That's Fit

Does fishing burn any more calories than sitting at a bar sipping a margarita? Tomorrow my family departs on a five-day canoe trip to the Boundary Waters and plan to fish for sustenance. If we don't want to eat another noodle dish for dinner, we'll have to cast a few lines to reel in shore meals.

To be upfront, fishing is not my favorite activity. I find it boring and am ever-itching to move onto a five-hour hike. But if I'm fishing to avoid another carbo-filled noodle dish, I know I will be extremely motivated to cast lines for hours. I will need lean protein on this trip -- the beef jerky won't taste so good by Day 3. Besides, the kids just scored two new Zebco 202s from their generous uncle and are primed to fish.

For all you fishing fitness fans out there, here's how many calories you burn when fishing (based on a 155-lb person). Fishing is definitely a better workout than lifting a margarita, especially if you pull on waders or get off the boat:

• Fishing while sitting on a boat: 176 calories per hour
• Fishing while standing on a bank: 246 calories per hour
• Fishing in stream with waders: 422 calories per hour -- now we're talkin'!

If pulling on the waders results in over 400 calories burned per hour, just think of how many calories it takes to haul in a marlin from the sea.