Safe/adviseable to go fishing alone?

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ghostofmadison

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I haven't fished since high school but I want to get into it as a way to get outdoors, enjoy nature, and maybe catch my own dinner. However, I'm in in a new city at a new job and I literally know my girlfriend and just a few random acquaintances, none of whom enjoys fishing to my knowledge. All the people I know from work are either partners who are much older than me (and much wealthier than me - ah, class barriers) or females. I am literally the only young man in my entire practice section at work. The next closest guy to my age is probably 10 years my senior and is married with kids, and since he works 12 hour days 5 days a week, he has flat out told me he spends all his free time at home with family.

In fact, not a lot of young people generally, especially young professionals in big cities, seem into any outdoors stuff anymore.

So...my question is whether it is safe to go fishing alone? I would more than likely be going to lakes in my area. I have no idea how crowded or isolated the fishing spots are in my area.
 
I do lots of outdoor activities alone. I do take precautions to hopefully ensure my safety as well. I stay aware, prepared, and I avoid situations that seem unsafe.
 
"........... is it safe to go fishing alone.............. ?" Yes.

Just a thought, maybe your question would better received on a fishing forum. Not that posters here don`t fish but this is primarly a gun/stuff
forum.
"lakes in my area" Looks like freshwater type fishing. Check out your local Bass fishing clubs. Good place to learn.
No matter what course you follow, you`ve got a long way to go........:)
 
Go and enjoy the fishing

Take normal precautions. Carry a pistol that is comfortable and doesn't interfere with the fishing.
I fish almost daily and normally along. In today's world, having a means to protect yourself is important.
Ninety nine percent of the people you meet fishing are great. It is the one percent that you carry the pistol for.
 
I'd carry, as I would any other time or place, but wouldn't worry about that as much as I would not being familiar with the area. I'm not sure if you fly fish, or from shore, piers, river banks, etc. but being out alone and getting pulled out into a river, slipping on the side of a river and cracking a head open, etc.

Head to the local baitshops or check out www.outdoors911.com and see if anyone actively posts reports from your area. I've met about 6-7 people on that website that I've either tagged along in a boat with or took them out with me. One guy from Chicago I've grown to become good friends with is a superintendent, laughed with him about my wife worrying about "meeting strangers from the internet" to which he replied, "Anyone who stays on top of fishing reports and has more questions about where we'll be on the water than what I drive or what kind of boat I have ... isn't a safety hazard in my eyes".

I've got a feeling he's right, ... anyone seen the bumper sticker "Kids who hunt and fish don't mug old ladies" ?
 
Two things to consider:
1) Is it leagal to carry a psitol in the areas you plan to fish and does it require a CCW.
I fish the river between Kentucky and Illinois. Do not carry a pistol there, Illinios
game wardens will lock you up.

2) Always wear a life preserver. I have an auto-inflate belly band that is quite
comfortable. It is only just enough to assist you back to the boat or to the shore
but it will get the job done.

Happy Fishing
 
I don't fish, but do a lot of outdoor stuff alone. Always be sure to let someone know where you'll be heading for on the day you go out, and try not to stray too far from that general area. Even if you have to leave a voicemessege on your girlfriends cell phone at 5 am as your headed out the door. As others have mentioned, I don't think you have to worry about other people as much as the environment getting you into trouble. I'm not sure how it is where you are, but I know out here cell phones can be a little....fickle. I've had perfect reception and than walked over a small hill and might as well been on the moon. So, you may want to be carefull about relying on them...
Hope this helps. Don't let it scare you, go out and have fun!!!


Mike
 
Hell, sometimes I prefer to fish alone, especially fly fishing. It can be very peaceful and stress relieving.
 
I rather be by myself. My wife always worries, but I'll tell you some folks I run into out in the woods or desert are scary. One guy I ran into bird hunting said lets go together, I had my reservations and stayed a bit of distance from him. No more than five minutes after we met he shot a car with 2 people sitting in it swinging to hit a bird.

The guy ran, and I told the people which truck was his so that they could file a report against him. My exact words were, "I don't know that guy, I saw what happened, and this is his truck."

Back to the point, I like fishing and hunting alone, and the only person I trust with my life is thirteen year old neighbors kid and his father who has been hunting his whole life, and whos been instructed well. The biggest thing I worry about is getting lost, but with a good pack and gps, I'm good for a few days at the minimum.
 
It all depends on your knowledge of the area. I go fishing on the riverbank down the road from my house just like I have since i was in my early teens. I wouldnt advise you to head to the backwoods of West Virginia if you are a city slicker who has never even owned a fishing pole. Ever see wrong turn?
 
it depends on where your going and what time i would bring a gun or even just oc with you while going. around here its more the 2 legged types you have to worry about i remember a few years ago a place me and my dad liked to go fishing an old man got murdered randomly trout fishing at like 5 am.

in some places i go i find beercans and stuff and its a wee bit secluded and shady pepole go there so i usualy go with 2-3 pepole and not really early when pepole could be still parting or something
 
Go out to some areas and see for yourself----if it looks like the cast of Deliverence is there----might be a good idea to stay in the car. Just sayin.
 
If you live in any medium to large city in this country, and are going on a weekend or holiday to any body of water to fish within 1 1/2 hours of your home, you will see other people.
Like Omahabeenglockin said, scout the area out. If it looks crappy, don't stay, find another spot. One thing to look for in the pull outs or parking lots is broken glass. This would indicate break ins of vehicles. Obvious signs of partying would indicate a group that you might not want to be around, either.
Go as armed as is legal in your state.
Make sure someone knows where you are, when you will back, and what to do if you're not back by a certain time.
If you are checked by the game warden, engage him about activity in the area, and good fishing spots.
Consider investing in a spot messenger.
 
I fish alone at times. Most of the time I'm not carrying. The important thing is to know your surroundings, be it on the water, in the woods or in the city. Should you have any reason to doubt the safety of an area, definitely carry a weapon. On your point about a co-worker 10 years older and a family man, you might be surprised by his answer to an offer to go fishing. One of my best friends is about 15 years my junior. We share the same interest in fishing and shooting. I have to golf with someone else though.
 
I always carry where ever I go that is legal, even on my boat. Sheriff's are always on the lake patrolling during the summer so I feel safe. But I carry anyway.

I also like doing stuff alone. When I go to hunting or shooting, I always tell my wife where I am. I have an iphone. I downlaoded an app, "iwant", which allows me to pinpoint my exact location via GPS and email that location to anybody I wish to. Everytime I am outdoors alone, I email that location to my wife once I arrive at the destination.
 
I might take someone with you, not just your weapon. I found out awhile back that lone outdoor excursions can be dangerous. I'm not much of a fisherman, but I do enjoy going out on the trails and doing digital photography. I was down at the Econfina River St. park in FL about a year and a half ago hiking and taking pictures. I didn't have a CCW permit then, so I wasn't carrying. I also didn't have any friends with me. As I was walking along, a wild boar came out on the trail about 25 yards in front of me. He had to have been at least 250lbs and had good sized tusks. Luckily for me, he only stopped for a second and then went on his way. But considering the fact that I was alone, if he had decided to play and messed me up real bad, I would have been screwed. Just something to think about...
 
So...my question is whether it is safe to go fishing alone? I would more than likely be going to lakes in my area. I have no idea how crowded or isolated the fishing spots are in my area.
Click to expand...
Without knowing where you are and specifically where you plan to go, it would be hard to give you a meaningful answer. I wouldn't hesitate to go fishing off of the fishing pier where I live. I wouldn't go most of the places I went fishing in Illinois, especially Chicago, where I went with my father in the '60s.
 
I hike and fish alone a lot! One of my favorite combos is Lake 3995 in the Wonder Mountain Wilderness. It’s about an eight to nine hour hike, off trail, to a remote lake in the wilderness. There are no trails in the Wonder Mt Wilderness, so navigation skills are crucial if you want to get in and out without getting lost. The lake itself sits on a bench on the side of a steep ridge. There’s a larger lake to the north inside the National Park that’s even harder to get to, and is my goal for next season. If your desire is to get some time away from the crowds, off-trail solo hikes are the best option.

I carry a Glock G20 with one magazine.

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I fish alone often in the back country. The only thing I'm worried about is wading some of the white water we have around here. If I'm alone, I've gotten to the age (37) where I'll walk around a gnarly looking section no matter how good the fishing would be.
 
Mainsail, I'm officially jealous. We have some nice back country lakes and ponds around here, but none with scenery that compares to that!
 
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