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"Have you noticed there are not as many fish as there used
to be?" "Or, that the only fish flourishing are the ones the
state doesn't manage?" If that sounds a little like Andy
Rooney of Sixty Minutes fame, it's supposed to.
So what can we do about it? You could beat your head
against the wailing wall at your state capitol, join a group
working for better regulations (Trout Unlimited, Federation of
Fly Fishers, Fish America) become active in a local fishing club,
or ... you could change how you fish.
Fly fishing is not about procuring fish. If you have always
filled your freezer with wild fish from your fishing trips
STOP! The price of good fish in your local market is
considerably cheaper than the maintenance cost of a boat and
motor. Have you ever figured the price per pound of the fish
you caught trolling, jigging or mooching? (Did you include the
time off from work to do it?)
Sure you can keep an occasional fish. Especially in "put and
take" fisheries where the hatchery fish are put so people (and
kids) have the experience of catching and keeping fish. But
let's face it, except in very limited areas, we are beyond the
point of killing everything we catch. The fish numbers aren't
there. A fish is too valuable to catch just once!
"Oh, it's not the 'free' fish!" you say, "It's the recreation."
Then why are you so miserable when you don't bring anything
home? Could it be it's how you look at the recreation?
Ever bring the flag home from the golf course? How about
a bowling pin or two? And where is your bird from the bird
watching trip? A piece of the roadway from the bike jaunt?
The fishing is always great! Sometimes the catching is a
little slow. That's why they call it fishing and not shopping!
Fly fishing is more like hunting. Reading the water, being
observant, planning your course of action, figuring out what
fly to use, and what to use if that doesn't work. Just the
casting is fun. (It's even more fun when it becomes second
nature.)
Consider this, fly fishing may be more of a mental,
intellectual exercise than other forms of fishing. Some of
which end up being very athletic. Fly fishing really in not what
you bring home, it is the great escape from home! ~ 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!
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