Now that Spring has sprung, I find my fishing fever is slowly rising inside of me.

I LOVE to fish. I fell in love with fishing in my twenties when we lived in Southern Illinois. After my first experience I was hooked.

True I wasn't very good early on, but that didn't keep me from enthusiastically casting my line up into a tree, losing my worm my bobber and hook in the process. Undaunted, I kept right on casting until I finally got the hang of it.

Fortunately I had a friend who helped me learn how to set up my rod correctly in order to keep everything firmly attached while it was in the water. She loved fishing too and was very good at it.

Baiting my line didn't bother me at all. Worms were a means to an end, so the mess was well worth it. I was proud of the fact that no one had to bait MY line for me.

I actually had and still have a harder time once I catch the fish. So slippery and slimy, not to mention the wiggling around they do if you don't learn how to hold them correctly.

Still its worth it, so wiggly or not, I fish!

After years of fishing wherever and whenever I wanted. MS reared its ugly head and I found I had to put forth a little more effort to engage in my beloved activity.

These days, early morning fishing and night fishing are out of the question. The bod just isn't up to it. I still have the hope and dream that one day soon I will be able to get up at the crack of dawn and go with my husband to a predetermined spot and fish to my heart's content. But right now, that's not likely to happen any time soon.

The same goes for night fishing. It just isn't possible because my fatigue starts to set in around 3:00 pm if I'm having a good day. By 6:00 or 7:00 pm, that is all she wrote, as far as energy is concerned.

I do have warm memories of fishing at night though. It was an activity I truly loved, even got myself a night bobber, which at the time I decided was one of the coolest inventions out there!

Settling for stricter time alotments is no problem when you get to do something you love. You adapt and you are happy that fish still bite when you are trying to catch them.

As for exercising, I find casting the line gives me a little exercise for my sometimes tight arm muscles. The walking and sitting and standing that take place also helps me with muscle tone and balance. Not to mention hand coordination.

The biggest bonus of course is the stress relief I enjoy. Nothing like spending some time next to the water, enjoying nature and getting an adrenaline rush when you finally get a bite. I always return home calmer and relaxed. It is worth any effort I put in to actually getting there.

ONE REGRET

I do have one regret though, I fear I will never be able to experience deep water fishing. Seems as though my lack of balanced has increased my sea-sickness. It doesn't take much at all for me to get queasy and dizzy. I don't think that will go over to well on an actual boat.

That said, I figure I can live vicariously through my husband when he finally takes his first fishing trip on the high seas. I can't wait to experience it through his eyes.

HUBBERS WHO FISH

So far I have found a view pages from hubbers who fish and of course I am hoping to find more to add to my fan base. I will especially look forward to reading fish tales, whether they be about the one that got away or the one that was caught. Both are equally enjoyable to me.

Read this great article I just recently enjoyed, posted by another female fishing person.

 http://hubpages.com/_3tb885z6vqpt9/hub/Fishingwomen I'm sure I will find more experiences to share as I continue my quest for a good story.

TOO DISABLED

It was truly a depressing time when I had to go a good two years without being able to fish. The body just wasn't up to even sitting on a chair to fish. I'm glad those dark days are over.

This year I look forward to sitting in the sun, with my big hat on, sipping on a cool drink while awaiting the first nibble indicating my bait has attracted some one's attention.