500 words about... week four

I've set a goal of at least 100 words a day for at least five days each week. Here's this week's collection.

Don’t fight what you can’t control

There may be a Scottish saying that goes something like, “there is no bad weather, just bad clothes for it.” When I’m fishing, there are a variety of things I can’t control, like wind, air temp, water levels, etc. If I sit and sulk, or bitch and moan, I’m letting things I can’t control get the upper hand. Things go sideways, that’s a fact of life, but devoting energy to things I can’t control is a waste. I’m way better off taking that time and energy to work on the things I can control and not fight the ones I can’t.

Don’t be in such a hurry to get there

I get excited when I’m going fishing. When I head out, I’ll start visualizing the fishing. Over the years, I’ve learned to appreciate the journey as much as the destination. I’ll stop for coffee and a pastry or take an alternative route to where I’m going. When I get there, I’ll sit on the tailgate and finish my coffee. I’ll look around to see what’s different from the last time. I’ll listen to the birds, smell the air and when I first step into the stream, feel the water. I’ve given up some time on the water, but it’s worth it to enjoy the journey.

The next bend

When I’m fishing, there is a special allure of seeing what’s around the next bend. It’s as compelling as gravity. It is especially acute when I’m exploring different water. I’ll look ahead and start thinking “I’ll fish to the next bend,” but I get there, look up ahead and think “I wonder what up around the next bend.” More often than not, I’ll discover something that rewards my curiosity. On water I know, I still get the urge to check out what’s happening around the bend. Has it changed since I was last there? And, more often than not, it has.

Trust your instinct

Trusting your gut is a curious thing. We get a feeling something will work; like a certain fly or casting to a certain piece of water. We do without really understanding why, but just “feeling” like it’s a good idea. I don’t know if there is a logical or supernatural explanation for trusting our instinct. My theory is that trust comes from experience both good and bad, which argues for adding to the catalog of experiences whenever you can. For me that means fishing when I can, where I can, trying a new or different technique or new or different piece of equipment.

Creativity

The writer Dorothy Parker said, “Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.” By that definition, fly-fishing is quite the creative endeavor. It takes a wild mind of various descriptions to take up a fly rod and venture out in search of fish. Fly-fishing requires a certain level of wild thinking, the willingness to do something outside of the strictures of “the easy way,” and to engage in those efforts in the wild rather than the comfortable. Anyone who fly-fishes for long gains a disciplined eye for all facets of the craft. The cast, fly selection, where to cast and other components all become better as we practice and become more meticulous at our craft.