How many days do you fish a year?

[Fishnwiz]

Just running an informal survey on the numbers of days you spend on the water in one year? Just read an artical about average days on water that stated 18 days to be the norm?? I realize that alot of "pros" spend alot more days then this prefishing..but was wondering what the average Joe fishes in a year? Obviously, location is the key to how many days a person can and does get out...due to weather and ice conditions. Just want to know if I am the only obsessed person out there at 120+ days a year the last 3 years?? And NO, I do not fish the tourny circut at all and am not a guide or charter captain! Thanks for the info guys and gals!! Obviously..I am NOT married with kids!! Wiz

[AquaMan]

WOW, there are pros that don't even get that kind of water time. You are talking 30% of the year on the water. You must be in a warm climate and definitely single.

Here in MN we have about 244 days that are open water. Of those only only 29 weekends exist for fishing (58 days). Of those only about 2/3 are fishable weather. so that leaves about 35 days. Add back to that a dozen long weekends and a week or two for vacation and you have about 60 fishing days available to the average working stiff. Cut that in for honey-dos and there you have my total. 30 days on OPEN water for fish.

You see, I also duck hunt, deer hunt, grouse hunt and ice fish, but those are different battles altogether and I get what she gives me...hahaha.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

[ezmarc]

Walleye Wiz, I'm at about 100 days a year (mostly Erie, but I've been travelling more each year) with no wife to stop me also. If I didn't have to work I'm sure that number would go up!
Have boat will travel

[chadk66]

I kept a log of all last year. Where I fished, how long, what we caught, etc. I missed a the last half of july and all of august because of knee surgery. But I managed 35 days and 200 hours on the water. It was a great year, but I promise I will better that this year.

[Hans]

I fall into the average-Joe-no-tournaments.

Around 60 days (no ice fishing). Bear in mind that a lot of those "days" are only an hour or two in the evening after work.

Hans

--
"I long for the dear old lakeshore, where I dreamed my youth away;
for a dreamer lives forever, and a toiler dies in a day.
From the sleepless thoughts endeavor, I would go where the children play;
For a dreamer lives forever, And a thinker dies in a day."

[Gunga Din]

I probably fish 20 - 30 days. I have four kids, and their summer activities really cut into Sat's with dance and piano recitals, basketball, baseball, and football games, karate tournaments, yard maintenance, family reunions, etc. But on the free Sat's I usually take the family.

But working for myself I can take off during the week. I like mid-week fishing because you can go when the fishing is good and not just when the weekend happens to roll around, and there's fewer people. I also take 3-4 fishing vacations each year. If I didn't work for myself, I'd probably only fish 5 days a year!

[Lund_Dude]

Sadly, I must report 88 days last year. That total was down from 100-105 in years past. This year will likely be down a bit too, but look out 2002!!!

This is the total number of records from my database, so it is accurate and not a guess. The total includes ice fishing, and short 2-3 hour evening trips to my local lake.

[RANGER]

My guess............20 to 32 which would include a weeks vac in Canada and that's depending on family and work things. Last year was a bad year for getting out.


RANGER


"KEEP YOUR LINES WET, YOUR POWDER DRY and THE BEER COLD"

[eyedoktr]

The last 3 years have been bad for me. I have only averaged about 100 days each year. Before that for probably 10years (I kept track 3 years) I averaged close to 200 days per year. Yes, I'm single, no kids,ice fish, and lived on a lake. Hopefully this year I'll get the total back up over 150.

[Smitty]

I'm probably at around 25 days a year (2 week-long trips + a couple weekends or 1 day outings).. All open water fishing as my free time is pretty much spent hunting in the winter months..

The boys are getting to the age where I hopefully can get more weekend day trips this year (much better chance of my wife agreeing if I'm getting the boys out of her hair for a while)..

[Ray]

Hi guys. I am 48 married with 2 teenage girls I fish from april 1 to Nov. 1 with boat. I fish every mon and tue plus my five weeks vacation from work. Plus I take about 5 other days off from work.
I mostly fish the ny finger lakes seneca and cayuga lake for lake trout. Then I find time to fish lake erie from barcolona to walnut creek for walleyes. The wife and kids come with me for the vacations and some times during the week days. I figure about 90 days a year I fish. I don't fish tournaments so you can see I have a very understanding wife.

[Jack]

According to my diary I fished 329 different times last year . Any time I launched and retrieved the boat it was counted as a time out . Ice fishing , go in the morning come home , go back out in the afternoon , counted as two trips . I've been doing this since I retired over five years ago . I can see myself doing this for a long time into the future . I retired at a young age . Lund Dude knows me he'll attest to my love of the sport .

[Backwater Eddy]

300+

[C J Hughes]

It is unfortunate that my wife read this post,she instantly took a calendar out and counted the days. 119 days last year , four kids , full time job ,a house that needs to be painted , 5 acres to mow ,but I am lucky 3 of the 4 kids are boys and I take them with me just about everytime I go in the summer. In the fall and winter it is me and my oldest son who is 15. I haven't had one of my 3 boats in the water for about 2 weeks , it has been a long winter. She is the first to admit that I need to fish, fishing and praying are two things that put me at peace with myself. No tournaments and mainly all for walleye or saugers some smallmouth up at erie in the spring and fall , stripers at cumberland for a week with the whole family oh yea big flatheads in the fall on the Ohio River.

[Lund_Dude]

I can attest that Jack USED to fish a lot. ;-) No experience since he went to DePere with us in about April. Whats up jack?

[TBO/MN]

I just figured it out, between 95 and 110 days, at that rate, I am wasting around 250 days a year. I have to start working on that. I retire in about 3 years, that will take care of a lot of it.

Good Fishin'
TBO/MN

[mnjimcarp]

you guys need full time employment!!! just kidding. LOL

[Eyez]

Last year, about 150-175. That's down from a high of just over 200 in 1997 and again in 1999. I live less than 10 miles from 3 lakes, and less than 50 from about 20 lakes, so I do lots of nights after work, even thru the ice. One lake is about 1 mile from where I work, and it's straight to the ice for at least a few days a week, and weekends are usually a requirement, especially with the warm weather the last few winters. I want to get out more, like I used to, but 2001 looks like it'll be more along the line of 120 days, counting tournaments. I'm married with a 2 year old son, and this fatherhood thing is addicting. My son is the first thing that ever kept me from fishing :)


Dusty

[AquaMan]

You are such a tease! Giddy up!

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

[Frank from TBay]

Never thought too much about it till now. I figure between 80 to 85 days. Most fishing days are two to three hours in the am and then again in the pm. In the summer I work compressed hours and I get three day weekends.:D

[bernie]

for the past 3 years my goal was to spend 300 days a year but i found that work gets in the way i usually spend 225-250 days a year my wife likes me gone more then at home i guess i am one of the lucky ones

[curt quesnell]

in 94....45 days
in 95....35 days
in 96....35 days
in 97....68 days
in 98....66 days
in 99....78 days

its getting better....

curt quesnell

[solarfisher00]

Last year I fished about 130 days, and all of hem were atleast 6 hours a day. I am single, and a college student, however I guide almost everyday during the summer. The 130 days only includes about 4 times ice fishing. Hopefully I'll be able to increase that number this year.

Solarfisher00

[Jack]

I joined Okauchee Fishing Club last year and have been fishing with them . Not sorry I joined .

[Hawgeye]

I have to say between 50-60. That does include also the 2 hours after work now and then. Every weekend from April 20th through November 1 usually has at least an hour or two.

Now that I have 3 kids growing past the easy years (up to age 6) I think my time will be dwindling as opposed to increasing unless it is determined that they all love to fish so much that they have to beg me to take them out.....yeah right!

Good Fishing!

[stewart]

Really neat post idea. I liked how the normal guy total was calculated, and how the answers show us to be a rather abnormal bunch ;). I guess I get about 100 full days, and 20 or so 'couple hours' days.

[guideman]

I get about 175 days a year, most of them are with clients. I only fish 20 or 30 during the
hard water season, so about 200 total.
And thats not enough. :)

guideman.

[SetTheHook]

About 70, many of them for just an hour or two after work.

[jerry]

The last 2 years i averaged around 100 days on the water. It will be less this year because I haven't been ice fishing much. Will try to make up for it during open water.

[Jack G]

I live in the middle of Illinois and do not fish any water you have to cut a hole in. I have been retired for 10 years and I fish just over 100 days per year.

Each year I will take three out of state trips at roughly the same time each year. My wife does not go on any of these three trips. I plan the dates and if one of my fishing buddies can make it I will take one with me. If no one can work out the schedule I go by myself. Four to six weeks in Feb & March, two weeks in early June and two weeks about end of Sept or early Oct.
Other trips are more spontaneous. Multiple day trips to local fishing spots.

Many years ago, very early in my marriage, I discovered I was not capable of planning vacations my wife would really find enjoyable. I finally told her I knew what I wanted to do on vacation so I would plan those kind of vacations. If she wanted to come along I would really be glad to have her do so. She could also opt to not go. I also told her that anytime she wanted to go somewhere or take vacations of her choice I would gladly accompany her with no complaints.

It has worked for years but even though I have to sit through an occasional play or travel to a large mall someplace and tag along after her for a day or two I have held up my end of the bargain. I live in fear of the day that she decides she would like to take an ocean cruise ( I wonder if you could troll off of the fantail?).

On Feb 25 I will hitch my Lund behind my truck and start this years fishing adventures. You gotta love it.

[Fishnwiz]

WOW.....I thought I was bad at 120 days!! Great post guys and gals!! Glad to hear I am sort of normal compared to some of you addicts!! LOL :} Good to hear that FAMILY still comes first for most......In this crazy day and age it is very refreshing to say the least!
Only downfall of all the fishing I did last year was the 6000$+ dollars spent on gas getting to and from the lakes.....ouch!! I can't wait to retire.....maybe I too can go for 200+ days a year!! Only problem is I won't have the cash for the gas!! Thanks for the interesting posts!! Fishnwiz

[Lund_Dude]

And now you are too big to fish with us regular guys? ;-)

[Dan(MI)]

60-80 at least. 40-50 are Walleye trips the rest of them are Salmon Perch Bass or whatevers.
Go Fishin
More!!!!!!
Dan