Paul Quinnett is an award-winning journalist with over 500 stories, essays and columns published in America's premier outdoor magazines. He is also a clinical psychologist and expert on drug abuse, depression and suicide. In his books, Pavlov's Trout: The Incompleat Psychology of Everyday Fishing and the sequels Darwin's Bass and Fishing Lessons, he brings the two great loves of his life together to explore the psychology of fishing man.

With his permission, we excerpt Pavlov's Trout on the impact of fishing on stress in our lives.

People ask me, "Does fishing help reduce stress?" Being a savvy, cautious scientist, whose ethical responsibilities include never misleading the public about health research, my answer is always the same, "Not if you're a fish."

The much harder question, "Does fishing help reduce stress in fishermen?" can be professional dodged as follows: "That depends."

The trouble with straightforward answers about stress is that while everyone knows we all have plenty, no one seems too sure what we should do about it. But it kills you, we know that.

Surveys repeatedly show that a majority of Americans see themselves experiencing high levels of stress, particularly on the job. A recent survey by Northwestern National Life Insurance revealed that one American in three thinks about quitting due to stress and burnout. According to the same company, stress disabilities have doubled in the past ten years. Some employers believe one third of their absenteeism is due to stress.

One of the most common complaints treated by physicians is stress-induced sleep disturbance. One of my own patients recently told me that if he didn't get disturbed sleep, he wouldn't get any sleep at all.

You've heard the story as often as I have: "Old Charley died of a heart attack. It was stress that killed him. He should have gone fishing." Here, from my point of view, are a few critical questions scientists need to hurry up and answer:

Does the act of fishing reduce felt stress? Does fishing work faster, better and longer than tranquilizers, even if it costs more? Will angling add days to your life? If you go fishing, say, six days a week, will you live almost forever?

The answer to the last question is "Yes" but you have to remain single, live in a cave on welfare or become a fishing guide.

In spite of how little scientists know about stress and fishing, we do know a few things:

1. Get control of your life. Start small, but take personal control. If you're not in control of your life, who is, and more importantly, will whoever is in charge of your life ever ask you to go fishing? If you can't answer this question, call someone immediately and go fishing. Or go alone. Now!

2. The human body is highly vulnerable to cigarette smoke, too much booze, high-speed crashes and extreme cold. Quit smoking, drink moderately, buckle up and be sure to keep your waders patched.

3. Eat a lot of fish. If you catch your own fish you'll be twice blessed - once in the catching and once in the eating.

4. Don't pick up a load of guilt bending the law taking too many fish, or the wrong fish that, in your heart, you know should live to fight another day. Guilt gathered up for low and sorry crimes is, as any shrink can tell you, bad for your health.

5. Never buy new waders because you've "outgrown" your old pair. You attain your normal body weight by about age 20. Try to keep it there. Desserts spelled backwards is "stressed."

6. Sitting around all day is at odds with extensive medical research on health and exercise. Go fishing as often as possible. Don't just sit in a boat and troll. Walk, walk walk and walk some more. The best streams and honey holes lie off the path, anyway. Walking to them equals exercise health.

7. What a good patch is to leaky waders, sleep is to a weary mind. So get plenty. Americans are chronically sleep deprived, which make them cranky. Trouble sleeping the night before opening day excepted, if you can get to sleep or stay asleep, see a doc. Disturbed sleep may also indicate other problems.

8. As regards to your fishing, per se, your multitudinous fishing toys and the invitation to complications, frustrations and technical breakdown offered by the rapidly changing high-speed fishing world in which we now live, memorize this choice bit of advice from Henry David Thoreau: "Simplify, simplify."

For me fishing provides a critical kind of stress reduction. In know this because when I'm headed out to go fishing I feel excitement, anticipation and a pleasant little tightness in my chest as a wonder on the wonders in store for me. When I'm driving home after a day of fishing, I feel peace and contentment. Excitement going out, peace coming back - that feels like stress reduction to me.

Does fishing reduce stress? Does it give you a longer life? My professional opinion is "Well, of course it does. Everybody knows that."