Hey fellas,
I have an addiction that is getting me in trouble with my girlfriend. (No, is not soda pops with fuzz on top) Is FISHING!! Now that spring is here I've been fishing almost everyday. Including weekends except for Sundays, well she has been mad for 4 days now and has not called me at all. My question is to those who have been in a situation like this, can you throw me some pointers. What should I do? I've been with this girl for 6 years and don't know if this addiction is going to ruined my relationship in the long run. Thanks a lot you wise ones
Ariel

Dump her like last weeks garbage. If you happen to marry her, then she will not want you to fish, hunt, see your friends, visit your family. Do you see the point I'am making.

She sounds as if she is jealous of you having fun.

Run Son Run.

Well i love her, but i love to fish, I spend my day out on this lake and hell is all i catch. When she met me at the door she said ill have to choose. if i hit that fishin hole today she'd be packin all her things and she'd be gone by noon............... WELL IM GONNA MISS HER!!... sorry couldnt resist.... id try takin her in the boat with me....... that would be my suggestion

hey, you are educating her on how it would be if you got married....i did that a long time ago, especially with hunting season...fishing, well, went on weekend...

i guess you can take her fishing, or get a day it is going to be windy or rain and take here out, and tell her you wanted to spend time with her......she may not catch on....

oh yeah,,,,"looky there got a bite!"

My wife loves fishing with me and its a great time teaCH HER TO FISH MAN!

If she cannot understand then dump her and find one that does.

My first wife was a control freak I couldnt even go fishing with my dad she would thro a fit if she couldnt come and watch me like a hawk.

Seriously you have to be with someone you can compromise with on both ends if she can't then ditch her if you can't thenshe will ditch you .

There is more to life than fishing.

That being said, sit her down and work out an agreement. If one can't be worked out then my guess is that there are underlying reasons for the indifference.

Boogieman, If you are serious about this girl you will find the time to make her happy,whatever that might entail,if she is serious about you she will never make you give up something that you really care about or make you feel guilty about it.There are always choices you will have to make in life,choose wisely!I'm not saying I have any answers or that my gal doesn't ever get mad at me,but in 30+yrs.We have never had an arguement about fishing or how often I go.Wait,well maybe once or twice! Nevermind,what I said earlier Love is highly overrated.(where is my smiley face?) Rudy

i am going through the same thing right now. we have been "together" for 6 weeks. "all you want to do is fish"... So I took her and her daughters(2) fishing this past sunday. Her 4 yr old caught her first bass, about 1 lb. I put the minnow in the nest and she set the hook. The look on her face will never be forgotten!! You just need to get her involved in your hobbies, but be warned...better get your shopping shoes on!! Mine makes me go to the MALL with her...hehe, lots of pretty girls there to look at- but kinda hurts when ya get slapped for gawking at other ladies.lol!!

SkeeterRonnie,
Don't know if you ever watched Seinfeld, but I'll never forget the episode where George got caught gawking. Jerry tells him " It's like looking at the sun, you get a quick glimpse, then look away "

Boogieman,
I know two people don't always have the same interests, however, if someone keeps you from doing something you love (like fishing), eventually you will resent them for it.

There are p-l-e-n-t-y of single gals that love to fish...I am one and have lots of single gal friends that like to fish too!

Jill

If my wife could not handle my fishing addiction we woudl not make it. I fish and if the woman cannot handle it then she cannot handle me.

dlee1996 - Amen Brother

Ldygrni - You speak the gospel

I'm gonna get serious on ya'...All she is saying is that she wants to feel like she is as important to you as fishing-more important, really. That's not all that unreasonable-after all, you HAVE been fishing every day. How much time have you spent with her?

Let her know that fishing is important to you and let her know why-perhaps fishing destresses you, helping to keep you the man she feel for instead of a quivering mass of nerves-whatever, let her know. And let her know that you have had your head up your butt for fishing every day and not spending time with her. Then plan a romantic night out for the two of you.

Then go fishing-just not every day.

Bigjohfisher - I disagree with you 100%.

They have been together for 6 years, the guy needs some time to himself to fish. Fishing is a great way to let your body and mind relax.

Right now is spring time, which is the best time to fish beacuse the fish are easier to catch and the weather is just about perfect for being outside.

I don't consider it "head up butt" for fishing all the time. She needs to understand it is springtime and its time to fish.

When I married my wife I gave her a fishhook, a shotgun shell, and a wedding ring. I told her it was a package deal, take all or none.

Would she rather you run the bars at night, or fish all day.

Find one that will load up and go or load you up to go. Back when I was tourney fishing, I'd fly all over the country during the week and fly home on Fridays...she'd have my rig on the truck and loaded for me

I did it for about 4 yrs before the kids (now 11 & 7) were born, now we all load up and go terrorize whatever will bite. She really likes the brushpile crappies and sandies at Ray Bob....

I figure I owe her big-time....for all the bs I put her through...there were weeks when I only saw her on Fri nights and Sun evenings...but never again!

SkeeterRonnie & Hawke got it! SR much faster than anyone else! JK!

BM- She's only a girlfriend! Many of these come & go. Many more go!

If she's long-term, then intro her to your passions, including fishing! If she gets it, she's a keeper, if not, time to move on for both of you.

My wife, dated for 4 1/2 years before married, set up our 3rd anniversary celebration at Lake Fork including Lake Fork Lodge for 3 days! She caught her biggest bass, 5 1/2 lbs. on a spinnerbait, with a bubble gum trailer because the pink color was pretty!!!

Point is, I took the time to intro her, as a girlfriend, to what I enjoy. She loved it and we've been married 11 years with 2 beautiful daughters.

They all love fishing as much as I do.

If you're serious about long-term, test the commitment now rather than trying to work it out later.

Better to find out now, make adjustments, and move on rather than settle and live with the ramifications later on,

Just My Humble Opinion!

p.s. Sandi, my wife, even did a 24 hour off-shore trip while 7 months pregnant!
Definitely a keeper!

Good luck and I hope everything works out!

Boogiemen,
"Looky there...I've got a bite!" Is your lady a Brad Paisley fan, by chance? ROFLMAO!
Seriously...in my experience of 17 years, the key is COMPROMISE - suck it up and spend some time with her doing what she's into, even if you're not. Just mi dos centavos, though, and I'm blessed with a wife who loves a couple or three trips down to the lake every year for some easy bluegills, sunfish and crappie, and I just go along to bait the hooks and take 'em off the line - priceless! Should you try hard and nothing reasonable seems to work, then, as RedRanger suggests, either dump her like last week's garbage, or call Dr. Laura ! God Bless and good fishin',

Red is right on!

Look here.....when I first started dating the woman I am now engaged to I simply beat her into submission with fishing!

It did help taking her on a striper trip on PK. But then, I had to teach her that fishing wasn't that easy every time out.

Now, she looks forward to every trip and SHE even wants to play hookie on pretty days!

Bottom line, you said 6 years right? While that's too long to simply throw away...if she hasn't gotten the hint about fishing by now, drop her like a bad habbit!

YOU'RE A FISHERMAN!!!! It's not like this just snuck up on her today! Come on!!

One think you shouldn't do is listen to the advice of any other woman on the matter! We're men. Do NOT call Dr laura, Dr. Phill (yes, I consider him a woman), or that late night soapy request broad on the radio! They all suck!

Show her a beautiful Black Crappie....if she doesn't see the beauty in it, bye bye!

I had the same problem with golf. I went 8 days a week and she never had a problem until we married. Now, I love fishin on top of that!

Be very careful my friend.

StreakBreaker,
Not to send this down a rat-hole, but...have you actually ever listened to Dr. Laura? I'm by no means a regular listener, but the few times I have tuned in, she's been pretty consistent with the "be a man" advice - and espoused no PC, liberal, or "femi-Nazi" approaches or advice. In fact, one time I recall her telling a male caller to quit being so "wussified" (yes, her exact words) by his hyphenated last-name mother and his girlfriend! Next time you're browsing Barnes & Noble, peruse a copy of her current best-seller, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands", you might be pleasantly surprised. Don't know didley about Dr. Phil, though. In general, though, I think your advice is sound... Tight lines,

Whatever you do don't take her fishing if you don't want to start fishing with her all the time. I for one feel fishing is my time away from everything...including her. She gets to go a couple of times per year and that is plenty and besides she doesn't like getting up at 3:30 to go fishing so that solves my problem.

I look at fishing as a time to spend with my buddies and hang out fart laugh and have a good time. I am one of the few who aren't jealous of guys that take their wives fishing. I don't have anything against a woman fishing I just don't want mine fishing with me. Besides just think how expensive fishing would be if you had to buy 2 of everything

Good luck, you got big problems.

Boogiemen, One thing to keep in mind, you have to maintain balance, especially with your most important relationships. My wife is very understanding of my fishing addiction, but I also try not to abuse that priveledge. I realize that while fishing is a passion, my wife and my children are my PRIORITY. Best thing I can tell you is if you are fishing every day something else is suffering, be it work, school, and/or relationships. That is unless you fish for a living.

Time is the most limited resource we have, and the proper allocation of that resource is crucial to be successful in all aspects of life. So try and get her interested in fishing if you can, if not be prepared to give up some of that fishing time to meet that priority. As much as I love to fish and would definitely want to be on the lake very day, I love my wife and kids more. My wife is as far from an outdoors type person as there can be, but that is fine since I have no interest in partaking in her favorite passtime (shopping). It gives us an outlet to pursue our own interest, which is something everyone should have. So we work up a compromise and make sure that I am a part of any major things involving the family, and WE schedule around it. She knows when I have tournaments, and I know when I have to be at a birthday or other family function. It isn't perfect, but we make it work.

As much as we hate to admit it, sometimes our actions do cause legitimate angst to some people. So be sure to examine the situation from both side of the fence as best you can before deciding the other is wrong. Remember, the best way to tell about someones priorities is to look at their checkbook and calender. So where do you spend all of your time and money?

Not to get all sappy on you, but getting married is one of if not the most important and far reaching decisions you will ever make. It is one that sticks with you the rest of your life, so make sure on that one.

I better stop here. If i get any deeper I might get the bends.

Good luck

PF

I got in trouble once in a while during my LMB/ catch and release faze.

"Why would you rather fish just to let them go, when you should be spending time with me and the kids..."

Bringing home sandbass and crappie fillets got us past that.

If she doensn't like fishing, you may have a problem. Don't try to be someone you're not just to make someone else happy - it always ends with bad results. Maybe trying to get her involved in fishing would help?

BTW, don't forget to take care of things other than "soda-pops" that have fuzz on top..

Judd,

Ditto that. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.

"Honey, take me to the ramp, I gotta P."
"Honey, I'm cold."
"Honey, I'm hot." (not the good hot)
"Honey, blah, blah blah."

Fishing is my R&R.

Keep it wet, hasbeen (fishing with a woman before)