Hobbie Test

A few years ago my wife and I purchased a 18'-6" Old Town canoe so we could have something to do together out doors. We also purchased a rod & reel for her and a fishing licsence because there's no way I can go out on the lake and not fish for bass. My idea of fishing has always been, all my life; to get up early and be on the lake or the bay or stream as the sun is cracking or just before. That entails getting up by at least 5 am (thats if everything is loaded on the truck) or earlier. Every day I get up no later than 5am even on weekends. Mornings, to me, are the best. The coffee, eggs, the birds, the sunrise, the peacefullness, everything comes alive except most people, the world is slower in the morning.

For the last couple years I've been thinking of selling the canoe for reasons you probably guessed. Yes, my wife dosen't look at mornings (especially weekend mornings) the way I do. The canoe is too big for me to load on the truck rack with out a struggle so instead, I thought of trading it in to the paddle sport dealer I purchased it from. I went to him with the canoe and made an almost even trade on a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 kayak, easy to load & unload. Now here is the test; will I go metal detecting more or kayak fishing? Will the kayak sit and not get used? Yesterday I went to a lake with the kayak (first time in a sit on top) in the early morning. Had it all set up for fishing, 2 rods, rod holders, lunch, drink, lures ect. The lake was void of boats an fishermen and 70% lilly pads, no prob with a kayak, beautiful morning. To shorten up the story I only caught one bass but she was a big one for Pennsylvania. She hit on a 7" pink and white rubber worm in the lillies. At only 20" but she was plump and about 5 lbs.
I have to say, while I was fishing my thoughts were drifting to detecting and for me, detecting rates higher on the druthers list with kayak fishing a not too far behind second. So now I know the kayak will get used way more than the canoe and I know that detecting is still number one on my hobbie list.

Whatever works and know grown men that plant flowers and fly kites and model airplanes..Myself after being a hunter and fisherman once I got into swinging a metal detector 20 years ago my other gear lays dormant and even though now in my seventies still get out even though the 8 hour days are no more as my body won't hold up.
As far as dual husband and wife hobbies we both do our own thing and must have worked in our case as just celebrated our 47th year and have two successful children in their forties so life is good but again multiple hobbies
gets my vote to supplement the bad days but alas I only have one....Anyone have an old golf cart for sale as imagine health and age limits ones time in metal detecting but then again in my last planted hunt one 95 year old gentleman won the prize for being the oldest in the hunt...and yes he found one of the few silver dollars that were planted..

It goes without saying:

I'm in the same boat (no pun intended).

"Exploring" and "Discovery" TRUMP.

Life is too short! Get her a detector and have at it. Unfortunately for me, my wife has no interest in detecting but does enjoy looking at my finds for the day... so I'll take that too.

"Happy hunting" - Schultzie

Yep.

It is good to have a few hobbies. Hard to find the time it seems like though.

History is being paved over so don't wait too long. The laws are against us and people are not as nice as they once use to be about letting you hunt their land.

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

As a single father of 2 little ones, I only have time for one hobbie and it is the BEST one.
I enjoyed your story ozzie.

Good post Ozzie! I've been Bass fishing since I was a kid & I've been metal detecting since I was a kid! At one time, my honest goal was to catch the world record Bass (Large-mouth) which wouldn't be impossible in my parts. I got to 14 1/2 lbs with many over 10lbs & I tell ya, there's very few things that compare with knowing you have a serious lunker on the line! One of those things, to quote Tom, would be "exploring & discovery!" They're pretty similar feelings of setting the hook on a giant Bass & getting a good, repeatable, "whisper" signal at 9 or 10" - Personally, both are just magical!! Which would I pick? BOTH! Seems my interests goes back & forth. A few years of one then a few years of the other. Lastly, I will say that I release EVERY Bass I catch but those Silver Coins & "Whatever" else I may find, yea I do tend to hold on to them a bit longer! It's that "Whatever else" I may find that makes this an amazing hobby for me!! (By the way, Kayaking through the Lilly pads with a plastic worm on the end of my Bait-caster sounds darn good too!)

Been swingin' a White's since the 70's - 5 machines, Currently an XLT & Fisher F75 LE - 50,000 finds, 30,000 (or so) keepers. Published in the White's catalog. Always looking for good/decent hunting buds! Get in touch!

As I was reading your post, I said to myself.......I hope he releases those big a** lunkers. Then I read to the end. Your a wise man to do that, for several reasons.

Fishing and hunting is what I lived for growing up. Hunting clubs eventually just became too expensive for the amount of time I had available to go, so I had to give that up eventually. Metal detecting became a passion in its place, and for the last twenty years or so has gradually cut into my fishing time. Now, when I go to the ocean to fish I have my detector in the boat and find myself checking out the most popular beaches for hunting when the fishing slows down. I guess the fishing is just not as important to me as it used to be.

I still love to hunt and fish -- to me, metal detecting is very similar, the thrill of the chase, and you never know what you are going to land/bag...

Steve