I have been fishing hard for about the last month, fishing four or five days each week with nearly full days on the weekends.  

Today, I realized that my waist has dropped at least an inch and a half.  My weight has stayed exactly the same at 180.  The only thing that has changed is fishing.  

Is there anyway that hard bass fishing could result in a slimmer waist?  I do believe that my right arm has gotten stronger from all the casting.  I do walk a bit to get to the lake and usually, I walk maybe 3/4 of a mile around the lake as I move about.  Still....

i go to the gym 3-4 days a week........

and i would have never thought of fishing as exercise until this post....

but now that you mention it, it most likely is.....

instead of sitting on the couch and eating chippos, while doing absolutely nothing, im moving...... not eating..... and having an adrenaline rush (@ good times)....

i think your correct my pal.

ya man it'll wear you out.

not to get to technical here, but you are right.  low level exercise at long time periods will burn fat.  Thats why people who lose a ton of weight usually do it by walking or jogging for 60 minutes rather than running sprints for short time periods.  I guess I'll just have to go fishing more instead of going to the gym with the wife.  ;D

I remember seeing a piece on a fishing show a while back that compared a 4 day tournament like the Elite's to a marathon. Basically they said that an Elite angler will often burn the same calories in 4 days of hard fishing that a person would running in a marathon.

I dont know about that. I fish 6 days a week and Im still a fatass,lol.

I tend to see it as a form of exercise.  I also have lost an inch or two this year by shore fishing.  When I am having fun, I guess I do not realize just how much walking I am doing but now that I look back at it...quite a bit.

It makes sense to me. Especially for people that bank fish and are constantly walking around a pond/lake. Also, I think I've been told that when your body temp rises (such as being out on a boat all day in the hot sun constantly) your metabolism is boosted and you will burn more calories.

As a former competative bodybuilder and martial artist I would have to say no. Sure its better than sitting on the couch and walking around the lake vs in a boat makes a difference but I don't see it as exercise. Thats a personal opinion though. Heart rate doesn't stay up long enough and you need to use more muscles than one arm. One a side note, I consider it to be a very good "mental" exercise!

Fishing should not be considered exercise.  You are not getting your heart rate up enough nor are you straining enough for it be considered anaerobic conditioning.  You likely lost inches on your waist from being dehydrated.  Water loss is very common when fishing because you are out in the sun all day.  Once your water levels get back to normal it is likely that your waist will grow back to its normal state.  

Fishing does wear you out, but that is likely due to the mental factor of it.  With bass fishing we are constantly analyzing the situation and that takes work and can tire us out.  You are also standing on your feet all day.  But this is nothing compared to your more physical jobs such as construction.  All in all, don't rely on fishing as exercise, but as a more active activity.

I dont know about that. I fish 6 days a week and Im still a fatass,lol.

Haha, well do you fish on a boat?

Cause at my pond I may walk 2-3 miles throughout the day, climbing hills and jumping around, all with my fishing stuff. On top of that popping a spro frog all day. I think it is quite a workout, and when I fish all my concentration is on fishing so I dont get hungry, thus eating less. So yes I would consider it exercise. Just more of a reason to fish more

Personally I have lost 15 pounds since the weather turned nice here in West Virginia. We walk to many of the local strip pits, and some of them are 3-4 miles (one way) back in the woods. Lots of sweat, soreness, and ticks during and after a hard day of fishing.

I turned 40 years old in January, and my knees and back are starting to feel it, but the chance to catch an 8-10 pounder in those pits are well worth a little pain to me.

Plus I enjoy getting away from the crowds. No phone service, no car noise, no boats, no ATV tracks, no Litter, just the sounds of nature (its Great).

So yes, Bass Fishing can be GREAT exercise if you bust your hump looking for that Monster Bass. Just remember to take as much water as you can carry. We freeze several bottles the day before a big walking trip, and they sure do taste good while hiking.  

Losing weight = calories burned > calories consumed

Gaining weight = calories burned < calories consumed

If you're like me, you may get up early to have a light breakfast (extra light if there are no facilities around). Then most of the day has passed and you haven't eaten anything, especially any type of processed snacks (which are full of sugar, salt, fat, etc...).

If you've found that you're losing weight, you're probably just running at a calorie deficit through consuming less; not because of the fishing activity. In the above equations, you may have burned, for example, an extra 100 calories out fishing but may have eaten around 500-600 calories less by not snacking. In the above scenario, i'm talking about someone just parking and sitting at a bank nearby or out on a boat, not those who may have to hike long distances or kayak to get to their secret spots.  In those situations, it's the hiking and kayaking that's burning the calories.

Of course, in the long run, too many reduced calories causes the metabolism to slow down (like when people always skip b/fast or lunch to lose weight), which will actually cause weight loss to go extremely slow or even cause a weight gain.

**sorry for the long description...been looking at my eating plan recently to try to get back into some real shape. Also, that exta bit of StoK in my coffee didn't help. **

I do believe that my right arm has gotten stronger  quote]

you sure fishens all ya been doing   sorry couldn't resist

A friend of mine was in a horrific crash in his race car and part of his physical therapy took up fly fishing. The docs were impressed with his progress and he gained a sport that he loved till his death. The last time I fished with the 75 year old we fished from dawn till dark in a cold drizzle. The man was a machine with a flyrod but no match for the cancer that took him

I walk a good mile or 2 every time i go fishing....Since i'm shore bound,i have to walk.

I lose weight every summer because of this.So yeah,It's exercise for me.

It sure was for these guys...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1244951643

All activity is aerobic, since it elevates the heart rate.  It may not elevate it to the max desired levels, but it does stimulate blood flow.

A person who walks ten flights of stairs does the same amount of work as he does running those ten flights.

The intensity does not affect the total amount of "work" done.  It only affects the amount of time it takes to do it.  The same number of calories are being consumed.

I paddle my canoe when fishing.  I can paddle harder or at a more leisurely pace.  Distance paddled is all that matters when it comes to calories burned, not how fast I paddled that distance.

Likewise, a golfer who leisurely walks the course burns the same number of calories as a person who walks faster while covering the same distance.

If you're moving, you're exercising.

well, I fish seven days aweek for 3-10 hours a day and let me tell you, it will wear you out, especially because six of those days are spent walking two or more miles to where I fish from shore.

hmm...interesting topic. I kind of like weirdly relatived topics like this  

I'm all for fishing being an exercise. Alot of my summer fishing used to be with my friend wading through a creek. Walking miles a day has to be exercise. lol

in a boat, I can see a run and gun guy getting a decent endurance exercise in his arm but the guy that sits down and worm fishes well I can't see that doing you any good.

another thing that just popped in my head is that if you look at a numebr of pro...they aren't exactly looking in their peak physical prime. and they fish more than most of us

Mottfia

Exercise has various definitions, but assuming you mean

"bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness"

as defined by Merriam's online dictionary.

I would say it depends on your fishing circumstances. Let's say your are fishing a golf course where the ponds are spread out and you have to walk to the next hole and you're fishing fast, then yes it can be considered exercise. On the other hand let's assume you are fishing for bass using live shiners and just sitting in your chair as you wait for old bucketmouth to strike, then no its not.

A person who walks ten flights of stairs does the same amount of work as he does running those ten flights.

The intensity does not affect the total amount of "work" done. It only affects the amount of time it takes to do it. The same number of calories are being consumed.

That isnt true. You arent dealing with constants here. There could be quite a difference in calorie burn depending on the exertion level. Even if the distance is the same.

To illustrate: Get in your truck and drive a mile at 5mph. Then drive a mile at WOT. The fuel used will not be the same.

I have been fishing hard for about the last month, fishing four or five days each week with nearly full days on the weekends.

Today, I realized that my waist has dropped at least an inch and a half. My weight has stayed exactly the same at 180. The only thing that has changed is fishing.

Is there anyway that hard bass fishing could result in a slimmer waist? I do believe that my right arm has gotten stronger from all the casting. I do walk a bit to get to the lake and usually, I walk maybe 3/4 of a mile around the lake as I move about. Still....

As somebody mentioned it is all calories in and calories out.

Assuming your diet hasnt changed you are burning more calories then before from the change in activity level.

Same calories in as before + More calories burned then before= weight loss. simple as that.