What's the longest you could go without fishing?

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Hi all,
Ben's (Maria) comment on the fishing NSW post, that 8 days was too long to go without fishing, got me thinking about how long it has actually been since I threw a line in.
Now, since I will be touching down at Bris airport at about 5:30am on tuesday 11 May, assuming I can get all my gear sorted, it will probably be about 3:30pm that afternoon by the time I chuck a line in (weather permitting).
That makes it exactly 378 days or 54 weeks since I last went fishing.

Sucks, don't it!

Unfortunately, there was one other time when I was first posted to Malaysia, that I went 56 weeks.

So, just wondering how long other keen fisho's have gone without fishing, or what would be the longest time you think you could stand without going nuts?

Cheers
Jeff

[philip_thomson]

hey
now that i don;t get sea sick when i go offshore i can;t survive long. it is now 23 days since i have been offshore fising from noosa on a charter and i am literally insane i can;t cope i need to get out again but i not got my license and my dad got to work :-( it horible just horrible. apart form that i went out on monday in my boat with dad and i need to go out again. fishing can be a real problem in that it is so addictive
man i don't know how you surived 56 weeks without fishing
hopefully you can get at em soon
cheers
philip

[craigie]

Geez Jeff,

Lucky you can Cyber-Fish at Ausfish, but still most fishos would be a dribbling mess after a year without Fishing.
I'm not sure if I could ever be compensated financially to stop fishing for too long

Drop me a line if your looking for a fish/want a ride in the 'Cyclone' when you get back to Aus.

Cheers
Craig.

[beefaman]

I reckon I couldnt last anymore than 2 weeks.....

[mackmauler]

Jeff, that is far to long mate hope you get some good days in and its not that long till your next fix!

the longest since nappies would of been when golf was my main interest, used to practice a few times a week to maintain the single figure handicap only fishn once every few months.

not long ago the winds were pretty strong and about 3 weeks went by without getting out, that was a restless time as the action had been weekly up till then and its been similar since. im not into any estuary type fishn at the moment so quiet content to sit back and wait for weather that makes the wider grounds fishable, plenty of fishn on here scraches the itch too 8)

Rob (fishn bluewater tomorrow)

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Thanks Craig, that would be great.
Just gotta arrange someone to babysit my wife and keep my kid company.
Yep that's me, dribbling mess. Makes ya beer go flat.
Very nearly went harrassing some carp in a fountain at a nearby shopping centre, but the dudes with the pump action 12 gauge shotties didn't look like they would understand.
Cheers
Jeff

[MY-TopEnder]

Due to a little run in with a speed camera and a good behavior period license, i'll be taking a 6 month break from driving, which means no towing the boat... damm thats gonna hurt. 6 months without fishing.

[jeffo]

i would have to say a few days is all i could go with out wetting a line somewhere...

[Cheech]

I'm not even sure if the need to go fishing actually has much to do with fishing.... Let me explain.

I was heavily into another sport (skydiving actually) for nearly 20 years. Instructor, into competition, national medals. Pretty well consumed my life. Was at the DZ every weekend for all of that time. 2 or 3 weeks is about the longest I ever went without a jump. That is an awful lot of cold nights hanging around a campfire. A lot of money on jumps at $30.00 a jump and 10 to 12 jumps a weekend when in training for a comp. Then I had a pretty major frap in and broke my back, anckle, and minced my leg (is now 30mm shorter than the other one).

So after I realised I would never be fit enough to jump again, I had a go at something I always said I would when I got round to slowing down enough to smell the roses. So I started fishing a bit over a year ago.

Now, I read everything, research constantly, bought a boat within a couple of months of picking up that first rod (at the age of 43), considering what my next boat is going to be and how I will fit it out, moved from thinking a reel under $100.00 was probably still expensive to now having to save and plan my gear purchases. etc, etc.

So back to the question, If you are intense and compulsive in whatever you do like me, then probably not long. Even tonight the missus asked which day I was going fishing on the weekend, not, "if" I was going fishing.

Cheech

[Gazza]

Thanks Craig, that would be great.
Just gotta arrange someone to babysit my wife and keep my kid company.
Yep that's me, dribbling mess. Makes ya beer go flat.
Very nearly went harrassing some carp in a fountain at a nearby shopping centre, but the dudes with the pump action 12 gauge shotties didn't look like they would understand.
Cheers
Jeff

pick me, pick me

[el_carpo]

I haven't been fishing in over two months and am fast approaching the breaking point. My tropical aquarium fish eye me nervously every time I walk by . I wonder what a good bait for guppy would be? Oh man, I've got to go fishing!!! Maybe if I fake my own death.......Good Lord! I'm really losing it!

[Zeeke]

i havent been fishing in such a long time.. honest!

havent been fishing since tuesday and im already having withdrawl symptoms!!

Tim

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Gazza, keep dreaming old son!

Jeffo, better factor that into your career choice.

Guys, thanks for the replies so far.

Guess I miss the aussie fishing lifestyle moreso than the fishing itself. Helps to fully appreciate something when you're forced to give it up for a while. (hey Topender )

Others, keep em coming.
Maybe add what you would miss about it if you had to give it up for a while.

Cheers
Jeff

[bidkev]

<snip>

If you are intense and compulsive in whatever you do like me, then probably not long. Even tonight the missus asked which day I was going fishing on the weekend, not, "if" I was going fishing.

Cheech

That's me. I've had 4 loves of my life (apart from the wife and kids), photography, fishing, tropical fishkeeping, and mountaineering. At some time or other, I've suffered "burn out" and have dropped one or the other, sometimes for years at a time. I've always drifted back to 'em and when I do, they are all-consuming. I can only focus on one at a time and whichever that is, takes over my whole being.

I've researched into autism a great deal (one of my sons is autistic) and it is widely recognised that there is a genetic link. I believe that all of us have certain (autistic) characteristics, some more than others, and that it is just as to how many of those characteristics we carry that results in a diagnosis.

Two of the diagnostic criteria (my words) are "an inabilty to multi-task" and "intense interest (focus) on one's current task/interest". This is known as a "perseveration". That's me. ATM fishing, and anything to do with fishing, is my life. I live and breathe it to the exclusion of all other interests. I am trying to learn all I can about fishing in Oz, it is so different from UK fishing. The above could be diagnosed as "obsessive-compulsive" but the difference from "perseveration" is that obsessions are generally debilitating and not welcomed whereas preseveration results in intense pleasure/satisfaction......... I digress :-)

Anyway, I used to run away to go fishing as a child and would be gone for days on end, until the police returned me. I was like this until about the age of 24 when I just upped and sold all my gear in an overnight decision. Never touched it for 6 years and then started all over again, repeated the process about 6 years later, only on my next return to it, I bought a boat and that opened a whole new world for me. Again, I stopped and sold up, but on coming to Oz (8 yrs ago) I started all over again and have maintained my interest throughout, although I was somewhat limited in my approach by targeting "big stuff" from the shore and jetties.

I have the feeling that this time I'm here for good. I can't envisage *ever* dropping fishing as I have in the past and I can't envisage being without it for more than a week or two (especially now that I've sampled offshore fishing). I'm pissed because the forecast for Sunday rules out offshore, but the old grey matter is still working overtime as to the options. No way can I be without my fishing atm.

kev

[Beggsy]

This time last year, my company (in their great wisdom) sent me to India for a few weeks...........

2 1/2 months later I got home.

Pretty well missed the whole Tailor/Bream season..... not happy, Jan.

Man, was I hanging out to wet a line !!

I tried every avenue I could to try and get a charter over there, but they simply don't exist. Even the local sewer-filled, crocodile infested lake was starting to look good.

Even found myself telling fishing stories to Indians who couldn't speak English !!! Obviously my excitement kept them partially interested, or they were just being too polite to tell me I was going mad....... bloody hard to tell with them always smiling and nodding at you...........