By Kris Martin
Contributor
Rutland B.A.S.S President
A few months ago Kevin VanDam announced to the bass-fishing world that 2023 would be his last season fishing professionally. His retirement announcement was met with predictable well wishes and good thoughts. A list of his accomplishments as a touring pro was often posted along with the video message to his fans.
Let’s face it, when it comes to fishing, the guy was the face of the professional bass fisherman for nearly three decades. He was often described as the “Michael Jordan” of bass-fishing – a constant and consistent contender for any and every Open or tournament trail he chose to partake in. He was just about as ubiquitous as a product endorser as the Chicago Bull’s #23 as well, albeit in a very different sports genre.
But, does the retirement from a professional fishing career mean that a person won’t fish any more?
Not likely.
I would surmise that while he will be technically “retired”, the reasons for that retirement run much deeper than just chronological age.
A few days ago a colleague of mine asked a question of me – “Why do you fish?” The immediate question I then asked of myself was “Why does anyone do anything?” I’ve reached the point in my life where reflection and contemplation seem to be constant. Realistically, I’m roughly two-thirds through what would be considered an average life span. And, with time comes wisdom. I’m not saying that I’m particularly wise or experienced in any certain realm. Just that I tend to ask myself more questions and then reason through to the answers more deliberately than I did 20 or 30 years ago. Existential questions are not usually answered in black and white and rarely do they get you from Point A to Point B. Oftentimes there’s a few side missions to take before being to articulate an opinion or answer with any sort of elegance. And, as a person gets older (and wiser) we gain different knowledge – such as how to label certain emotions. We’re not “angry”, we’re “frustrated” or “annoyed”. We’re not “happy”, we’re “relieved” or “elated”. Part of aging is learning the subtle differences of certain emotions and feelings in order to communicate them more clearly – and to educate younger people how to describe what they’re feeling. Being human is not just the binary equation of good versus bad. The true scope of all human emotion cannot possibly be that simple.
The easiest answer to “Why do You Fish” is – “Because I enjoy it.”
Lets face it, if you didn’t enjoy it, you probably wouldn’t do it. I don’t enjoy eating things that are extraordinarily spicy. Therefore, I don’t order the “Dead-on-Arrival” hot wings. If I wanted to suffer through the torturous pain of my taste buds incinerating while my eyeballs melted away in my head I’d probably choose to do it in some quicker fashion. I am not a big fan of pain.
I am however a huge fan of peace and quiet. I particularly enjoy when people aren’t asking me to solve their problems or to do things for them. Every year I get asked about what I want for my birthday, and my usual response is “go fishing” or “be left alone” - which, when you think about it, I can do at the same time. But what I really want is for the demands of every day life to cease for an expected period of time. No bills to be paid, no lawn to be mowed and no one interrupting me as if I’ve got nothing better to do than stare at my phone waiting for whatever request someone has of me. I have my own stuff. You have your own stuff. Figure it out.
I’m going fishing.
I am acutely aware of the statement of counter-dependence in those last few sentences.
But here’s the rub – how do you learn to solve your problems? Where does your own ingenuity lie? I understand that two heads are better than one, but why suffer that confusion? Why let someone have an opinion about your life, particularly if it serves him or her and not you? I get that sometimes you need assistance or a mentor to teach you how to do things occasionally. And, I understand that there are all kinds of videos and books that can instruct you. Why depend on others though, when you’re every bit as intelligent as the person next to you? Is it the time commitment? The research? I feel like many in society demand instant satisfaction. It’s as if the passion for learning and figuring things out have given way to the path of least resistance. In my younger years I would go out to the basketball hoop, shoot around for an unspecified amount of time and think on the things I needed to. It was peaceful. Only now do I realize that it was mindful as well. I learned to prioritize, to check things off the list and perhaps most importantly – take care of myself.
I’m way off topic here, so, to get back, why do I fish?
There really is no wrong answer. In fact, more often than not, it’s an amalgam of numerous reasons, and many other people who fish echo them. The reasons evolve over time.
“To catch the biggest fish.”
“To enjoy the outdoors.”
“To get away from my in-laws.”
“To be alone.”
“To be with my friends.”
“To get drunk.”
I would argue that it usually starts with – “Because I enjoy it” and then begins to evolve around the reasons why a person enjoys it. And, most of the time those reasons will surprise you a bit. It’s not always about the fish. It’s about the person. It’s about who they are, and who, what and where they envision their place in this world.
Most of the time, their reason has something to do with being able to forget or solve problems in a peaceful setting, while implementing a sort of mindfulness process. I can get behind that sort of reasoning especially in an era where we’re constantly bombarded with ads, ailments and every other little thing that bothers us, or the stuff we’re told that “we need”. When I’m out on the water, none of that exists. It’s just me, my internal motivation and nothing else.
Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy fishing with other people too, especially if they’re about fishing (or baseball). I enjoy learning new things. Everyone is different, and I find that to be...interesting. I like that most of the people I get to fish with have independence about who they are and what matters to them. It’s the little differences from myself that I find intriguing and serve as the foundation for friendship. I mean, if we were all the same people would be quite boring.
So, why do I fish?
I enjoy the camaraderie, the challenge and the satisfaction of it. I look forward to that cup of coffee on the drive to the lake. I think about the stories I’ll be able to share with my friends and family – even if they couldn’t care less. There’s even some relief knowing that I could be at work instead.
And no one wants to think about that.