My first memory of fishing is from Fourth Grade. A friend and I bought some bamboo poles, dug up some worms and went to a pond behind our elementary school. Maybe there weren't any fishing in the pond, but didn't get a single nibble. Honestly I think it had to do with the noise we were making and the fact that we pulled our line from the water about every thirty seconds. The worms probably thought we were just trying to get them clean and the fish probably thought we were teasing them. But I did go home with some tadpoles...
Growing up fishing never caught my interest. I would go if asked. But I never caught anything. I was mainly there to spend time with friends. Even when I would catch fish, I was never really interested in going again any time soon. I just wasn't interested in investing that much time waiting with my hook in the water for the couple of minutes of fun hauling in a fish.
So how is fly fishing different? How has it captured my attention so fully? I'm going to keep thinking on it and adding to this post as the day goes on.
1:00 PM
Prior to fly fishing the only fun in fishing was catching a fish. Other than when you have a fish on the line, all you're doing is sitting in the sun. Others can find that enjoyable but I can't. Fly fishing, on the other hand, keeps me involved. Casting takes more skill than just throwing a hook and a worm into the water. Instead of sitting and waiting for a fish to take your worm you're focused on mending your line with the current. You have to watch your indicator for the slightest indication of a strike. I guess it boils down to this: Fly Fishing is about the angler. All my prior fishing was about the bait.
7:30 PM
Moving water moves me. I love standing in a stream watching my line and fly drift with the current. But when you stand on a dock or on the edge of a pond you're an intruder. The line you drop into the water only connects you by a string. When you catch a fish you are taking it from his environment to your environment. You put him back into his world and you stay in your world. But a fly fisher becomes part of nature. You enter the stream and enter a different place. The water, trees, fish and angler are all one scene that can't be separated. Even with a fish on your line you aren't drawing him into your world. You are part of his world and never take him from it.
How did you get hooked on fly fishing? If you currently don't fly fish what is getting you interested?
1:00 PM
Prior to fly fishing the only fun in fishing was catching a fish. Other than when you have a fish on the line, all you're doing is sitting in the sun. Others can find that enjoyable but I can't. Fly fishing, on the other hand, keeps me involved. Casting takes more skill than just throwing a hook and a worm into the water. Instead of sitting and waiting for a fish to take your worm you're focused on mending your line with the current. You have to watch your indicator for the slightest indication of a strike. I guess it boils down to this: Fly Fishing is about the angler. All my prior fishing was about the bait.
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Moving water moves me. I love standing in a stream watching my line and fly drift with the current. But when you stand on a dock or on the edge of a pond you're an intruder. The line you drop into the water only connects you by a string. When you catch a fish you are taking it from his environment to your environment. You put him back into his world and you stay in your world. But a fly fisher becomes part of nature. You enter the stream and enter a different place. The water, trees, fish and angler are all one scene that can't be separated. Even with a fish on your line you aren't drawing him into your world. You are part of his world and never take him from it.
How did you get hooked on fly fishing? If you currently don't fly fish what is getting you interested?
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