I was thinking... October 1, 2023

Author’s note: I got tired of the 500 words… title. I’m changing it to "I’ve been thinking {date}." The goal remains the same, 100 words a day, five times a week, pass along the weekly compilation.

Why indeed

I’m easily entertained. So when the actor in the Allstate “Podcast about that” ad mentions “There’s a podcast about fly-fishing called, Why is that Person Doing That?” it cracks me up. The actor delivers the line with such eager to be helpful delight, it’s chef’s kiss perfect. Of course, it’s funny to me because it sums up fly-fishing when seen by those who don’t do it, and truth be told, by some who do. I mean, who among hasn’t thought about how odd it must seem to those who don’t understand fly-fishing and its myriad entertaining elements, keeping us occupied with new challenges with almost every cast? As I type this, I’m still chuckling at the comic aspects of it.

Conduct

My friend and colleague Charles Witek wrote an exceptional article, Is Sport Fishing Dying? for the Marine Fish Conservation Network’s From the Waterfront blog. Witek is a terrific writer whose analysis of marine policy is his forte. To the reader’s benefit, he colored outside the lines in this piece. “And maybe fishing technology just began to advance too quickly for angling ethics to keep pace. Whatever the cause, ethical sportfishing is on the decline,” writes Witek. He continues, “The idea of a fair fight between man and fish has, in large part, been lost.” What Witek points out is nothing new. Technology is inevitable. But I share his concern for the price to be paid. How we conduct ourselves when we recreate puts a premium on our ethics. As a fly-fisherman, I add a self-imposed complexity to my fishing. The fish doesn’t care. So, I have to care for the fish.

Good idea fairies

Last week I mentioned how annoying “we should” statements are to me. Their friends, the “good idea fairies,” often accompany them. You know them, they’re the ones that announce themselves by saying “I think it would be a good idea…” and often have a “we” close at hand. Good idea fairies will have an additional tasking that the proponent thinks need to be done, and in fairness very well might, but for which no planning, resources or time has been allocated. My response if the task is aimed at me or my team is usually “and what I should put aside so we can do that?” Fairy down.

More why

I’m still thinking about the Allstate podcast ad. I wish there was a real podcast like that. It would be hysterical. Imagine the answers from people, completely baffled as they witness fly anglers about their business. It has me thinking about why I’m doing it. How would I explain myself? There are no simple answers because there is no simple or single reason I do it. And the real kicker is, I don’t even care if I catch a fish. Imagine throwing that into the podcast mix. Not to dig too deep into it, but there are as many reasons for going fishing as there are days to go fishing. And each time I go, it’s for a different reason.

Two flies

I was thinking about how enamored I am with fishing two flies. Over the years of guiding and fishing on my own, the two-fly rig has become my default set-up. There are a lot of advantages with fishing two flies. It gives the fish two options. It lets you try two different patterns to see if one works better. You can fish a smaller fly behind a larger one. In a dry-dropper set up, the nymph helps keep the dry in the strike zone. When folks tell me it’s too complicated to rig up, I show them a quick and easy way, using hemostats, to tie the tippet to the hook shank. It takes less than a minute and brings all those advantages to your game.

Bonus track

Last week, I mentioned that there would likely be a shutdown and Speaker McCarthy would be ousted. I was wrong about the shutdown, that can was kicked down the road. I still think McCarthy is a goner.