Metal detecting has ruined my 46 year hobby

[Jim DE]

I have been an avid fly fisherman (specifically saltwater) for 46 years. I bought a DfX for something to do during off tide periods. Bad thing is now my trips to the beach I find my fly tackle never leaving the truck and either the DFX or a surfmaster pi pro in my hands instead. I still don't really understand my obsession with MD'ing but it has surely happened. Fact is I used to smerk at the people doing this while I was fly fishing. Now I be one

Anybody else ruin a lifetime hobby taking up metal detecting?

 

[ashleen]

Anybody else ruin a lifetime hobby taking up metal detecting?

Yup!
We were ALWAYS fishing. Always had boats.
And surfcasting Plum Island since forever.

I got Ralph a detector for Christmas in '89
because I wanted one ! ?

the last of the boats went 2 years ago...
we do keeping fishing gear in the van,
but only use it when we go camping....(which gets less and less each year

Sooooooooo, sorry pal; you're hooked


but detecting is way cool.
cheaper, too...no boats + gear to support

Welcome and happy hunting
8)

 

[Treasure Tom]

Hi Jim!

I was always obsessed with water and fishing since I was a few years old. I learned to tie flies on my own, made lures, built fishing rods, worked in tackle shops while going to university, etc. I wanted to become a fisheries biologist or scientist with the idea that if I could make more salmon return then I could catch more fish! I spent about 5 yrs. studying fisheries, oceanography, and had a lot of fisheries work experience. However, there are very few jobs in the field. I even took scuba diving to see what fish were doing underwater and why they were not biting.

Discovered metal detecting about 2 years ago and have only fished about once or twice a year. I haven't put my boat in the water for about 2 yrs. Fishing use to be better about 20 yrs. ago but there are too many people now. I still enjoy fly fishing but have not been out much. The salmon runs should be entering the rivers for the next 2 months so I'll probably get out and do some flyfishing.

Dirt fishing has taken up a lot of my time. Lots of places close to home, don't have to spend as much money on gas, gear, licences, etc... When I fished I did well but it often cost a lot more $$$. At least I can still use my waders when I go water detecting.

It seems that a lot of people who detect were once avid fishermen. Good luck detecting and fishing!

Tom

 

[deepskyal]

I got a really nice telescope I'm wanting to get rid of.....to buy a detector with bells and whistles.

Was out of detecting for some years....dont ask me how i managed to give it up for a woman.....but i was into astronomy for quite a while.

Well.....the bug bit again...and the woman went!

I get flustered tryin to set up a 100 pound telescope only to get clouded out....when metal detecting can be done so much more often. And whats a detector weigh? A couple pounds!

The big part of detecting I like is the research....

Naturally, I want to upgrade, just like the telescope, but now I want to find those deeper targets I havent found.

Telescope trade anyone?
Al

 

[Jim DE]

I would like to know the psychological triggers that make this hobby so obsessive and addictive. Granted for the most part the enviorment is the same as when I fly fished and dirt fishing is an excellent analogy for the activity but I don't have illusions of getting rich or finding a lost treasure I just enjoy the activity and the finds are just an added bonus. I find metal detecting very relaxing and a tone adds a degree of excitement to it.

 

[Sandman]

Jim the metal detecting hobby/obsession hits a hunter gatherer instint in us I believe. Some say it's just greed of finding something for free, but you know that isn't it. It's just plain fun.

I used to be a tournament bass fisherman and field tester for a major tackle company till I picked up a detector and found my first Wheatie in the dirt. After a few years I sold the bass boat and gave up the tackle job to play in the dirt. I still have a hundred so rods and umpteen tackle boxes though and now if I go fishing, I am wondering if there is anything to find in the muck under the bobber.

So long as I enjoy it, I'll do it.
Sandman

 

[kevino1960]

Interesting post Jim and a great topic. The thing about fishing is you know what you can or will catch as there are only a given number of species in a locale. However when MDing one never knows what may have been lost over a period of years (or centuries!) and may be recoverable. The machine becomes an extension of one's self and the 'battle' is against time, science and the elusive object. wow, that may all be bs, but it sounded good at the moment. Thanks for the topic Jim and Happy Hunting!

Kevin

 

[teverly]

same here..i started fishing when i was 10 or 12 years old and was really into it.12 years ago i picked up a detector and now if i fishing it is summertime and at night..i have been 2 this year.

 

[gallileo60]

I got a really nice telescope I'm wanting to get rid of.....to buy a detector with bells and whistles.

Was out of detecting for some years....dont ask me how i managed to give it up for a woman.....but i was into astronomy for quite a while.

Well.....the bug bit again...and the woman went!

I get flustered tryin to set up a 100 pound telescope only to get clouded out....when metal detecting can be done so much more often. And whats a detector weigh? A couple pounds!

The big part of detecting I like is the research....

Naturally, I want to upgrade, just like the telescope, but now I want to find those deeper targets I havent found.

Telescope trade anyone?
Al

Yes, I too love Astronomy, and do volunteer work at the George Observatory, here in the area...It is ALOT of work to set up a big scope, most people dont realise how much is involved, for just a few minutes of veiwing.....I seem to like science stuff in general.....Living on the Coast as I do, I have always been around the Water, and love it too..Tom

 

[hollowpointred]

i used to go bass fishing every chance i got. i havent been fishing in three years!

 

[Michigan Badger]

I used to fish and hunt but have been mostly a treasure hunter since childhood.

I still recall the day in 1961 when I told my 7th grade class (Spring Lake Junior High, Spring lake, Michigan) about metal detectors finding lost coins. I was laughed to scorn!

Most people back then knew about metal detectors but almost nobody believed there was much of anything in the ground to find. And too, most didn't believe metal detectors would ever be any good for anything other than finding buried explosive devices.

Wish I could have had my Tejon back then! haha!

Badger

 

[BuckleBoy]

Anybody wanna buy some rock climbing equipment?

How about a frame backpack?

Sleeping bag rated to 10 degrees F?

Tent?

 

[Treasure Tom]

Hi Everyone!

Jim was asking about the "psychological triggers" that make this hobby obsessive. Well, in fishing, I think is the one of the few hobbies that can be relaxing and exciting at the same time. One minute you can be falling asleep then suddenly woken up and playing the fish of a lifetime! It is also the quest for new hot spots and the anticipation of catching the trophy fish. I'm sure a lot of avid fishermen know about "the one more cast" syndrome where it leads to a hundred more casts and getting back home in the dark.

Detecting seems to be very similar...it is very relaxing and can be very exciting when you dig up that old coin or expensive piece of jewelry. There is also the search for better sites and the fresh air from being outdoors. Perhaps it is behaviour from the past where our ancestors were searching and hunting game...maybe it is the thrill of the hunt and sitting around the campfire after a successful day...

Thanks for posting such an interesting topic...makes you think about things in life.

Tom

 

[waseeker]

For me it was/is Golf. For many many many years I spent every possible spare moment either playing golf, practicing or planning a golf trip.

although I've had a metal detector for several years it was never more than just an occasional thing to take it out for a hunt.

I retired 2 years ago and about the same time my nephew started calling and telling me about some of his good finds (I got him interested in MD'ing some time back). So that kinda got my interest up so I started going out on Monday's since the course is closed, on Tuesdays since that is Ladies Day. Then I added Saturdays to the mix because the money game is on Sunday and I discovered school playgrounds which are available on Saturdays

I'm not sure whether it was my first gold ring, silver coin or just the thrill of the hunt and the solitude, but soon it was every day hunting, and now I play golf only for a couple of tournaments.

 

[diggummup]

I used to fish all the time,mostly saltwater offshore. The last fishing license I bought was a waste of money. I didn't use it even once! Yup, I see i'm not the only one.

 

[gmanlight]

I fished 1/2 as much last year and 1/2 again as much

this year My fishin bud will not ask me much anymore

he knows i am lost

 

[savant365]

No hobbies but maybe a couple marriages
Don

I thought marriage WAS a hobby

 

[txkickergirl]

Before metal detecting my favorite hobby was:
nagging my husband and kids

They thanks God for Metal Detecting Everyday! LOL Just kidding!

I would say shopping but, I just changed what I shop for now its Metal Detecting stuff. So nope I can't say I gave up one hobby for another, but I will say that I eat, sleep, and dream it.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I will say that I eat, sleep, and dream it.

Amen! Well put! I could add that I sometimes sleep with a recent find. The wife doesn't care just so long as it isn't a 6' crosscut saw.

Badger

 

[BamaBill]

Well, good to know that I'm not the only fly fisherman that's been afflicted with the MD'ing bug. I too was a rabid fly fisherman and now that I got back into detecting I haven't messed with my fly fishing gear in a couple months.