Might be an odd question but do any of you have hobbies that are similar to fishing but without, well, fish. Specifically something that doesn't harm any fish/animals.
I realized some time ago that my hobby - solar imaging - is actually a lot like fishing. You hang out on the forums, buy all the mysterious gear, then on a sunny day (with good "astronomical seeing") you set up in the field and record raw material for up to a few hours (for later processing), hoping for something to happen (a surge, flare, spectacular prominence). Needless to say, the Sun sometimes doesn't cooperate and you go back empty-handed. But when some "big" transient occurs (timescales here can be <1 hour) - so satisfying!
White water kayaking. You don't have to do anything that puts you in danger, just an interesting class 2-3. "Reading" the water and picking your line turns off your brain. You can't think about social media or bills or stress at work. You can pick up used kayaks for a couple hundred bucks and if you hate it, they don't really lose value from used and you can get most of your money back. Sometimes you can even get a vest and paddle and skirt as a package from someone getting out.
target shooting (either pistol, or long distance rifle with bolt action (like .308, 6.5 Swiss, or other 6.5 calibers).
This requires a lot of preparation
(like re-loading cases with right powder and bullets, calculating ballistic performance of your reloads, projecting weather on the day ahead and optimizing your setup for that weather, etc).
Also very slow an deliberate.
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Another one, is bird photography.
Also requires preparation, thinking about technology and physical/nature stuff.
Also slow and requires patience.
You can extend bird photography, if you use film -- into subsequent print development, including printing on non-traditional media/canvases.
This works well for folks, like me, who do not have painting skills but would like to express their view of the worlds/ideas through pictures...
That makes into art, producing very unique non-repeatable artifacts (that's probably not possible to achieve with digital).
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In both of the above, at the end you have something to show for it (either paper targets, or pictures).
So that creates memories, enables story telling, etc.
Second target shooting but suggest Archery instead of guns. Less noise, more walking to retrieve your arrows after each end (round) and you can choose from a range of draw weights to find something that you comfortably sustain.
Like all hobbies you can start affordably then take it to extremes in a variety of ways.
Golf. In particular, the pursuit of better golf. So the driving range is my "fishing".
The range is solitude for me. Just me, my little area, outdoors among beautiful scenery and working on swing/shots/short game/etc vs that little darn white ball. It is 1-2 hours (or longer if wanted. I used to do 3-4 hours) of concentration and learning as well as being physically active.
I actually go to the range more than I play. I would like to play more but it requires more time, money, socializing. The range is on my terms as I can stay as long or short as I like and getting better is stimulating. To me, nothing beats the sound of perfect compression of the golf ball and headed towards your target on nice trajectory.
But on the other hand, Golf can be very frustrating. Also like fishing, it takes patience, money and good understanding of the equipment to be good at it.
Golf is not for everyone, but there is nothing quite like planning a shot in your mind and then executing it.
I love walking towards my ball, with my clubs clinking together softly and the breeze rustling through the trees. I can shut out the world and just focus on the next shot. It's glorious.
On the other hand, golf is so easily ruined by misogynistic snobs in power carts having temper tantrums about bad shots. I suspect that is most people's experience of golf (that and boredom), which is a shame because it can be such a wonderful experience.
When I was young, I would go fishing and not put bait on the line. So one did fishing without the hassle (mostly) of being disturbed by the fish. Though I did , on occasion, hook a fish externally as it was passing by.
However, fishing was usually meant for catching a feed.
Just go outside, away from civilization, and into nature. Walk around, sit, doodle, hike, run, swim, wade, bird watch, observe.
And don't stare at your phone while you're there. Better yet, leave your phone behind. Actually be there and be present. That's basically what you're doing when you're fishing, it's quite similar to basic meditation.
Distance running. Particularly on trails. I like learning about the plants and animals in my area and seeing how many different species and varieties I can see.
