Burned out.

I cannot lie. This year was pretty tough for my boat. I have held a fishing pole probably before i could walk but, after this season i have pretty much lost all desire to fish. I am not looking for sympathy because i already realize i am not the best fisherman. Its not about catching fish every time out. If I had a dollar for every time I came home fishless i’d be a rich man. I have way too much money invested in this hobby to suddenly lose desire. Two boats, multiple outboards. Two ice shacks and too much gear to suddenly walk away from. Maybe I should take a year off and, then start from scratch. I work too much and have little time as well. Has anyone else ever had this happen to them?

sorry to burst a bubble, but i look at every fishless outing as a learning experience….between fishing and hunting I live breath and die…so am I disappointed…never when I can get out..stay persistent and goodluck,
when it all comes together in a big way it will be worth it, I promise….

I know about how you feel…work too much and have a nice boat I don’t get to use much. I am in a little different situation…I found out about 5 years ago that I cannot eat fish for some reason…so now I just do catch and release when I get the chance…guess that’s why they call it going fishing and not going catching. I go out with the mindset you are there to enjoy nature at it’s best and take what fish you catch as a bonus. Give it a little time, take care of the more important things so when you do go back out you can relax and enjoy, don’t give up hope.

I got that way about hunting partially because I was too good at it. I became a killer instead of a hunter. Had to be rock steady for the shot, no emotion, bang dead.

Catch and release is possible and highly desirable in fishing. Makes it much more fun. Love to catch big ones and see them swim away after a little exercise.

Sorry you feel that way. I had similar feelings several years ago when all I could catch were bass

In all seriousness though, when I started fishing walleye roughly 6 years ago I plain sucked. I would come home from outings empty handed too and want to give up as well. Now, I’m still not a very good catcherman but I’m not a horrible fisherman and I can actually catch walleye using different techniques, methods and equipment. Due to this same fact, my arsenal of equipment is much greater than than it used to be so there’s no turning back… but I don’t want to anymore either.

I have learned a great deal of information about how to catch fish through IDO (mainly InDepthAngling in the olden days ), magazines and friends which has turned my attitude around. I am still not where I want to be but I am much better than where I was; it took a lot of time and trial and error. It takes work to improve a little but from there it seems like leaps and bounds.

If you really enjoy fishing and the outdoors don’t give up – it’s bound to get better.

Chris

I had the same problem 10 years ago and did take some time off. Sold the boat and most of my gear. Two years later I suddenly had the desire to go fishing again and had to start all over-new boat, new gear…Looking back, I wish I would have just gone back to the childhood bluegill trips and things may not have seemed so dismal. Take some time off if you think you need to but don’t make the same mistake I did because I was never going fishing again.

Art

Brian- -In a way I kind of envy you. You have a choice to fish or not to fish. I don’t have the choice. A year and a half ago I was out 4-6 days a week with out fail. Now my new best friend-named Arthur (itis) limits me to 2 or at best, 3 days a week. He smacks me on the hands and shoulders so hard I can barely hang onto a rod or run my tiller. Be glad you CAN make that choice. Leave your toys set for a year, do something else before you make the decision jerr

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I got that way about hunting partially because I was too good at it. I became a killer instead of a hunter. Had to be rock steady for the shot, no emotion, bang dead.

Catch and release is possible and highly desirable in fishing. Makes it much more fun. Love to catch big ones and see them swim away after a little exercise.

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Northstar, I’m exactly the same way. Hunting just got to easy. On top of that, Nicole decided she didn’t like the taste of most wild game.

Well, if I don’t enjoy taking a life anymore and we aren’t even going to eat the meat. It was a pretty easy decision to give it up.

That was one of the draws to fishing for me as well. Catch and release allows me to become great at something else, but I don’t have to kill the prize if I don’t want to.

I still hunt each year, but at about 10% compared to prior years. Those hunts are now enjoyable because they are special times during the year that I’ve selected for various reasons.

So long story short, yes. A lot of us know how you feel about getting burnt out. I kept all my hunting stuff cause I’ll probably get back into it after my hunting sabbatical. I’d recommend the same to you. Still go fishing on the most enjoyable trips. Stop going all the other times and find something new to entertain yourself for the next few years.

I hear ya man.. I got really burned out on ice fishing last year. I’d load up the trailer with the ATV, fish trap yukon, vexilar, power auger, all the rest of my gear, drive to the lake, unload the crap, go out and drill about 100 holes looking for perch on my local lake and end up catching squat. It just wasn’t fun anymore so I put just about all my crap on Craigslist and sent it down the road. I hung on to my fishing poles, baits and tip-ups but the rest is gone. I have no regrets on selling off the luxury items, but I must admit I’m starting to get a little bit of an itch to get back out onto the ice and now I find myself in the market for a new flasher.

Every angler has a different set of “wants”. I also think there’s a natural progression that a lot of anglers go through. Here’s the stages as I see it.

1. Just want to catch fish

2. Want to get species specific

3. Want to prove to people that you know a lot about catching that specific species.

4. Want to catch bigger fish

5. Want to catch fish with a certain technique

6. Want to apply everything you know to new bodies of water (or tournaments)

7. Get back to basics and enjoy the time fishing more again.

I’m not saying everybody goes through this, but it does seem like a lot of serious anglers go through something similar. My advice would be to decide what you want to get out of angling. If you can’t come up with a good reason that you want to keep going and learning, leave your stuff sit in the garage for a year and step back.

If you are looking for some real world experience, this is the place to find it. Nothing shortens the learning curve like going out with somebody with experience. Good Luck

Living an hour and a half away from the first decent lake to fish, and several hours from the places I really want to go to, all I can do is find myself looking forward to doing it. I’d love to be within an easy short drive to just pop over and fish for an hour or two any time I wanted to. Can’t feel to sorry for anyone having enough of it that you lose interest.

That said, go back to your beginning. Get in a small row boat or canoe and do a simple fishing on a small little water. Remember what it is like to just soak up being there.

Take a young kid out and see the excitement in their eyes doing it the first time. Heck take an older guy out that get out on their own. Can you imagine loving it, but getting too old to get on the water any longer. Being in that trap… and you could see the look on their face as they get to enjoy it for a few hours again.. That will get you back to remembering what you loved about it.

Go out and fish in a manner you never do any more. Force yourself to do something and catch fish in a way you never have. Often I feel we all get to caught up in the technical, having to have all the tools, and fancy crap. We all do it, but when you get back to doing the thing that got you involved in the beginning, it all comes around. Pack away 90% of your crap for a year, keep a few essentials… less electronics, nets, poles, and fancy lures. You’ll see a year later you may not miss having it, or maybe you’ll enjoy peaking into that closet and pulling just a few little special things out again.

Nothing else, take the activity away from yourself for a year. No choice, just plain do not allow yourself to do it. You’ll know then if it is time to start selling things.

Hi Brian,

I think this year was an overall tough year for most of us. I heard a few guides even mention that they had a tough time catching fish this year. I got my handed to me a few times down on P4 but I kept on trying and my last outing was lights out. I have only been fishing the river for a few years now and there is a lot to learn. When the tactics I had learned so far were not working I forced myself to try new things that would better fit the river for the condition it was in. With the help of a few river veterans (Thanks Doc and Dean ) I was able to not only learn new ways to fish but adapt to what the river was doing this year versus the past years I had fished it. DON’T GIVE UP! Read up on some new presentations and go give them a try. You may fail the first time but the when you get your first fish your confidence will be boosted. When you get it dialed in you will have another go to tactic that you can use any time you go out. This site is an amazing learning tool as well.

As for the shacks, get a cribbage board and a 12 pack

This is really an interesting topic –

When I look at my gear, I have ranged from “all in” to back “out”.

I have had as many as 3 bird dogs, at one time – now I have a house lab. I shot 6 pheasants this year. 12 grouse and only went hunting two long weekends. Barely into the pheasant hunting anymore and I used to go every weekend for either species.

I have multiple boats that allow my to fish big lakes, rivers and small ponds. They get used alot – some years and sit others. I have ranged from musky – bass – walleye….trout. Trolling to fly fishing and everything in-between.

I have proposed to my wife on the bow of my boat – on Rainy and took her to Belize to fly fish on our honeymoon.

Ice fishing in the BWCA and Canada with snow-shoes and pulling 30 lb Lake Trout thru the ice.

I have done alot and most of it extreme. That was then, this in now….

I am now starting to have a family and am looking forward to catching a 5 inch sunfish with my son – just to see the look on his face.

I think it is important to keep it all in perspective. Fishing and Hunting are fantastic opportunities to “get away” and get back to basics. Enjoy the escape and make the journey the goal vs catching a limit. It is also great to share these wondeful, lifetime, hobbies, with young people.

I think you are lucky to have the choices you do – just change it up once in a while.

Dog

Interisting post Brian. I dont think it unusual for people to switch interists or hobbies. As we go threw life what we are looking to get back out of it changes. I remember the days of fishing sun up to sun down and going to very wild extremes just to catch that fish. Now a lot of my fishing is much more laid back and I spend more time enjoying being with the other people in the boat and looking around at what nature is doing around me. Guess my tunnel vision of just trying to catch that fish has been opened a bit.

So if you dont fish what are you going to do with your time? Hope work is not going to take it place unless that is what you like to do. This comment in your post stuck out a little to me. “I work too much and have little time as well.” Maybe a change in what, where or how you are fishing might peak your interist again. For me even if I didnt fish its hard to imagine not spending time on the water.

I sold out 4 years ago, it just got to be a lot of work. Getting ready,cleaning everything-up, putting everything away, etc, etc.
I now have a old 16′ lund that I drag home, park it with all the gear in it and still dirty. It was the best thing for me. I actually enjoy it again.

But I sure miss that nice boat !!

Do you watch a lot of outdoors shows? I stopped watching them all-together and found my desire to get out increased.

Sometimes there’s so much pressure to succeed big you figure why bother.Or you end up living through them vicariously. Worked for me…

What do you fish for and where are you fishing?

All very interesting perspectives. I love to fish but I am not intense trying to catch fish. I just keep it simple, beer, outdoors and good friends to fish with. Fishing really helps me deal with being burned out with work, home, bills, politics etc.

Grab some family and/or friends and go to Lac Seul. perfect cure!

Everyone brought up excellent points. I learned some time ago from a trophy buck hunter, and reiterated by ole Deano, is “I don’t have to kill an animal to have a successful hunt”. We tend to place way too much on having all the latest gear, best boat and instant success–in the end, none of these things matter. The ones I see not burning out in anything are the ones that never turn off the learning process and really don’t care if they even catch anything-some of my very best “learning trips” have been fishless days. Many guys get interested in a subject, then have to run out and buy all the latest stuff–true success can never be bought and in the end just leads to a deadend of disappointment. Best advice, don’t take yourself so seriously-nobody else does!!!!!!! Have fun, and if it means stepping back for awhile-no harm in that……it will truely let you know if you really like to fish as much as you thought you did or if it really just doesn’t matter to you afterall. Either way you will be better off.

Good luck!!

let me say that at one point, “I WAS THE MAN”.. meaning that I was extremely successful. fishing tourny’s, traveling, and what not..

a big key for me was traveling to Alabama twice a year, one to start the year,, so five HARD fishing days.. and then ending the year on four or five hard days.. and that really set the tone for the year..

but as money , and job worries, and other life lessons changed my fishing and fishing days..
it became much harder..

and then.. my fishing “luck” changed. Before, I could “always make my luck”. catching fish when who ever I was with did not..
but suddenly.. it went away.. the feel .the touch.. the small things that put fish in the boat when you can’t put fish in the boat..

and guess what.. I learned to be happy with that. for one, I would get on the MORE FISH IS NOT ENOUGH cycle.. meaning that .. okay bass are hitting this.. let me throw everything else to see what else they will hit.. and that can lead to “tough days “..

and two.. just the lack of feel. You aren’t catching fish.. and your feel goes away.. Three times I have fished with Cade.. the one time he killed me on 15 lbs of bass OUT OF THE BACK OF MY BOAT.. and he beat me easily out of his boat.. and not once did I get offended. .

why? because I was on fish.. I am just not feeling fish.. or the correct speed of retrieves. or being able to pick up one rod and lure as opposed to another.. all at the right time..

all the things I did when I was going great guns..

so here is what I did. I got a short,soft , spinning rod.. some 8lb triline XL.. and some finesse worms.. and caught a ton of small bass. and one begat the next.. so that you could re establish feel..

but guess what on days , that I didn’t catch them.. I just enjoyed being alive..

fishing IS NOT A CONTEST. its recreation. and your success isn’t predicated on CATCHING FISH.. or big fish.. because some days.. ONE FISH.. is way better then a ton of guys catching NO FISH.. enjoy the sport. the water.. look for an eagle.. watch the geese.. watch the water and look for feeding fish.. admire the beauty of the lake or river that you are on.. appreciate because in Downtown Chicago, Milwaukee or New York city, seeing a squirrel is a big thing.. check out a pretty girl..

what ever.. enjoy your time.. Let some one beat you and be happy for them..

don’t carry the weight of fishing on your shoulders..

three years ago.. my best friend came to town.. He had $400 rod combos..at least.. maybe even higher..

and I am using 30 year old rods, and I am throwing a DEEP BIG O.. because of its sloppy action.. this is a lure No longer made.. and He said to me.. BOB , I can’t believe you are using that lure.. and I said, ” WHY NOT”,, if I don’t use it now , when will I use it? ” plus , its all going to burn anyway..”

well six months later,, HE HAD THE HEART ATTACK .. and now he is a shell of a man.. and those rod combos, stayed locked in a rod box some where in Alabama.. maybe never to be used by him again..

so go out and enjoy it.. You Don’t have to catch a fish to be successful.. maybe you find an unmarked hump.. or a creek, that’s not on a map.. or you see a bald or a golden Eagle sitting right by you in a tree..

that’s success. enjoy it.. because there will come a time , where you won’t ever be able to enjoy it like that again..

I wish you all the best.. sorry for being so long winded..

the ol’ rat..

Wow. Rat that is a great post, and those are the things I’ve learned to value over my hunting and fishing lifetime. Honestly, I still suck at both, but my kids are easily pleased and have low expectations because that’s all they know of their Dad so it works out! Really, the boys are why I go now, we have fun regardless and it makes me feel great knowing I’m teaching them. You could take up cat fishing maybe?

I did not think any one could say it better than Henry David Thoreau

“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”
Henry David Thoreau

But doggonet rat did,just took more words!

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All very interesting perspectives. I love to fish but I am not intense trying to catch fish. I just keep it simple, beer, outdoors and good friends to fish with. Fishing really helps me deal with being burned out with work, home, bills, politics etc.

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I’m right there with you. Not saying I don’t get intense with fishing and hunting from time-to-time, but I’ve had a lot of good people to learn from that help me keep it in perspective and help me maintain my priorities. Being able to be in the outdoors always holds a higher rung than harvesting game.

Brian,

I am only 25 years old but I felt burned out about fishing about two years ago. I was fishing every day, I worked 2nd shift, in the mornings. I would wake up before my wife and get out to the lake before the sun and then come home and sleep. I bought all the new stuff I could aford, rods, reels, luers, you name it and I had it. Then one day I just didn’t feel like fishing. I had no drive to get up, no drive to watch the world wake up as I cast my buzz bait through the pads. Then it happened, my car was broken into and all of my luer were stollen. i had NOTHING to fish with. The only thing that I had left was an ultra light pole and a bobber that I always kept in my car for some unknown reason. I now know why I kept it. I should say this too. The time between me feeling like I didn’t want to fish and the time that my gear was stollen was about 10 months. Well, now that I didn’t have it I all of the sudden felt like I had to fish. So I went back to the basics. I have read all of the other posts on here and I have to agree with all of them. If you don’t want to fish, then don’t just don’t sell a lot of your stuff untill you are sure that you don’t want to fish anymore. Anyways, I called up my brother, got some LIVE worms, and some little eagle claw hooks. We went to a local pond at a park that we didn’t know if it had fish in it. My brother and I spent the next 3 hours just relaxing on the bank, talking about old fishing trips and catching 3-7 inch bluegills. It was one of the best times that I have ever had with a fishing pole in my hand. You know, come to think of it, I don’t think that they desire to fish ever left me it was just that the way that I fished needed to change. Now, I know that if I want to go out and fish for a day, I can really work hard to find them or I can sit on a bank, with a sandwich and a radio and catch nothing at all and still have a good time. Don’t give up, just give it a little time. Go back to your roots. Think about why you started to fish in the first place. Write down some of your best fishing memories in a journal. I think that you will find that writing can be a very interesting way to kick start your passion again. Also, you don’t have to show anyone the journal so even if you suck as a writer it doesn’t matter. Just give it a little time and take a breath. I can also compare it to pitching in baseball. If you try and force something that you are not feeling, then it will be a disaster. You need to step off the mound take a little walk around it and take a breath. Look at what isn’t working. If you your curve is not breaking, then try the changeup. If your fastball isn’t moving right and is getting creamed, then start throwing the breaking stuff. It is all taking a differnt aproach to getting the desired affect. This also requires stepping back, taking a breath and looking at what you need to do. That is the same for fishing and if you take that breath, see that fishing is not for you anymore, and are okay with that then you do it. Just take that breath and you will see that there are lots of ways to go about your feelings in this situation. I hope that this has helped. We, IDO, are all here for you buddy and if you decide not to fish, still hang around and just have some fun. Keep your chin up man. You will figure out what you need to do one way or another.

Zach

Go through it all the time. With two boys in the mix there are days that my gear is scattered to hell and back. Just keeping things organized and trying to personalize each persons needs can wear a guy out.

Then I’ll look at my dad, 83 yrs. old and still burning to get out fishing every chance he can. Same guy who raised 4 boys who were outdoor fools. Figured if he did it with 4 then 2 should be a snap.

It can be a rollercoaster but the thrill of the ride ALWAYS brings me back. Hope you feel better, by the looks of the responses you are not alone, just good ol human nature throwing out a little test

Thanks for all the great insight and advice. I think i may step back and not take myself to seriously… Only fish if i feel like it, not because you have a boat payment and feel obilgated. As for the ice shack, i do think it will go out when we have good ice. Cooking and cards is always a good time. May not drill a hole this year!

Thanks again to all and Merry Christmas!

Brian

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I got that way about hunting partially because I was too good at it. I became a killer instead of a hunter. Had to be rock steady for the shot, no emotion, bang dead.

Catch and release is possible and highly desirable in fishing. Makes it much more fun. Love to catch big ones and see them swim away after a little exercise.

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It seems as though I am not alone on this subject, I kind of always felt that I may have lost something along the way.I was always an avid hunter and have had tremedous success, at times it seemed So easy.Now that the desire to hunt has wanned,I do find myself fishing alot more. I was kind of doubting myself when hunting season rolled around, friends that I hunted with were always razzing me because I no longer go on trips that were always an annual deal.
After reading that alot of others are in the same situation it kind gives me a little more peace with it.
So now to catch nice fish and release it back into the water, and to choose a few for the frying pan,has become the passion that I once had for hunting.

Nice Post Brian…thanks

I’ll just toss this out there as food for thought because it has not been mentioned. Not necessarily for you, but others who may read this with the same thoughts.

Losing interest in things you normally desire is a classic sign of clinical depression. If your loss of interest continues or other signs of depression pop up. See a Doc. !!

-J.

Excellent point Jon!