I was just thinking how lucky I am... my partner, whom I've lived with for the past 8 years and who is much younger than myself, is very supportive of me and my fishing since I took it back up this year after a break of 30 years and I wondered if it was the same for all you guys?

At first she was taken back a little by the fact that I'd not fished since we'd been together nor hardly mentioned it and had then suddenly started going out alone for hours on end fishing, which was something I have never done before.

Although she has always been absolutely trusting of me, I suspect she suspected underneath at first that I was possibly up to no good given the sudden change in my behaviour if you get my meaning as she simply couldn't understand why I was going out alone so long so often - however, after a couple of trips with me being bored out of her mind sat Pike bait-fishing on a canal and then a couple of hours of fly fishing on a river once I'd got my kit, her mind was put at ease and now she is highly supportive.

I work for myself and can only go fishing as and when I have free time which is not nearly as often as I like so, it's a case of grab it while I can - now that she understands what's going on, she often calls me while I'm working to find out if I'll be going fishing immediately after work and will ensure that I have a packed meal and drink to take with me or delay the evening meal until I get home from fishing and never complains if I go out fishing on the odd days I manage to get off.
She even secretly bought me a super fishing vest for my birthday earlier this month and has now encouraged to buy a fishing kit to take with me on our forthcoming holiday to Crete next week.
All in all, I have to say she has taken my return to my long lost hobby rather well which was very similar to my mother's behaviour toward my father who was an absolute fly fishing fanatic and she has never once questioned how much I spend or have spent on replacing all my equipment after returning to fishing.

Probably her only shortcoming is that she has developed a taste for trout/sea trout and now expects me to bring some home every time I go out which is not that easy given that the local water I fish is free and therefore heavily fished so, although I get my fair share, they are there genuinely wild and tricky to catch but it's rewarding when I do and I'm probably one of the few who fish the water with the fly as most spin or coarse fish along the stretch.

So, are your wives / partners equally as supportive as mine or am I just lucky? Do tell!

Tony

Sounds like you have a great lady Tony ! My Partner used to accompany me when i went out and after she tried fly fishing she got "hooked" herself. She does pretty well at it as she has now fished nothing but rivers. She does get a bit frustrated when the wind picks up though. Sounds like all is well for you !
As they say "A happy wife makes for a happy life !
I have a picture of my girl in my album crossing a local river, anf she loves her fly rod !

I won't go so far as to say she will ever take it up as a hobby herself but, as long as she is supportive then that is fine by me.

When I first started going out in the evenings and it was getting toward dusk, she'd always call on my mobile to see that I was ok but now it's only when she wants to know what time I'll be home or to have the late evening meal ready for me!

As you say, if they are happy at home it makes for a happy life and I certainly can't complain especially as I know of other guys who have to grovel to be allowed out or even get time for their hobby so I count myself very lucky indeed.

Tony

Good catch there Tony! I trust you are just as supportive of her in other areas?!

I picked up my long lost fishing hobby a few years ago and while my then long-term girlfriend didn't object, she wasn't very interested, didn't really want to share my enthusiasm when I got excited about it etc. It ended up being another factor in the background that highlighted how we wanted different things out of life and we split up. Was for the best.

Am in a new relationship now where the only fishing related problem was when I showed her a foam daddy I had tied. Encouragingly, she took it for the real thing... but how was I to know she had a phobia about large, leggy flies!

Yes, I always encourage her to do her thing as I appreciate her very much and we have most other things in common so there are no conflicts, which I think makes for a happy relationship.

I don't expect her to share my enthusiasm for fishing nor do I think she ever will - however, she understands the pleasure I get from it and encourages me which is all one could ask.
A few weeks ago she even went out and bought a really good filleting knife and insisted the other week that she gutted and filleted a sea trout which I'd caught - you can't get much better than that and she is an ace cook into the bargain so I'm well taken care of!

Tony

My wife is happy for me to go fishing whenever I want.She's a good woman and understands my passion. Where she does have an issue is the amount of stuff that arrives in the post.
Oh and the hooks she finds in the carpet as a result of my tying..

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Mines very supportive, even encouraged me to take 4 days out of our Canadian honeymoon to go fishing, she was even gutted for me when I had a Cumbrian trip cancelled last week.

But, I effectively work three jobs, my main job which is very stressful, I also do emergency call out for the police one week in 4 at any time of day or night on top of my normal hours, and spend a lot of weekends doing tuition, oh, and I'm totally renovating a house top to bottom at break neck speed before she drops in two months, one room to go! So, I work bloody hard, have very little free time, and she really enourages me to relax when I can.

Which is just as well as when the house is finished and the baby is here, I'll be doing sooooooo much fishing!

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Mine has no interest in actually fishing herself, but does take an interest in my fishing, is interested in venues to go fishing, came along to BFFI this year and really enjoyed looking around, even suggested some stuff to buy whle we were there, and is happy to accomodate fishing as part of holidays. People often say I should get her to actually fish and then she would come with me ..... which sounds nice and all that .... except it would double all the costs (daren't mention that on the Avington thread !) but we have a great system where she herself has a hobby involving needlecraft which takes up a fair bit of her time if she's not careful so we have a deal, which is led by fishing, if I'm fishing she does needlecraft, net result is she encourages me to go fishing and I know tea is only a phone call away at the end of the day on the way back ! It's worked so far.

How did you get on with your 'hidden stream' - I seem to remember a while ago you'd found a possible stream to fish that was a bit overgrown and were going to give that a pop - did that work out at all ??

Paul B

Look after her...

My ex hated me fishing and resented the fact that it took up most of my time, and was an all consuming passion.

My present partner is not as bad...and accepts that i must go fishing and really doesn't mind that much unless I do nothing round the house....then she gets a bit hormonal !

she's no interest though.....none at al !

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The only input/interest my wife has regarding fishing is to moan on about how much i spend on it,which is funny as she has loads of shoes and handbags

Neil