
A water-based religion: how fishing liberates the mind - Vigier
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/nature/2018/01/water-based-religion-how-fishing-liberates-mind
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ZenoArrow
In my early years, my dad used to take myself and my brother fishing. What I
found to be the best is that it's an excuse be busy doing nothing. Sure,
you're waiting on a sign that a fish has taken the bait, but most of the time
you're just in a relaxed state, surrounded by nature. The fishing line gives
you something simple to focus on, and by doing so it frees up your mind to
appreciate your surroundings.

I didn't understand the connection between fishing and meditation when I was
younger, all I knew is that it was both relaxing and interesting, and a way to
bond with my family, but even though I don't go fishing much now I still feel
like I "get it" because of those early experiences.

~~~
mbrock
As a son of a dad who loved taking me fishing, I find it all very beautiful
and meditative right until the part when an animal gets caught on your meat
hook and you have to break its neck and flay it.

~~~
rubidium
What wasn't beautiful about that?

~~~
mbrock
I don't have a particular theory about it.

Your question seems... not exactly ungrammatical, but somehow strange.

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brosirmandude
Might be an odd question but do any of you have hobbies that are similar to
fishing but without, well, fish. Specifically something that doesn't harm any
fish/animals.

~~~
75dvtwin
target shooting (either pistol, or long distance rifle with bolt action (like
.308, 6.5 Swiss, or other 6.5 calibers).

This requires a lot of preparation

(like re-loading cases with right powder and bullets, calculating ballistic
performance of your reloads, projecting weather on the day ahead and
optimizing your setup for that weather, etc).

Also very slow an deliberate.

\---

Another one, is bird photography. Also requires preparation, thinking about
technology and physical/nature stuff.

Also slow and requires patience.

You can extend bird photography, if you use film -- into subsequent print
development, including printing on non-traditional media/canvases.

This works well for folks, like me, who do not have painting skills but would
like to express their view of the worlds/ideas through pictures...

That makes into art, producing very unique non-repeatable artifacts (that's
probably not possible to achieve with digital).

\--

In both of the above, at the end you have something to show for it (either
paper targets, or pictures).

So that creates memories, enables story telling, etc.

~~~
fian
Second target shooting but suggest Archery instead of guns. Less noise, more
walking to retrieve your arrows after each end (round) and you can choose from
a range of draw weights to find something that you comfortably sustain.

Like all hobbies you can start affordably then take it to extremes in a
variety of ways.

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peterwwillis
I fish and hunt for food, but I find catch and release to be the human
equivalent of a cat playing with its prey. I don't think putting holes in
animals for fun is an ethical use of one's free time, regardless of whatever
weird navel-gazing metaphysical ecstasy you might get from it. Hell, even from
the perspective of a "sport", fishing is lame: a trot line left for two days
has the same effect as sitting on the lake for five hours.

~~~
sizzzzlerz
We all have our own opinions on that. As a trout fisherman, I do catch and
release using barbless hooks. I occasionally will keep a fish for breakfast or
dinner when out camping. Careful handling of the fish while reeling it in and
while removing the hook then then gently rocking the fish back and forth under
water to allow it time to regain its orientation before swimming off seems to
be quite successful. Does it survive with holes in its mount? Everything I've
read says it will do just fine, again, with gentle treatment.

~~~
Doxin
You mean in the same way a human will survive a stab wound as long as you stab
them gently and provide good aftercare?

The fish surviving doesn't quite make the whole exercise a net positive on the
ethics-scale in my opinion.

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0xcde4c3db
I'm reminded of _A River Runs Through It_ , whose opening line is:

> In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.

~~~
sizzzzlerz
And just as meaningful, the very last line is

> I am haunted by waters.

Great story about fishing and about life.

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SirLJ
That’s life... I am back into fishing my local river and this is the most
relaxing experience I can think of

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jboggan
Spearfishing is even better!

~~~
anitil
My kindred spirit

