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"Girls like to watch sunsets, listen
to little birds chirp and smell flowers; boys like to watch things blow
up, yet they both find pleasure in fly fishing. Odd." jc
Why is it we rush through life like it was our
last chance at it? Why not take our time and enjoy
it slowly? No, we must get it all now, learn it fast,
never wait until tomorrow. Whatever it is we wish or
need, it must be immediate. So it seems to be for some with
fly fishing.
If I could offer you a 'magic pill' that would make
you an expert fly fisher right now, would you take it?
Would you think about taking it? What would happen if
you did? What would you gain if you did, and what
would you lose if you did?
Taking the pill may be a bit like going for a drive
with no destination in mind, but doing it at ninety
miles an hour. When the trip is it's own reward, why
hurry?
If I told you right here and now that in the
next paragraph was the name and description of a new fly
- one which would replace every fly you have - never
again would you need to choose a nymph, wet, dry or
streamer. You could throw away all your flies and
just use this one on everything everywhere. It would
out-fish all other flies. Would you read on or perhaps
decide not to go any further?
How about the 'perfect' fly rod? Never again would
you need to own more than one rod. This one rod will
cast all lines perfectly and effortlessly. (Let's
make it sell for under a hundred bucks while we're
at it) I think you understand. Too much of a good
thing is not a good thing.
I can think of one exception to that, and it only
happened once. Fishing Armstrong Spring Creek in
Montana there were so many fish rising I couldn't
decide which to cast to first. Too many fish?
The enigma is that no matter how hard anyone of us
tries, we can not go too fast. At least not at
learning fly fishing. We each go at our own pace,
just the right speed to satisfy each of our own needs
and desires. The pace may change at times as we learn
things, but it will always be our own.
Some have mentioned that we all have a different
'learning curve.' That may be, but if we do, it is
by choice, not chance. I see it in casting classes
and tying classes. Each goes at their own pace
regardless of the material offered. Each at the
speed to fulfill their desires. This drives some
of us to practice casting hours on end and others
to avoid practice like a plague. Others will become
production fly tiers and some will create a new fly
with every hook mounted. Some will labor endlessly
on leader formulas for the perfect presentation, some
use ten pound mono. Who is right and who is wrong?
Neither of course.
For some to take the 'magic pill' would take them to
exactly the point they wish to be. To avoid all of the
trial and error of the mundane step-by-step pieces
of information and experience necessary to become
proficient. Yet, those very elements may be the
journey to be savored by their counter-parts.
So for those of you wishing for a 'magic pill,' sorry
there isn't one.
But, just be aware of the situation. The choice is yours.
Go fast or go slow. Make sure it is by choice, not by
chance. Far too many things in life happen by chance,
make sure your love of fly fishing is not one of them.
~ LadyFisher
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