(Akiit.com) Fishing is one of the great sporting past times. No matter how you look at it, it’s the full package. It’s physically demanding at times, while allowing you to relax at others. It allows us to get back to the heart of our hunting desires while still staying civilized. And, once you get the bug here, it’s hard to look back. Whether you get hooked on deep sea fishing or Friday afternoons at your local lake, the hobby will reel you in like the fish on the end of your line. And, you’ll be lucky if you get out of it alive.
Sadly, fishers often suffer from the same affliction as any other sports person. There’s never enough time. You know how it goes; your fishing comes last on a long to-do list. And, before you know, a whole season has gone by without so much as a sniff at that lake. It can be crushing no matter what sport you do. But, fishing seems to be particularly guilty. For the most part, this is due to the 
unpredictable and lengthy nature of the task. In soccer, for instance, you know a game will last an hour and a half. But, fishing brings no such assurance. You could be sat for hours before getting even one catch. In many ways, that’s the joy of it. How better to relax? But, fitting in enough hours to make this worth your while can be tricky.
However, the challenges don’t mean you can never meet this goal. In fact, you don’t have to be one of those people who doesn’t have time for fishing anymore, because we have some pointers to help ensure you always fit it in.
Prioritize
This point may seem painfully simple, but it’s about the best advice you could get. Ever heard of that saying ‘you make time for what you love’? Well, apply that theory to your fishing practice. If you love it enough and treat it as a priority, you’ll find a way to make sure you have the time. It might not always be easy, but nothing worth having ever was. It may be that you need to hold off making other plans, or even leave some tasks unfinished. You might need to cut out the time during which you watch your favorite program. Or, you may even need to drop a few hours off your workday. If fishing means enough to you, none of these sacrifices will be too hard to make. And, once you get into the habit, you’ll find it easy as anything to make fishing a priority. You won’t even feel bad when a friend calls and you have to answer with, ‘Sorry, I’m fishing.’
Dedicate a set time to the cause
Even better than merely prioritizing this where you can, you could set a specific time for the task. If you just try to fit fishing in, it should come as no surprise if you don’t get out as often as you’d like. You wouldn’t try to fit work in and hope to get everything done, would you? Instead, then, set a specific fishing time when you refuse other engagements and know for a fact you’ll hit the lake. This doesn’t even have to be a daily thing if you can’t manage it. But, dedicating every Friday to the cause can ensure you enjoy regular session without having to think about it. Treat this as you would any other ongoing commitment. Admittedly, the weather might mean that you can’t get out every Friday afternoon. But, at the very worst, you’ll have an afternoon to relax, and it’s hard to sniff at that. So, whatever you do, set that time and stick to it.
Consider your proximity to lakes
If you know you have to drive half an hour to a fishing lake, it’ll obviously be much harder to make time for this. After all, that’s an hour added onto your session right there. And, that alone could be enough to keep you away. Which is why it’s also worth considering which lakes you fish at. Of course, we all have that one lake we can’t get enough of. But, if you have to head somewhere closer to home to get your rod out, then so be it. Surely that’s better than not fishing at all? So, do some research into the lakes around you, and make sure you head to the closest one.
That way, you can at least shave some of the time needed from your session, and thus squeeze it into a smaller time frame. If you’re in a position to, you might even want to take this to the next level. If you have the land on which to do it, creating a lake at home could be a fantastic compromise. It’s hard to make excuses when you only have to step outside your back door.You might even want to look out for fishing specific properties like those offered by Sports Afield Trophy Properties during your next house move. With the fishing potential this offers, you’d be spoilt for choice close by. You certainly wouldn’t have to miss out ever again.
Make this a group activity
We’re always better at dedicating time to something if there are others to hold us accountable. It’s why so many people choose to sign up to exercise classes. And, it’s why you should make fishing a group affair. Instead of committing to yourself, get a few fishing friends onboard. Vow to fish together at that set time we spoke about. This will be beneficial for everyone, as you can then hold each other accountable. You might not feel bad cancelling on yourself, but you can bet it’ll be different cancelling on a whole group of friends. Instead, you’ll treat fishing like the priority we said you should. And, you won’t even have to feel sorry about it, because you have a good reason for getting your rod out on a regular basis.
Staff Writer; Kyrie Hall