All #fishermen worth their salt know there's no feeling in the world better than making a good catch, and they're willing to endure the early mornings, cold feet, wet clothes, and pricked fingers just for the chance to feel the thrill of reeling that baby in. But while fishing may seem like a relaxing and quiet pastime with no stresses or headaches, there are definitely a few struggles that every dedicated fisherman has encountered at one time or another.
Most anglers have their favorite spot: that place where everything feels right and the fish are always biting. So there's nothing worse than planning a fishing trip, getting a head start on the day, and getting to your best place only to find that someone else is already there.
Fishing takes dedication, and to get the best catch; you have to be the early bird. That means being awake and out the door before your family is up, before the sun is up, and often before your favorite coffee place is even open.
Whether you slip on a rock and fall in, have to dive in to loosen your anchor, or have to retrieve your best lure, sometimes going fishing means getting wet when you didn’t want to.
Fishing hooks are funny things, and they can have a tendency to end up in places they aren't meant to go. Like in fingers. Or cheeks. And other body parts from which they need to be carefully pried out. Whether you reach into your tackle box and grab the wrong end of a hook or cast in a strange way and catch yourself instead of a fish, most anglers have a few #funnyfisherman stories about hooking themselves or a friend.
When it comes to fishing, the ultimate goal is to have something to take home at the end of the day, and sometimes you have to fight for it. So there's nothing worse than going home without having caught a single fish or fighting a line and having that darned #funnyfish slip off at the last second. Actually, there is one thing that’s worse: fighting to reel in a fish only to have it stolen by a shark, alligator, or another fish.
Most anglers will fight through any element nature can throw at them (that’s why ice fishing exists), but sometimes the weather just refuses to cooperate. Sometimes this means it rains during your entire weeklong fishing trip, now and then it means getting sunburnt in places you didn’t know existed, and other times it means watching the wind blow your line a mile away from where you wanted to cast.
Whether your boat is in the shop or you just don’t have one, not being able to get out on the open water to find that perfect fishing spot is a real drag. When you’re a #fisherman without a boat, you're limited to wading along shorelines, fishing off piers, and casting off docks, and while these may still be some good hunting grounds, nothing beats casting your line off the back of a boat in the middle of a quiet lake.
Fishing demands patience, dedication, and perseverance on a level that many people don’t have. The struggles of being a fisherman require you to look past unnaturally early starts to the day, expose yourself to all kinds of extreme weather, and sometimes even go home with some holes in your body. But for the angler, these things are more than worth it, because, at the end of the day, nothing gets rid of your worries like a good catch.
