The mindset of a fly-fisher is at once deep and remarkably simple.
As a fly shop owner, I often get asked by onlookers why people spend thousands of dollars on fly fishing equipment to go fishing when the very fish you are fishing for can be bought at the local grocery store for just a few dollars?
That’s a hard question to answer, but there’s an old quote from an author named Fennel Hudson that sort of sums it up: “People fly fish because they are searching for something. Often, it’s not for a fish.”
First of all, fly fishing is one of the most challenging ways to catch a trout. There’s the cast that takes a significant amount of time to master, then there’s the fly selection of what to use and when.
Even when you start to get the basics of that down, you must attach this fly crafted by fur and feather to the end of your line and present it in a way that it looks like food to the fish.
To be successful at this game, it is necessary to have a connection with the fish, what they eat, how they act, and the environment they are drawn to. That’s what sets fly fishing apart from dunking a worm into a pond and waiting for a tug on the other end.
When I think deeply about why I am so drawn to the sport of fly fishing, it all boils down to being able to interact with nature in a peaceful environment.
I would even go as far as calling it a religious experience. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from a man named Tony Blake: “Some go to church and think about fishing, others go fishing and think about God.”
To most fly fishers, the fish are just the cherry on top of the whole experience. In fact, very few fly fishers that I know keep the fish after they catch them anyway…instead, they are released to fight another day. So, yea, it’s way more than the fish – they just provide an excellent excuse to go fishing!
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