Fishing was a given when I was growing up. My entire family were outdoor types. It followed naturally that I spent a lot of time with a fishing rod in my hands in my early years.

We did it all: casting with a heavy rod and reel into the roiling surf, delicately placing a fly in a swirling eddy in a raucous stream, spending countless hours basking under the sun (or rain) in a fishing boat patiently waiting for the tell-tale tug on the end of the rod. Even as I moved into my teens and protested that I’d had to leave my friends just to go on another camping trip, deep down, I loved it.

But as the pressures of adulthood and my own families’ concerns took precedence, campouts, with the requisite fishing excursions, took a back seat until they stopped altogether.

Now I’m at a point in my life when I have more time and I’m thinking a lot about the serenity and challenge inherent in fishing.

Living here on Washington’s south coast and so near the Oregon north coast, I’m offered a wealth of choices. Maybe a stint in the surf, or on a charter boat fishing for what the ocean has to offer. Perhaps dropping a line in a nearby lake, from shore or boat? Could it be casting a fly or baited hook and making my way up or down a stream or river bank is the ticket? Maybe all? It’s a delightful dilemma.

Ocean fishing

The sea offers a lot of variety and often some surprises, fish-wise. Luckily, we have an abundance of charter boat excursions to choose from in both Oregon and Washington. The beauty of chartering is that everything is supplied, and if you’re like me, that’s very compelling as I don’t have heavy gear or a boat. Besides that, you’ve got a captain who knows where the best fishing is, and the experience to help you catch them.

Another plus is that you can get together with your favorite family or friends and plan a trip together. Even when I got skunked, and it happened, I always had a good time aboard with my friends. The downside is the cost, but since everything is supplied and you are most likely to hit the dock with some fine seafood, it lessens the pain.

The other option is surf fishing. I haven’t done as much of that as I have other types of angling, but what I did do, I liked very much. Because it’s not as popular as most types of fishing, there is solitude in generally being alone at the surf’s edge, or on a jetty. And experiencing the powerful surge of the tide always made me feel a real connection with the water. The other attraction is that you’re not always sure what will be on the other end of that line when you get a hit.

Rocks and jetties are the best places to fish year-round for bottom fish such as rockfish, ling cod, greenling and cabezon, while fishing in the surf will generally provide good redtail and surf perch, especially during the summer months, although the fish are present year-round.

It does take specific gear to fish the ocean, and a good rod and reel can be costly. But don’t despair – some coastal fish shops rent gear if you want to give it a try before committing.

Lake fishing

Lake fishing, and I did a lot of that, both in a boat and from the shoreline, is altogether a different experience. In a boat, you’re most likely to get to the best fishing spots and catch the larger fish. Obviously, you need a boat and whether you rent one or buy one, that means an outlay of cash.

Bank fishing, on the other hand, requires nothing more than some walking along the shore, although depending on the lake, that may or may not be easy. The upside is that you can move from place to place seeking out the best spot without the hassle of pulling up the anchor and firing up the motor, or rowing to a new spot. But most likely, the big ones are out in the lake beyond your casting range.

There are lots of options with lake fishing too, from easier to more difficult. Fishing with a bobber or with a weight and floating bait will keep your bait off the bottom and in the fish zone. Casting out lures or flies and reeling them in to attract fish takes more skill but is very rewarding when you get a strike.

Lake fishing in Washington and Oregon is one of the most popular forms of fishing and both states stock lakes heavily, so there’s a good chance of catching your limit.

Stream or river fishing

Stream or river fishing offer greater challenges. Very few streams and rivers are stocked, so the odds of catching your limit is lower, but often that’s offset by the advantage of landing a bigger fish. Also, moving water, replete with snags and eddies, can mean some lost tackle occasionally, but with experience most fisher folk learn how to avoid those pitfalls. I personally like stream and river fishing best because it offers me some options: I can bait and wait, cast and work a lure or fly fish, and I love all three.

Ambling along a river or stream casting about to find a good fishing hole and selecting the right bait or lure is great fun, and a challenging art. Sometimes a local insect hatch can actually provide the best bait. Quietly standing alongside a rushing stream or river, enjoying the freshness and sounds of the water, waiting for that unknown moment when a fish strikes, is both good for the body and mind, even when you miss the strike.

Equally rewarding to me is fly fishing. Although it takes some experience to learn how to become a competent fly fisher, there is nothing like making your way down a riverbank looking for that right flow of water, wading out knee-deep into the water, carefully letting out the line and whipping it back and forth to gain length, then skillfully placing the fly in just the right place. Then, as you follow the fly through the water, watching for the flash of the strike. It takes patience, a good eye and quick reflexes to become good at fly fishing, but it’s the most rewarding kind of fishing.

Bait and fly fishing, like any other type, requires fishing gear, and in the case of fly fishing, a fairly good selection of flies … and they don’t come cheap. Many people get into tying their own for both the economy and the pleasure of it.

Be aware that rivers and streams can often run through private property, which means it’s either off-limits to you or you’ll need to have permission to fish there.

But whatever you choose, in the end, it’s about the kind of fishing you like best. I like them all, but as I’ve mentioned, I have favorites.

Recently, I decided to get relicensed, but the rules have changed greatly and are markedly more complex since my youth. Some fish are threatened and can’t be kept, and the limits are severely lower than those I remember. Check with your state fish and game websites for regulation and licensing requirements. Gone are the days when you could take home a weekend’s worth of fish to the point it made the cost of the trip worthwhile. Nonetheless, the thrill of catching a fish and the beauty and tranquility of the moment remains, and that, after all, is what fishing is all about.