I tournament fish because I like the competition and the chance to win a little money. That's not the reason that I fish though! When I'm not tournament fishing I fish to spend some time with God, enjoying the peacefulness of his creation! That's the same reason I like hunting so much

Because it is an escape from real life and it is a challenge between man and beast.

 

And that darn beast wins more than he loses.

I really don't know if I would continue to fish IF all the fisheries went down the toilet and catching an actual fish was a rare thing.  That's partly why I stopped hunting pheasants around here-that and dropping a bird now feels something akin to genocide.  But fishing is a prime example of partial reinforcement-meaning: by catching SOME of the time, it strongly reinforces that behavior.  The same thing could be said of buying fishing tackle-and especially baits.  We buy something-it works part of the time, stimulates the pleasure centers of our pea brains- so we continue buying more things.  We're always looking for the magic bullet. 

Fishing...........It's just what I like to do!!

 

The same thing could be said of buying fishing tackle-and especially baits.  We buy something-it works part of the time, stimulates the pleasure centers of our pea brains- so we continue buying more things.  We're always looking for the magic bullet.

 

I used to think the motivation to buy more tackle was for the reason you mentioned, but anymore, going back, I think there were other factors:

1. after reading about the success of lure x,w or z, I wanted to try it and see if I could catch fish on it and do so consistently.

2. winters are long in the northeast and boredom seemed to be alleviated with the arrival of Bass Pro and Cabelas catalogs just after New Years. It became a habit to order stuff that looked good, interesting and potentially something I daydreamed I would catch fish on just after ice out. Imagination helped break up the long cold winters by way of warm weather dreaming.

3. I couldn't pass up clearance sales and bins. Sales mail order catalogs included, I have a Dick's and Gander Mountain fifteen minutes away and every spring, sales flyers showing fishing related gear with some great prices, would cause me to jump in the car and search the clearance bins and buy what was on sale whether I needed it or not. At the least, a few hundred was guaranteed to be spent for momentary imaginings with more trips to follow.  Again, mostly to alleviate the boredom of not being able to fish plus -

4. Work stress would push me into buying more stuff to alleviate the discomfort of work and winter combined. No idea why.

 

I do none of the above anymore, having far more patience in retirement, but mostly other diversions to focus on during winter until I can hook up the boat trailer, launch and fish. Now it's only a matter of seeing if what I own actually works and not replacing anything that breaks off catching a fish, fully realizing there will always be more ways and lure designs that work that I most likely already own!

I can't count the number of times that I have been out on a lake, the sun baking me like a potato in a microwave, no breeze, biting flies, sweating like a pig and no fish. I look around me at all of this ''stuff'' that I have invested in, at no small expense, to catch and release a creature with a brain the size of a wallnut that will not be caught and I ask myself,''Why in the heck do I do this?'' I have no immediate answer. By the time I get home it's dark. I put my gear away, take a shower, fix something to eat and relax. Before the evening is over I am already thinking about what lake I will be going to next and what new lure or technique I might try.And so it goes.

Rather than call it a hobby, I would rather think of fishing as pursuit - pursuit of more than just fish, as most everyone has stated.