I wasn't able to go fishing at Busch Memorial this week. Circumstances dictated otherwise. But I was able to go fishing. My dad and I took my three year old to a pay fishing site south of Fenton, MO called Chip Away Lake & Bait Ship. I know, I know, paying to fish a stocked lake is not really fishing. I agree. But my three year old loves to go fishing with Daddy and I really want her to catch fish. But that didn't happen.
Do not let this story be a first impression of this fishing location. I have heard good things about this place. But with all the rain we've had in Missouri Fenton has had some flooding from the Meramc and Chip Away did not escape it. The water was high and muddy. I'm sure that any fish that were there were hunkered down because they couldn't see from the mud. I'll probably take my daughter back there sometime when the fishing should be better.
While I was standing out there casting out a worm, waiting and then reeling it back in I realized how much I wanted to be fly fishing instead. So what is it about fly fishing that is so addicting?
I've fished sporadically all of my life. I would go years between fishing excursions. And rarely, if ever, would I choose to go fishing by myself. Six years ago my brother-in-law got the idea for guys fishing trip with all of the guys in my extended family. I didn't even own a fishing pole, but even if I didn't have any luck fishing I would be having some good guy time. The week of the trip I bought an inexpensive spinner rod and headed to Bennett Springs State Park. The group consisted of me, my father, my brother, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, and my brother's father-in-law. We all get along without any personality conflicts, which is pretty good for a bunch of guys brought together by three marriages. We have a great group of guys. But only half of the group was there to fish. The other half was there for the comradery.
It had been several years since I had fished at all (hence not owning a fishing pole). But my brother and brother-in-law, both avid fly fishers, made sure to give me plenty of help. They helped me with fly selection. They gave me tips on casting with the spinner rod. Then they headed off to catch fish away from the newbie who would be scaring them away. Surprisingly I caught my limit both days of fishing. I had fun. But... I was one of the guys there for the comradery. We've kept up the fishing trip every year. And every year I caught less and less trout. And this led me to spend less time fishing.
Then Last August I was in Gatlinburg, TN with my family. All the guys were there to fly fish, for me the first time. The women were there to "experience" Gatlinburg. The first morning we were there the guys hit the local fly shop for our fishing licenses and some pointers. Then we headed out. Honestly it wasn't what I was expecting. We were high sticking instead of casting and crawling over huge boulders to get to where we could do that. But it was a BLAST! I was hooked. I went fishing for three days straight even though we caught less fish each day. So what was it about fly fishing that takes an occasional fisherman and turns him into someone who would love to be on the water every weekend? It was the completeness of the experience.
In my past experience when you're fishing with bait most of your time is spent waiting. You throw your line out there and wait for a fish to bite. If you feel a bite you set your hook and reel in you fish. To me there's not really too much to it. And while you wait for a bite there's not really anything else to do. And that's where in the past fishing has not interested me. I get bored too easily. And once you do get a bite it just feels like a tug of war.
But not with fly fishing.
When you put on your waders and walk into the stream you enter the experience. You become a part of nature. The trees, the sky, the water, the fish and you have begun an experience. The experience becomes all of you and the fish your surroundings. You aren't standing on the edge looking in. You are in the middle of it.
You start to cast and you are completely involved. You cannot lose focus at any point. You have to be patient to wait for your back cast to complete before casting forward. If your fly isn't going to land where you want it you have to be ready to pull back for another cast. Your arm has to be extended just so. Is your loop going to be tight enough that your fly will land gracefully or will it drop like a rock. It's a dance.
When your fly lands your focus changes and the dance becomes a game. The intensity is still there. You're not waiting to feel a bite on the hook. You're watching your fly or indicator for a strike. You feel like if you look away for a moment that moment would be when the fish would strike. You tug a little on the line to give your fly some movement. And when the current has taken your fly has beyond the fish you start the dance again.
When you get a strike you can't just haul away on your line to land the fish. Your line isn't strong enough to handle it. The game has become a war of endurance. You have to let a big fish run, taking your line. As it turns you reel in as quickly as you can only stopping when you feel the fish begin to turn away. It starts as two steps back and one step forward. Slowly the fish begins to tire and it turns into two steps forward and one step back. And eventually you have the fish in your net.
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