By Louie Stout

Why We Fish by Robert MontgomeryHave you ever paused before making that first cast at dawn, taken a deep breath as your eyes scan across the water and said to yourself, “this is why I fish!”

If not, I feel sorry for you.

There’s no better way to initiate a day on the water than putting it in proper perspective before you get at the business at hand. Sadly, most of us are too preoccupied with getting to our hot spot, tying on the right lure or bait and pursuing our dream of having a “successful” day of catching fish.

Sure, catching fish is important. Those successes, regardless of how frequently they occur, are what motivates anglers to get up early, spend long days on the water, and disregard any bad weather they encounter.

But when you get right down to it, catching fish isn’t the only reason we fish.

Award-winning outdoors writer Robert Montgomery says that we also fish to remember - and to forget. He reminds us that we fish when we’re happy and when we’re sad. We fish to bond with friends and family, or to be alone.

In his book, “Why We Fish,” Robert examines the reasons we keep going back to the water and how fishing enriches us, both individually and as a society.

Contributed by 10 passionate anglers, the essays celebrate the blessings we derive from one of man’s oldest pastimes. It’s published by Norlightspress.com and also available through Amazon in paperback ($11.96) or Kindle version ($7.99).

Whatever your motivation, no matter where you are on the scale of angling experience, fishing makes your life better in ways people who don’t fish will never realize. It slows the crazy pace of modern day life and sets you free for at least those few hours spent on the water. It builds memories that will never be erased from the mind despite your age, gender or level of experience.

If you’ve lost touch with fishing’s intangibles, this quick read of “Why We Fish” will rekindle those memories and remind you why you need to find time to do it more often.