Ah, fishdog54! There is, of course, nothing wrong with searching - so long as one learns to enjoy the quest! What I cannot help but pity is the happiness lost of all of those who, while spending a perfectly splendid day on a quiet little stream catching beautiful 12" trout, are wishing they could be somewhere else...somewhere with bigger fish, more spectacular scenery, etc. And I really get tired of fishing with people on world-class fisheries who can speak of nothing all day other than to compare lists of who has fished more of the famous destinations advertised in magazines and on TV. They're just buzz-kills. They usually don't understand why I am so quiet. They also end up thinking I am some sort of fly fishing wizard because I caught a lot more and bigger fish than they did even though it was my first time fishing there. It's not very often a matter of being more skilled. It's usually just that I'm living in the moment. They're using all sorts of measuring constructs to judge everything with: size and numbers of fish, whose gear cost more money, whose cost LESS money (this is also a common competition), who has what sponsors, who has fished the most famous destinations, who knows the most "celebrity anglers" (that's a funny phrase if ever there was one), etc. Frankly, fishing is not a competition for me...not against other people, against the natural environs, against some ethereal construct in my imagination, against something I saw in a movie, against law enforcement, or against the fish. I go to cooperate. And I go to find the magic in what each day has to offer. The only competition is with my own folly - those things that could rob me of the happiness available to me there.