digs it, though he doesn't yet have the patience for a long day. But that will come.

I'm with pitch pocket and jigman.............

Find a good teacher and carefully extract info. out of fellow anglers. While extracting, get trivial conversation flowing to suck em in, then extract.

TJ,

I'd say do "everything" except hanging up the gear. I've been an avid fisherman since I can remember although there have been stretches when I've only been able to make it out 2 or 3 times a year. When time/responsibilities/money permit I always circle back for some "aqua therapy". This has been my approach.

1) Pick 2 or 3 rivers close to home and learn everything you can about them and the fish they support. I fish the rivers, read articles, surf the web, talk to people, call tackle shops and even hire guides now and again. I am always trying to pick up information. I also keep a journal. Over time this pile of information accumulates and I my fishing experience gets more focused and I get more successful.
2) I pretty often fish places I've never fished before and may never fish again. I do this mostly to increase my time on the water. I can usually find a way to slip out of a family gathering for short period or get up early when camping to get some time on the water. I usually do a quick search of the web near areas I will be to get an idea of what I will find before I get there.
3) Hook up with a few fishing partners who can be your eyes and ears when you can't make it out. Its amazing how often I can sneak away for half a day of fishing when I know some river somewhere is red hot.

Good Luck.
JMS

Email me, I get to fish alot this time of year, and I fish way too much. There is some great fishing less than 1 hour from your house.

Wow,,
A guy can do that????
Fish TOO much????
Wish I had problems like that..

I've been fishing the same two rivers in southwest Washington for about 45 years, and guided for 6 of those years. Every year I still hire a guide for at least one trip on each river, sometimes one day each for winter fish and one day for summers. Having a guide give you a "refresher" once or twice a year is worth many times the price. I use Bruce Gipple for winter steelhead (N. and E. Forks of Lewis) and Ted Howell for summer steelies on the N. Fork. Every year. Without fail. And I learn enough to allow me to catch a couple more on my own.

I fish alot and have soem fine fisheries within a 15 to 20 minute drive of my hoem at Beale AFB, CA. Like the others have said, know your local waters well and you wil be surprised about what you will catch (if they are decent fisheries). Most important factor to me is reading the water properly and knowing the habits of your quarry. A skilled tactician with modest equipment can beat the pants off the Orvis catalog guy!!

TJ,

Stick with your local waters. You are lucky enough to have the Sky close by, so there are opportunities there most of the year. Get up early, hit the river, get back early. When you get back, clean the house. That way, you'll "get to" go out again without hassles.

Just don't hang up the gear That shouldn't even be an option. Even if you don't get out much, you'll still be learning. That way you won't have lost time and experience to make up for when you get more free time.

Fishing close to home is better than not fishing. In fact. it's better than a LOT of things.

Tom: Like I said in our earlier correspondence, once my back is good enough to hike the river banks (should be in the next week or two), let's get out and do some float fishing on the local waters. I'll show you a few good spots close to home that don't require a full-day commitment. No need to hang up the rod entirely. (And once you catch your first steelie, you won't be ABLE to hang up the rod...

Good replies for you TJ! Get after em, and good luck.

As for you Pitch', "You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting a guide or two"

Geez, learn to row man! Catarafts aren't that tough to manuver. hehe

Thank you for the many responses. From what I can gather, learning my local waters well will serve me the best. I agree. It will not stop me from seeking some guide service though or, maybe, get out on some waters that are out of the way.

I did want to note that all of you take your fishing very seriously!!!! No one took the opportunity to have some fun with this post even after I invited it - just looking for some of your creativity.

or

All of you have juvenile humor and my caveat of asking to not include it just shut all of you down.

In any case... I really appreciate the advice. You will be hearing more from me in the future, hopefully posts like some of you that can not only brag about what you caught but include some fine pics. For those of you that offered to show me the way on some local rivers...Thank you, I will take you up on it and have replied. May God bless you abundantly!!!!