FINDING YOUR NICHE
One of the great things about fly fishing is that there is something for everyone in this multifaceted sport. From the angler that only wants to catch a few pan fish to the angler that wants to wrestle with a 100 lb+ Tarpon or Sailfish, fly fishing offers the opportunity to fulfill that dream. You can own nothing more than a rod and reel and a small box of flies, or you can own an arsenal of rods, reels, cases of flies of all types, and a plethora of other fly fishing gear sufficient to outfit a platoon of anglers. Your skill level can be minimal and consist of only knowing which end of the fly rod is the butt, or you can ascend to the heights of angling prowess. Whatever “floats your boat,” as the Ladyfisher tells me; you can have fun fly fishing.
Wherever you find your niche in fly fishing there are a few simple things that will enhance your enjoyment of the sport.
I am somewhat of a curmudgeon and I believe that unless you are having fun then you should give it up. This applies to not only fly-fishing but many of the endeavors that occupy our lives. When I was wintering in Arizona in recent years I directed a choir of ‘senior citizens’ in the community where I lived. The first thing I told them when I assumed the role of director was, “When this becomes a job or a duty, and it no longer is something that you do for fun then go do something else. Life is too short to spend what time you have left doing something that you don’t enjoy.” The same thing applies to fly-fishing; if it ain’t fun then take up golf!
It’s important to keep fly-fishing in perspective. Being a world class fly tyer, fly caster, master angler or whatever other designation that you might hang on your reputation is nice, but it’s hardly nuclear science! Back “in the day” when I was a young buck teaching fly tying classes, running clinics and fly-fishing schools I would tell my students that the ability to tie a fly or double haul a fly line a 100+ feet was a nice accomplishment, and with that ability and a dime you could make a call on a pay phone. The fact that you could find a pay phone and the call only cost a dime gives you some idea how long ago I dispersed that advice, but it’s still true. Fly-fishing is a sport, something that we do for relaxation and fun, and you will save yourself a lot of grief if you remember that fact.
Owning a top line rod, reel, or whatever is nice. Owning quality equipment eliminates one of the excuses that I often heard when I was teaching fly-fishing classes; “If I had better equipment I could cast better.” When you own the best and you still can’t cast it eliminates that excuse; however equipment will never trump ability. The best fly rod in the hands of someone that does not have the skill to make it work is a waste of good equipment and the money that it took to purchase it. Some of the most talented anglers that I have had the experience to know and fish with rarely owned or used the latest, newest or most expensive angling gear. Buying quality gear does not necessarily meaning owning the most expensive stuff but if you are fortunate enough to be able to own the newest and the best don’t equate that with skill.
I don’t like to fish with indicators, I prefer to fish dry flies, I don’t count fish, and I don’t fish to catch lunch. That being said it doesn’t mean that a person that uses an indicator is somehow less of a fly-fisher than I am. Fly fishing is still recovering from an era when fishing anything except a dry fly fished upstream to visibly feeding fish was the only acceptable method of fly-fishing for trout. Your method of fly-fishing may not be something that I want to do, but that doesn’t mean my method is the only acceptable way.
When you find your niche, whether it’s tying intricate flies, catching a mess of crappies or bluegills, double hauling big flies to 100 pound Tarpon in the salt, or fishing minuscule flies to selectively rising trout on a crystal clear spring creek, remember it’s just fishing. You haven’t found a cure for cancer, negotiated world peace, your accomplishments haven’t changed the world, and the memory of your exploits is of little importance to anyone except yourself. Find your niche, enjoy yourself, and let others do likewise.
~ The Chronicler