|
If you fish the same places time after time you really begin to know
where the fish are, and the weather and water changes that cause variations
in your chances of catching. Time of day or year also impact the fishery.
Eventually the results of your trip are pretty predictable - well, mostly.
I don't want to say it can be too predictable, but let's say the sense of
adventure as we first found it in fly fishing is gone.
One summer morning Castwell and I sat on the bank of the South Branch of
the Au Sable in Michigan, completely geared for a specific hatch - we had
been planning on it for days. Instead of that hatch, we hit something entirely
different. We had the match for them, we chose not to fish. We didn't want
to play that game. We sat there and just watched. Not bad at all, sometimes
we learn more by watching than we do by fishing.
Everyone has their own, very personal reasons for fishing. Somewhere on
that list for me is the knowledge that I will never learn everything. I may figure
out a hatch or two and be able to do all the right things to produce fish on the
end of my line - but that sure doesn't mean I can repeat the same thing in any
other place - even on the same hatch. Once you pack up your rod and move
somewhere else, everything changes!
Maybe that's another secret? Even with a pretty good knowledge base, we
can change the game ourselves! I've likened fly fishing to bow hunting or black
powder hunting on occasion. The bow hunter could probably obtain a deer
faster with a rifle, but he has decided to handicap himself by hunting with a
bow. For him the challenge is in the hunt, not the procuring.
Could we catch more or larger fish with bait or lures? That's an interesting
point of discussion. In my mind an artful flyfisher can out-fish either - so the
ease of catching may not be the point. As fly fishers improve their knowledge
and skills they also become pickier on the fish they want to catch. It becomes
a true hunt. Read the rise forms, time the rises, read the water. Watch, wait
and make the cast. Do we always catch the fish? No, but we do know we
can try again. Perhaps with even more insight!
Fishing new water is another variation on the game. For me it is a delight to
try and figure out where the fish are, where they hold, their feeding patterns.
It is a totally consuming exercise. One I don't take for granted.
Unlike many of our readers, my fishing has been limited to mostly Michigan,
Montana and Washington states (include a couple of bonefish trips to the
Caribbean) and I've never fished in the east. For me our
Annual FAOL Fish-In
is a wonderful opportunity to fish new water. Castwell and I really look
forward to solving the challenges of new water.
Of course it isn't all about the fish, we do look forward to meeting new folks
and seeing old friends too.
I hope you will join us! ~ The LadyFisher
If you would like to comment on this or any other article please feel free to
post your views on the FAOL Bulletin Board!
|
