I always have a gun in my boat, and a shotgun or rifle during hunting season.

Years ago, I was in my canoe eating my lunch and fishing before going to my deer stand for the evening hunt, a really nice 8-point buck came walking along the river bank and I shot him at about 10 yards.

The river bank was about six feet higher than the river so I had a heck of a time trying to get the buck loaded into the canoe; I did a little swimming that day but really enjoyed it!

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"Life is short, hunt hard"

I carry everywhere it is legal for me to do so. Sadly, many lakes are Army Corp of Engineers and carrying while on one of those is not legal. I continue to write my elected officials every year to try to get that changed along with the other "victim zones" that don't allow lawful carry.

I ALWAYS make sure to carry while on the water. My father almost was shot in a fishing cove in his boat when I was little. After that story there was no question.

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Mike C

As long as the wind blows, grass grows and the sky is blue.....

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Halfway and one more step

If I'm out of the house I carry a gun.

Most of my friends carry a beer while fishing, not a gun....

LOL

In all seriousness, in certain places, one who frequents the outdoors might have a better chance of encountering meth or other drug people, so the old days of a 22 Kit Gun have been replaced by the need for a 44 Magnum in salmon (possible bear attack) country for a fishing trip, or a high capacity 9mm pistol for the drug dealer types.

On the other hand, anyone who saw Deliverance already knows that venturing into the wild without a gun is really not the best course. Likely? Perhaps not, but when you need a gun, you REALLY NEED A GUN. Since you do not know when you will need one, it seems the best course to go about armed at all times. Remember, you never know when you will need a first aid kit or fire extinguisher either, but presumably we all keep them handy at all times.

And then, there is just the idea that "gun people" simply feel better when armed. "Why do you have that gun - what are you scared of? Nothing." Having a gun is not proof of paranoia. It is simply being realistic.

My vote - carry at all times when you can do so legally.

model 57-5 mountain gun. .41 magnum is heavy medicine on almost all animals, 2 or 4 legged. loaded with Heavy .41 Magnum Ammo - 230 gr. Keith (1,450 fps/M.E. 1,074 ft. lbs.) from Buffalo Bore. its a spicy meatball fo sho!

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why? why not?

I don't always carry my glock....oh wait yes I do

I just started carrying a couple months ago. I don't carry all the time but fishing is one time I do. I know many here don't agree but to me, where I live, carrying 24-7 is being a little paranoid.

Heck, Not only while fishing, I even carried while snorkeling......See my past posts on this. ......

Unless it's on a crowded shoreline -- I'm carrying. A model 60 most times; but a 44 Mag when the "Beware of Griz" signs are out.

Last Summer I shot a Rattle Snake that crossed my path near a crowded picnic area.

Two Summers ago, on a deserted section of stream, two guys came up on my wife without a sound and scared her half to death. When she yelled, I came out of the river about 100 feet away ---- Model 60 in plain view. They were VERY strange dudes but quickly left after a few nervous comments about my revolver.

brigeton: Ask any lawman around what percentage of the population in your area is just 'off' enough to hurt you just to see you hurt if they felt they had a 50/50 chance of getting away with it. And if they are on mind altering drugs, that 50/50 ratio goes way south. IMHO (and most LEO's), carrying 24/7 is nothing more than another form of insurance. You do have several forms of insurance don't you? Think about adding another. IMHO. It is not 'paranoia' it is just being prudent while being alive in the present societal situation we are living in. ..........

Bass fishing, trout fishing, crappie fishing I have heard of, but what bait do you use for boat fishing?

Sounds as if you need to find safer places to fish.

And a victim's nightmare.

I am allways armed. My classic smith's do however, sit out my daily shower. My Glock 23c with aquatic spring cups joins me then.

Well I quit using that ramp and went to another one that's a little further from the getto. I go to Saginaw & Detroit, both on the other side of the state for the exceptional fishing. If you go to the Detroit river in April you will see trucks from 1000 miles away for the spring walleye run.

Right. I carry all the time too.

But I belive the majority of those with carry permits (or otherwise legal to carry) seldom do. Most of the guys at the Club that I know don't carry much. Many have had a permit over the years just to be sure there won't be a problem if pulled over going to and from the range or to keep a loaded gun in the glove box (now legal absent a permit).

I'm just not smart enough to know the precise location or moment that I may need to defend myself... so I carry.

There was an almost identical thread on a fishing forum I belong to and many of the responses were why would you carry a gun to go fishing. A couple of the people there are anti gun but most are not. Many hunt also.

Some years ago, we tried to go fishing at a small lake down by the Mexican border in Arizona. We had barely exited our vehicle when we came across 2 scumbags carrying rifles. One of them fired a shot in the air, over our heads, and yelled something like "get the hell out of here!" No doubt they were drug runners. I had a .38 in my pocket but I knew it was no match for 2 men carrying rifles. We left quickly and never went back. There's a lesson there, maybe two.




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I do a lot of wade fishing in streams and rivers. I carried a Kit
gun for years. After a dunking on slippery rocks that got my 34,
I got me a S&W 422, which is lighter to carry. I don't worry that
much about two legged problems, but if one would arise a couple
of HPs will make them awfully sick. I have a navy pilots survival
vest that has 1911 holster sewn in it. I just had it redone for
422 and a couple clips. I started carry all the time when in field
back in 80s when SE Ohio, there was a nut named Dillon from
northern part of state driving around on weekends shooting
people hunting & fishing with a scoped HP rifle. It made national
news, they finally got him after he murdered several sportsman.

I carry a 45 cross draw inside my chest waders and leave the waist belt off.Its easily accessible and out of sight.

Yes I always carry while fishing. Few years back I was jumped from behind while getting boat ready to launch. Had to pull my weapon and scared off to fellows. I believe they wanted my wallet.

After my parents moved to Florida, my father always had a Ruger Blackhawk 357 Magnum revolver on him or within arm's reach when ocean fishing - after his first outing. On that first outing one of his fishing buddies landed a [modest-sized] shark. The man tried to kick it over the side. When that failed, he beat it with a fire extinguisher. Subsequently, Dad had his 357 Ruger. And once he needed to use it, this incident having a steroid-enhanced version of that first shark. . . . Repairing the hull was kind've expensive, but he felt it was a "cost of doing business."

Hope this helps.

You talking a shoulder rig or belt? I've been thinking about a belly band for under my waders to carry my G19? I would like to carry something more that my 638 but haven't found a comfortable way.

on my belt in an old uncle mike's,strap unhooked.Had a bull that wanted me off of his sand bar a few years ago and the gun was in the truck.This works quite well,easy to get to,but out of sight for the tourists.

I call my 460 my fishing companion. Its always with me when fishing in Alaska.

I'm always armed. No different when fishing except that the first two chambers get shot shells for snakes.

I keep my boat at a marina on a military base so I don't carry when I go out. However there is a flare gun on board as well as several large knives and a machete.

I generally don't. Here in Michigan we have no venomous snakes, at least none that call water their home. Neither do we have aquatic chupacabras or skinny dipping Sasquatch.

Fact is I never encountered anything while fishing that I couldn't handle with salt, pepper, flour, and a bit of hot oil.



Roe

Have the same problem in SE FL. People feed or toss fish to the gators. I fish out of a kayak often. Gators swim right at you when fighting a bass. Also fish urban canals for Peacock Bass. Colt Cobra or Ruger LCR fits the bill for me.

I carry every were. In the house and any place I go. If I was a fisherman going in remote areas, defenetly.

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Two Handguns every day

Aloha,

Every time I went scuba diving, I Always carried a Bang stick.

After my first encounter with a shark, I realized a Nikonos camera

was poor defense against an 8 foot white tip shark.

Luckily my friends had their spears.

If it goes overboard it's top shelf safe in the dishwasher.

Sure do, it's the primary reason I bought my model 60. A round or two of snake shot followed by some hard cast SWC and I'm ready for some back country brook trout fishing...
The 60 is for any overly aggressive snakes and vermin that may come my way, not the brookies.
John

Sixgun100 nice peacock. That species is still on my bucket list. We don't have them here in SW FL. If i can just tear myself away from tarpon, redfish and snook fishing...

My son daughter in law and myself like to catfish along the rivers and resivours here in Tennessee. This usually involves staying out late, two or three in the morning. We usually dont see many folk out that late but the few that we do see are sketchy at best. I've often wondered it wouldnt be prudent to carry since we all have our carry permits. Thing is most of the land we fish from and is owned and regulated by the TVA, which has a hodge podge of regulations which is indecipherable to my simple mind. You can carry if your on a boat but along shore its no carry. The regulations are written in such a way that their almost impossible to interpret. If its state property its allowed as well as carrying in stste and national parks. As a result we rely on a couple of baseball bats.

one place I really like to kayak doesn't allow guns.There are black bears,lions and occasionally some weird people.At times,I'll shove a model 60 into my gear and take it along anyway,mostly for the weirdos

Friend of mine is a retired Illinois state trooper and was fishing in a fairly secluded spot along a river when he 4 kids coming his direction at a distance. After a few minutes he noticed they had split up and were trying to sneak up on him from different directions. He believed they were up to no good but did not want to shoot a bunch of kids. He started yelling "Snake" and fired 3 shots into the ground. Never saw the kids again.

I don't fish, but this is how I carry when in the woods. First two cylinders have shotshells, the rest is "loaded for bear". The shot works on all kinds of "snakes", even the two-legged kind. If they can't take the hint to leave you alone after the first two, then you can be more "assertive".

I've carried semi's in the woods, but IMO there's nothing like a good Magnum revolver for that job.

With one of the lessons being you may have been a bit close to the border.

Stalking the rogue Ambloplites Cavifron through rapids, slippery rocks and briar thickets. More than likely I will end up wet from head to toe.
In my 50 years of Redeye fishing I have never needed a gun. Now that I'm old I carry a little 380, a 9mm or a Chief's Special.

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Have Gun Will Carry

Better check your local lake laws, I know Corps of Engineers used to crack down on that in Texas. Only place I ever carried was lake Falcon. Went twice, first time my prop, electronics and gear were stolen. Second time I didn't take my boat and we all took guns.

I had a big stick and a bunch of slow people around me so I felt safe walking down this road in the everglades. A firearm would have been nice but being able to trip slow people with that big stick was a good alternative.

Florida is a "iffy" place to fish. As previously mentioned, there are plenty of critters that can hurt you. I always had a revolver with snake shot when fishing. I even had a couple of characters tell me I was in their fishing spot and I had to leave.

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JIM
NRA Pistol Instr

Depending on location, yes.

Yes, and it has come in handy on several occasions.

I remember fly fishing on a shallow stream. I could see the trout clearly. Tried several dry flies, tried different nymph patterns, but couldn't get any action. S&W Model 34 .22LR Kit Gun put supper in the skillet.

Did the same thing on another occasion using the S&W Model 29 .44 magnum. It worked quite well.

On a couple of trips I encountered rattlesnakes. Those I could steer clear of I left alone, but a couple required shooting.

When fishing I am usually camping out. Guns are always handy, usually including a 12-gauge. Haven't encountered any two legged critters that weren't decent folks, but we never know what we might run into.