What I've been thinking about this week

The fish get a vote

No matter how good you are, how good your gear is, or how perfect the conditions are, there is one participant in your fishing trip that you can’t control. Yup, the fish have a say in whether they want to participate in the game. I think about that every time I go fishing. It’s what I tell my clients when I guide. “The fish have a vote.” I first heard the expression as “Mother Nature has a vote” which is also true. But I can work around the weather. With the fish, it’s a whole different burrito. How you handle that part of the trip you can’t control speaks volumes. I’m fortunate to have had enough water pass over my boots to know it’s still fun to be out there. And one thing I know for sure is if you don’t go you will never know. That’s the truth of what Thoreau, Traver and many others have said about fishing.

Fishing two dry flies

I came across a midge fishing video from RIO Products that talked about fishing two dry flies. It caught my attention because it’s an excellent visual explanation of why and how to do it. The explanation begins at the five-minute mark. As you will see, using two dry flies comes in handy when you’re fishing a small fly, like midges or tricos, say a size 20 or so, but you’re having a hard time seeing it. The set-up is like a dry-dropper rig, with the larger fly acting as an indicator. Two things that make this worthwhile for me to do. One, it doesn’t take much time to add a second fly to my rig. The other is if I can’t see my fly, I’m going to miss fish.

Ask for help

It took me a long time to learn to ask for help. Lots of reasons, most of them silly and none of them good. The funny thing was, the more I did it, the better I got at it. And the better I got at it, the more comfortable and confident I became in asking for help. The hardest people to teach or guide are the ones who are reluctant to ask for help. As a guide and instructor, it’s one of the most frustrating things. I get it. They are learning and want to do it themselves. That’s laudable and helps the learning process. But if something keeps them from asking for help, then I’m not doing my job. I tell them the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. Simon Sinek puts it this way, “Being the smartest person in the room is not important, being the one who is willing to ask for help is the most important.”

DIY fishing

I came across Kirk Deeter’s article, “The True Cast - Let’s Do More to Empower the Do-It-Yourself Angler” on Trout Unlimited’s website. Deeter makes an excellent case for doing everything we can to increase the number of people who learn the joys of fly-fishing. We are better served with new blood in the system; it’s good for business and it’s good for the resource. “We need more people exploring, appreciating and feeling the raw power—the literal connection with nature—that trout fishing affords,” writes Deeter.

Not everyone can afford private water and guide trips. But if that is all our sport becomes, we run the risk that that is all that will be left. I’m a guide, but I don’t think I’m cutting off my nose to spite my face. On the contrary, the new angler and DIY angler will learn the value of a good fly shop and guide. I do all I can to share knowledge with those folks who want to learn. I want them in the sport, if for no other reason than the one Deeter describes:

After all, there is nothing more rewarding than finding a fish… making the cast… watching the take… winning the battle… and gently releasing that fish, knowing that you did it all by yourself. You earned it.

Actually, there is one thing that’s maybe a touch more rewarding than that;

Standing on the bank, watching someone you’ve helped along the learning curve spot a fish… make a cast… witness the take… fight the fish to the net… and gently release that fish, all by themselves.

You both earn that one.

I can attest to how rewarding both are.

Coloring for adults

Hat tip to Moldy Chum for this one.

Crayola Fly Fishing Coloring Page

The resident artist tried her hand at it.