I grew up fishing but didn't take it very seriously when I was a kid up through my teenage years. I'd go canoeing with dad on the river, and I'd bring a fishing pole and maybe catch a few fish occasionally. It was fun but I didn't really know much of what I was doing. As I got older, I got into cars, music (playing the drums for the baptist church and local bands), and hanging out with my friends.
Around that time I suppose I kind of lost interest in it. I would fish occasionally, just a few times a year.
What really got me back into it was when I was in my early 20s, renting a house that was on a pond that I shared with my neighbors. One day I decided to carefully walk out on a log and cast a few times. I caught some bluegill along with some small bass, and suddenly having all of this available right there in my backyard was eye opening for me.
I started walking down to the pond almost every day after work. I built a small dock and I had some great times catching bass of all sizes (mostly dinks), catching a few crappie, but mostly just enjoying the peace and relaxation from the time in nature. Sometimes I'd just sit on the dock and drink a beer or take a nap.
It was very therapeutic for me during some stressful times in my life, and I got a new appreciation for time spent in nature even if I didn't catch any fish. Fishing and hunting started to take on a new meaning for me, instead of only having fun if I was successful, I learned to appreciate the entire experience.
Eventually I moved out of that house on the pond, but I missed it terribly... mostly because I felt like I lost a great way to relax and get in touch with nature. I started to think about how I could get back into fishing.
Where I live, we have a lot of great local lakes, but they get a lot of pressure. I started to seek out harder to access places on these lakes, in order to get away from the crowds and find some peace and quiet. It took some effort, lots of searching on Google maps, and lots of scouting, but after a year or two I found some great local spots with quality fish that didn't get nearly as much fishing pressure as the main lake areas.
Having a canoe, along with a small aluminum boat with a tiny 6hp outboard helped me tremendously because I could go places other bass boats couldn't get to. I enjoyed the challenge and thrill of scouting and finding new spots to fish. I finally found my "escape" once again, and it's better than ever because I'm learning more and more, catching much bigger and better fish.
I like to mix it up with different species / different locations when I get too bored. I'll fish inshore down at the coast with my little aluminum boat, catching trout, drum, and flounder. I have a new buddy who is big into surf fishing, looking forward to going with him some this fall. I haven't got the canoe out in several years, this spring I'm looking forward to floating the river again with my dad. There's always something out there new and exciting... for me the common theme is the peace and tranquility I get with spending time in nature.