JACK WOLLITZ The whys of fishing

Want to know why I go fishing?
Traffic congestion. Road construction. Fretting over worries big and small. Our world is a tough enough place without adding to our stress.
The other day, as I drove west on U.S. 224 from my home in Poland, I smiled to myself despite the frustrations of the journey. It's but a few miles between Poland and Canfield, but the trip took 35 minutes.
I could have been close to the Pittsburgh Airport in that amount of time.
Bad traffic
Motorists in thousands of cars steamed despite their air-conditioned rides. I wasn't happy about the traffic, but I wasn't boiling over either. That's because I was going fishing Saturday and I let my mind focus on that rather than the big blue SUV in front of me.
That's why I go fishing - among other reasons, but that's a big one.
The lure of Lake Chautauqua two hours north of Youngstown near Jamestown, N.Y., poured a peace over me as I contemplated pitching soft plastic baits to hiding spots where the lake's numerous largemouth and smallmouth bass live.
It's the kind of peace I enjoy regularly.
Great memories
When the pressures of the world - crime, terrorism, money, flat tires or cold baked potatoes - threaten to put my soul in a funk, I can always dig into a file of great fishing memories.
Spectacular sunsets. Rosy dawns. Steep, emerald hillsides. Dimpling baitfish punctuating the lake's surface. And a thousand more.
Those are the things to think about when the bills are piling up and the checking account has shriveled. They are the perfect elixir when the mechanic delivers the bad news or the waiter drops your dinner.
And to catch a fish? My goodness, that's just about the purest form of success an angler can realize.
OK, I exaggerate. Raising a child to success ranks higher than catching a fish. But hooking up with a nice bass or walleye is right up there.
When I'm fishing, I'm not worrying. As I eye my target and pitch a lure, I'm thinking only about the objective - not about the strife in Iraq or where the next SARS outbreak might occur.
Can't be unhappy
If you fish - and no matter how you fish - you no doubt agree. It doesn't matter whether you are staring at a bobber for hours or casting a fly to rising trout, you just can't be unhappy.
Fishing pulls anglers like few other sports pull their participants. Golfers leave home happy and return grumpy. Those who play baseball - even the best of the best - fail seven times out of 10 at-bats.
As an angler, I experience joy all day.
I like launching the boat. Driving down the lake is swell. Even the smell of the outboard's oil-gas exhaust wafts up images. Things like tying good knots, making good decisions, executing nice casts all are simple pleasures that make fishing fun.
I'm out there on the water to have fun. And I'll have fun regardless of the weather, the fishes' moods or the condition of the stock market.
The world keeps turning while I'm fishing, but I'm not spinning with it for those precious hours when the water is my focus.
That's why I fish.
jwwollitz@aol.com