The Perils of Fly Fishing
My brother forwarded me this article from the NY Daily News- a very funny read, and the fact that they got the name of the state wrong in the title just adds to the humor. We have a saying out west that goes something like, “Hmph, Easterners!” It can be modified to include any geographical local, though, so we are equal opportunity disdainers.
So, anyways, this got me to thinking about my experience with fly fishing. If they made fly fishing cards like baseball cards, here’s what the back of mine would read:
At Bats 1000 Fish 0 Avg. .000 Strikeouts 1000 Walks 1000(miles) Errors 500
As you can see, my numbers aren’t real stellar – but like baseball players, the fly fisherman is the eternal optomist – if not partly masochist. They say things like, “it only takes one,” or “this is the cast/at bat” or my personal favorite, “wait till next year.” But a rookie flyfisherman, like a rookie baseball player says things like, “stupid fish/ball” or “I need a new rod/bat” or “I’m going home.” It can be that kind of frustrating, but they tell me the rewards of fly fishing are great if you practice patience. I say, “I don’t have time for patience.” But as spring arises again and the rivers start looking prime for the taking, the small amount of optimism begins to reer its head again and I start thinking that maybe, just maybe, this is the year it all comes together.
That is so funny because I got a book from a friend in Iowa and the name is “IS IDAHO IN IOWA?” It is full of history where the two states were confused with each other. The last page even has a copy of a letter from the White House addressed to Pocatello, Iowa. I didn’t think this still happened in real life but here is the proof. I can’t think of to many ways the two states are alike, so why do they get confused.
I completely understand. I’ve had years where fly fishing was a complete bust, and then I’ve had years where everything went perfect and we landed a bunch of fish. Those times, though, no matter what, keep you coming back for more.
You might as well give it a whirl. Who knows what could happen.
And I’ll ignore the Easterners comment for now:)
Arthur – Oh, those Easterners are nothing compared to those dang MIdwesterners…especially those Michiganders!
Dave Barry is Hilarious, even if he is a Flatlander from Florida. (We’ll discuss the merits of “hill humpers” vs. Flatlanders later.)
Perhaps you should go to Hagerman, and check out the trout farms.
All kidding aside,There is no comparison to fly fishing a high mountain lak withoiut waders… Nothing beats having frozen, numb feet while you sweat buckets above the water. Nothing like having frostbite and a sunburn, and Heat exhaustion at the same time….
John -
Ha! Very nice. I went to Hagerman earlier this year so visit a friend and wow, you’ aren’t kidding about the trout farms there! Maybe next time I will take my fly rod and see if I can catch a trout or two behind the fences!
As for the mountain lakes – been there and done that, but never with a fly. Matter of fact that snow can’t melt fast enough up in the high country – I start wanting to hit those mountain lakes about now!
Practice makes perfect, except in fly fishing. Practice will atleast get the line in the water. I don’t know if it’s ever perfect, but fly fishing sure is fun. I like to do all sorts of fishing, but nothing compares to catching them on the fly when they are biting. Good luck this spring.
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