As most of you are well aware, I love pretty much everything outdoors.  I like to golf, kayak, boat ride, fish, hunt, ATV ride, hike, camp, skeet shoot, shoot archery, and even to bird watch.

As I was thinking about all of these wonderful hobbies, I began to think about why fishing might be the best of all.  Here is a list of five reasons that I came up with:

1. You can spend as little or as much money as you prefer
Unlike most sports that have a minimum investment, fishing can be absolutely free.  You can fish from the bank of a state park with no license and use a homemade cane pole with a cricket that you caught by hand for bait. You are likely to at least catch a few perch and you will be out no cash. (I’ll assume you found an old hook and some string while walking on the shore.)

However, if you are the big spender who lives by the go-big-or-go-home motto, then the sky is the limit.  Feel free to buy a $100 bass boat or spend a cool million on a serious offshore rig with all of the comforts of home.  Buy the $300 shimano bass reel or settle for the $50 rod and reel combo on sale at Academy. The truth is you can catch fish by spending a lot or a little.

2. The best fishing is public
If you want to go play golf at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia … you can’t.  But you simply want to play one time at the course where they hold the Masters each year? Sorry!

It’s highly exclusive and there is almost a zero chance that my readers could ever get in.

Would you like to go fishing in Georgia?  This is the state that holds the world record largemouth bass.  An out-of-state license can be had for $10.

Want to fish where the Bassmaster Elites fish?  It’s all public!

Simply drive to the lake and fish, just make sure you have a license for that state.  No high dollar leases like deer hunting, no green fees like golf.  World-class fishing is open to you and me.

3. Beauty abounds!
Some of the prettiest sights I have ever seen have been while fishing.  There is something about a sunrise or sunset over the water that is calming and brings peace to the soul.  Lakes, bays, creeks, and ponds are all beautiful.

4. Catch and release is an option
When you go fishing and catch a boatload of fish, you have two options.

Option one is to take the fish home, clean them, and have a fish fry.  Option two is to simply throw them back.  When you hunt, you don’t have this option.

I sometimes wish after the thrill of the hunt I could somehow breathe life back into the ducks I shoot and they would fly away. Or do the same with a whitetail buck after a few photos.  However, I don’t have this option. After I kill, I must recover my game then clean and prepare them for table. When I fish, I can simply release them for someone else to catch another day.

5. Fishing is great for fellowship
Fishing is great, great time for bonding. Talking is allowed at least in moderation.

No one likes a motor mouth, but genuine conversation is usually welcomed.  There seems to be something about fishing that clears the lines of communication and makes it easier for people to open up to discuss important life matters.

In fact I have had some great talks with family and friends in the front of a bass boat. In this world we live in, we are often too busy to sit down and talk about things.  Fishing provides the perfect opportunity to grow close to the ones you care about most.

There you have it … five reasons to get off the couch this summer and go fishing.

The good news is that where we live in Southeast Texas, every lake, bay, creek, cut, canal, bayou, marsh, or ditch that you see has a fish waiting to take the bait.  When you go don’t forget to bring someone along to share the memories and be sure to give God thanks for the opportunity.

Happy fishing and may you load the boat!

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Brian Johnson, originally of Port Neches, is pastor of the Outdoorsman’s Church in Winnie, owner of DuckDogTrainer.com and outdoors writer for The News.