Roughfisher, or fishing in the rough, is a lifestyle approach to the sport of fishing. When roughfishing, you are really fishing in the rough and by doing so, taking the sport out of it. It’s no longer a pissing contest. Instead, it’s a desire to study what exactly happens in your most favorite water locations in every town, bank or slough around you. It’s also a quest to see where unusual fish species thrive or patrol on your rivers. Black Buffalos, Western Sand Darters, North American Eeels, Lake Sturgeon, Bowfin(Dogfish) and a few other fish species will be hard to find, hard to lure to your bait and hard to land. However, once you’ve discovered a pattern that seems to work which you can limp along with success to, you’ll understand that after a few years you’ll no longer need to ask locals for tips.
Through your efforts, most rough fisher’s maintain a lifelist. This is simply a thoroughly documented(with photo aids) list of every fish species you’ve caught in your life. It takes many years and you’re always learning, but it is truly a rewarding and long journey trying to bring yourself down to nature’s level with a biologist mindset understanding how bank creatures, shallow water bait fish and the giant predators of the deep all interact. As you get older and wiser, you’ll understand the cycle of life and realize that the water and woodlands which thrive off from the water all play an crucial role in getting something fascinating, new and interesting on the end of your pole. That truly is being a rough fisherman.
Another welcoming aspect to roughfishing, which I thoroughly promote, is the concept of being open-minded to multi-species angling. At the same time, I also promote the fact that you don’t need $300 poles with Saltwater grade gear and shark tackle. You don’t need fancy electronics and carpeted boats. They’re useful and fun for some things, but there are so many people who don’t take the time out to notice the simple things around them. You don’t need strength or money to be a good multi-species fisherman and you don’t even need to be a biologist.