What makes someone a truly amazing fly fisher? There are a lot of people who catch fish, and some people even have a knack for netting truly big fish, but what are the keys that sperate the good anglers from those who are almost clairvoyant in their ability to find and consistently catch more fish? Our consumer culture (and many fly shops) want you to believe that you need to take out a second mortgage on your home in order to get outfitted with the “guide level” waders, Hatch reels, and a full arsenal of Winston fly rods. You may be told by some tweed-jacketed “purist” that investing in costly Euro nymphing clinics or training for a casting certification are key to become a truly potent angler. While spending money can certainly equip you with quality gear and help to improve your fly fishing know-how, I propose that the keys that make a truly exceptional angler cannot be bought but are instead learned. To become a truly amazing fly fisher I encourage you to embrace and lean into these three behaviors and see how they transform your time on the water!
Intellectual Curiosity
The best fly fishers are the ones that as kids, much to the annoyance of the parents and teachers, constantly asked “Why?”. This skipping record barrage of questions is what separates the anglers that want to have success handed to them from those who are committed to learning what success is built from! Why were the fish holding and feeding in the riffles last week but are now holding and feeding at the head of the pools? Why does the dry fly bite often turn on just before dusk? Why? What? Where? When? How? It’s the anglers that embrace the inner child, let their curiosity run wild, and are tenacious in their search for answers that will quickly wade beyond the rest of the competition on the stream! Deductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning is when you start with general observations or hypotheses and follow them to reach a specific, logical conclusion. When we step onto any water with the intention of catching fish it is like we sitting down to a play in its second act and need to catch up and figure out what’s going on! Paired with Key 1: Intellectual Curiosity, we observe what is happening on and around the water, apply our constantly growing fish smarts, and start putting the pieces together in our fly box and approach to the river that day. What was happening on the river and working last week, yesterday, or even 30 minutes ago most likely isn’t what is happening and working now so we need to observe, pick the best flies, and approach according to what we currently see and know, and test it with our flies on the water. When you get it right, the trout will give you feedback with a tight line and line screaming off of your reel!
Undying Optimism
I don’t think a fly fisher can be an agnostic or atheist, because every time we tie on a fly we are tying on a little bit of hope and each cast is a prayer that the next drift will bring another heart-stopping rise and fish in the net. If you are prone to frustration or to giving up when the going gets tough, you will never become a truly great fly fisher! Fly fishing is about patience, process, exploring and growing, sharing the water with good people, or holding space for yourself. It is about overcoming slow days, leaning, adapting, trying new things, and becoming better. Fly fishing is a lot like life, and those that do it best are those who treat each new day and every trip to the water as a door into possibility with greatness knocking on the other side!
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