Is it better spending a day not catching?

[golfman65]

Sometimes I wonder why I have more fun spending a day not catching anything but doing and learning something I love, (like spey) then days i'm out catching the odd fish but pestered by your buddies or what gear your using etc.
I finally got a chance to spend a day by myself and just work on what I learned at the carnation spey clave. No buddies to yap about "No fish, lets move" or "Why do you use what doesn't catch fish" kind of B.S. I used to fish solo allot and forgot how damn nice it is to do again... I got a couple bumps but no fish, and I didn't care, it was one of the best days i've had recently as I started to feel like I was getting the hang of a couple principals that I was lacking, throwing some decent line and just enjoying the river without all the distractions of friends and the chatter, whinning.
It's kind of funny how you can have better days NOT catching fish then days when you are into them but have allot of side static..crazy sheeit this fishing!!

[Will Atlas]

Hmm. well I prefer days that include catching fish, guess that's why I go 'fishing' and not 'casting'. Granted there are times when I end up doing alot more casting than fish landing, but a day that includes a bright wild fish leaves an indelible mark on me in a way that simply being outdoors casting never will. I also do alot of my fishing by myself and I often prefer it that way, although I certainly enjoy the company of some of my good fishing buddies.

[pcknshvl]

On Saturday, I caught no fish, but for the first time, was consistently doing Snake Rolls and C-casts, and doing them pretty well. Worth it, to me!

Tom

[Nooksack Mac]

One of my favorite lines of pop philosophy was delivered by James Garner in a long-ago movie about Texas oilpan wheeler-dealers: "Money's just a way of keeping score." We keep chasing steelhead in pursuit of our real long-term goal: to become a master steelheader.:cool: The steelhead are beautiful, mysterious, and sometimes exciting; but mainly they're how we keep score.

[Dave Fulton]

While I can't say that I have "more" fun when I'm not catching fish, I certainly will shift focus and find other things to enjoy about the day. Sometimes I will pick spots (that look like they should hold fish), and cast to them from different positions, just trying to get a good drift. Other times, I'll just reel up and watch for a while.

Sometimes, changing focus salvages my day because it gives me something else to enjoy, and other times it allows me to clear my head enough to catch some fish.

Regards,

Dave Fulton

[chadk]

golfmann, maybe you just need different friends...

The day I start complaing about how the fish get in the way of a perfectly good casting session, is the day I'll quit fishing...

But I do get your point about fishing alone vs with others at times. I definately need to do both. Mostly I fish alone and prefer it. But I also love the times I spend fishing with my boys, my dad, buddies, my wife, etc. But there needs to be a balance.

[Panhandle]

I fish by myself 95% of the time, and like it that way for the reasons you mention.... you get to do things at your won pace and fish the runs you want, take breaks when you want, fish as long as you want, and call it a day when you want.

As far as catching fish.... I'm in a horrible slump on the Clearwater and am still having a blast.

[golfman65]

Maybe I need to clarify something...I LIKE to catch fish!!! If It was about the numbers I could always bring my baitcaster or centerpin out and hammer um on roe or jigs...there are times I will do that too (Salmon)
What I was trying to get across is, how nice it is to just be out on your own sometimes and enjoy what your doing, even if it means not catching as many or any fish!!!

[fredaevans]

This summer season on the Rogue .... I've spent FAR to MANY days just like that.:beathead:

[Steve Buckner]

Sometimes I wonder why I have more fun spending a day not catching anything but doing and learning something I love, (like spey) then days i'm out catching the odd fish but pestered by your buddies or what gear your using etc.
I finally got a chance to spend a day by myself and just work on what I learned at the carnation spey clave. No buddies to yap about "No fish, lets move" or "Why do you use what doesn't catch fish" kind of B.S. I used to fish solo allot and forgot how damn nice it is to do again... I got a couple bumps but no fish, and I didn't care, it was one of the best days i've had recently as I started to feel like I was getting the hang of a couple principals that I was lacking, throwing some decent line and just enjoying the river without all the distractions of friends and the chatter, whinning.
It's kind of funny how you can have better days NOT catching fish then days when you are into them but have allot of side static..crazy sheeit this fishing!!

As you have experienced, fly fishing for steelhead, and more specifically, spey fishing for them, is far more than just about catching fish. Some people get that and some people don't...glad more people don't!

As to your other point, "I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude." Henry David Thoreau

[Hal Eckert]

Some of my best days out have been not catching days or even thinking I may have had a touch.

:beer2:

[miyawaki]

Yesterday morning, I made my first winter steelhead trip. The sky was gray. The water had a tinge of color and was rising. My old access across the side channel was still intact. The run from head to tail was still the same. Most of my casts landed where I wanted them. My fly fished well. My cigar tasted good. I fished from 10 to 12 and had the water all to myself. The rain held off until I left the pullout. It wasn't a great day. It wasn't a bad day. But it was a fun day. A fish, or even a pull, would have only been a bonus.

Leland.

[Hal Eckert]

Sounds like a great day to me better than working on my current 100 of millions dollar problem I must say in deed !

:beer2:

[fredaevans]

Some of my best days out have been not catching days or even thinking I may have had a touch.

:beer2:

HalMeister! What's going on in the Great Lakes area?

Fred

[Hal Eckert]

Nothing terrible fall to date no rain all rivers are very clear and low. No rain in the forcast either. Hoping for December to pick up but it does not look good at all right now. There are some steelhead around but its tough fishing.