Hello world. It is doubtful anyone will ever read this blog except myself and maybe a few well-meaning friends. But for their benefit and for my own, I thought I might start out by just saying why I am creating this thing - what is it for?
Like most fishermen, I fish for a lot of reasons. Catching fish is one of them, but certainly not the only one. I'm not sure if its even the most important one. I'll probably come back to that thought later. Certainly there is something almost magical, or maybe unbelievable about watching your fly disappear in a sudden swirl or holding the electric body of a trout.
For me, a big part of fishing is about being in touch with nature in a particularly powerful way. There's a great scientific article by a sociologist (like me) named Phil Macnaghten (2003) who interviewed several different groups of people, each with a unique connection to the environment through a chosen activity. The fly fishermen spoke most about connecting with the river - about tuning into everything that was happening in and around the patch of river around them. About keening their ears for the sound of a rise and scanning the surface of the water for a likely lie and the shadow of a trout. For these fishermen, fishing was about connecting with the predatory instinct. I believe even catch and release fishing can help one tune into that primordial urge.
Related to the first one, there is also the sense of getting away from it all. I think this one is pretty self explanatory, but I should make the point that one doesn't always need to go too far to get away from whatever 'all of it' is. One of my favorite stretches on the river Rhymney in S. Wales is very near a busy road and a noisy factory. The fish don't seem to mind and neither do I. Peace is subjective. But then again, there are times when only real distance and wild surrounds will do. Fortunately, I find time for both, although I get to do less of the latter than I would like.
I also fly fish for the companionship. I like to fish alone, but with good friends nearby. There's an important distinction there. Even the good Lord himself would get a dirty look from me if he wandered into the water upstream of me. Fishing with friends is best done around the campfire at the end of a long day alone on the water. That doesn't mean you can't stay within sight of each other or pass the occasional wisecrack, but you don't exactly want to be able to hold hands either. Unless they are stuck in a boat together, most fishermen like to spread out.
Finally, I will admit that I also like fishing for the 'kit' - the accoutrement - the stuff. I'm not exactly a 'tackle tart' as they call them over here, but I do keep a stack of fishing catalogues on the back of the toilet. I guess it goes back to my youth when my father and I would look through Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops and dream - him about the boats that he never bought, and me about different rods and reels that I could never afford on my birthday and lawn mowing money. Well, now I'm better able to afford them, but I still can't say I'm satisfied. I own 8 fly rods. Trust me - that's nothing. Each one of my rods is useful, but I probably only use about three of them with any kind of regularity. I've owned many more at different times in my life. My collection contracts and expands. When I first got into this sport seriously, I spent a lot of time and money looking for the perfect rod. I now know that it doesn't exist. And I'm not sure I want it to.
So, those aren't the only reasons I fly fish, but they are fairly representative of why I stand in a river waving a stick or throwing feathers (I stole both of those expressions from better writers than myself). So maybe I can come back to these thoughts in more detail in further posts. I'd certainly like to write more about the places I fish and the people I fish those places with. And that's what this blog is for - to share my thoughts about what fishing means to me.
I think that's enough for now -
'Tight Lines'
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