OK, I'll admit it, I'm a fly fisherman. While
I'm confessing, I eat Frosted Flakes too. It's
not that I had a lonely childhood or anything, I
just grew up in a part of the country where fly
fishing was accepted as a normal way of life. Some people
even made it some kind of a religious experience to be a fly
fisherman. I grew up in Montana you know the state
that is known for the movie "A River Runs Through It."
Because of my background, I tend to look at things a
little different than some other people. I view fishing as a
relaxing sport. I don't get excited about contest fishing or
racing from one fishing spot to another. I just like taking
time to observe my surroundings in a casual way. Maybe I
see some things that others don't see because I take life a
little slower, like most fly fishermen do. Fly fishing isn't just
about catching fish, it's about experiencing nature. Let me
give you some examples.
Fly fishing is watching a pair of bald eagles taking turns
catching fish on a warm winter day. It's taking time to
observe a pair of otters that have turned a snow bank into
a down hill ski course, ending each slalom run with a dive
into the river. It's sharing a stream with a herd of thirsty
elk, waiting for them to drink their fill before you continue to
fish the riffle in front of you.
Fly fishing is marveling at the way a trout can sip a mayfly from
the surface of a river, leaving only a tiny ripple to disclose it's
presence in the water. It's watching a whitetail doe lead her
fawn to water after a hot July day. It's watching an osprey dive bomb
a fish and carry it away to feed it's young.
Fly fishing is listening to a rooster pheasant greet the
morning sun on the Bighorn River. It's wading into a river
on a cool morning and letting yourself get lost in the mist
rising to meet the sky. It's marveling at the brush strokes of
crimson, pink, green and white God painted on the brook
trout.
Fly fishing is sharing a fly with a total stranger, then
stepping aside to let him fish the water in front of you. It's
watching a rainbow trout leap clear out of the water to
pounce on a grasshopper that landed in the wrong spot. It's
watching a mink search the stream bank for an easy meal.
Fly fishing is letting a fish go but remembering his features so you
can identify him when you renew your acquaintance at a later date.
It's watching a ballet of mayflies as they dance their
mating dance in the morning sky. It's the smile on a young
boy's face when a bluegill snatches his fly from the
surface of a pond.
I guess you could say it's some kind of a religious
experience without being totally wrong. You would be
right if you said it's more than catching fish, but catching
fish is still part of the plan. It's not some mystical black art
learned from Merlin, but rather a smooth dance performed
with a long rod and line.
I grew up with fly fishing, it's part of my life. It is a very
natural thing to me, but it can be learned. If your free time
is as hectic as your work days, maybe its time to slow down
and enjoy life a little, with a fly rod in your hand. ~ Al Campbell
About Al Campbell
Al Campbell has been on all of the sides of fly fishing. He was a
guide for ten years, and fly fishes for a variety of fish. He has been a
commercial tier and rod builder. He is an excellent photographer, and
contributed the Beginning and Intermediate Fly Tying and Graphite
Rod Building sections, plus the Fly of the Week series. You will also
find him as a Host in the Chat Room. Since 1994 he has worked in the
retail side of fly fishing, for Scheels All Sports. In addition to his duties
as part of the sales staff in Rapid City, he teaches the rest of the sales
staff in the 18 other stores the finer points of fly fishing. He also does
most of the product research of new fly fishing items and gets to
decide which of the new products on the market to stock. For more of
Al's excellent writing, as well as information on fishing the Black Hills,
Click Here!
~ DB
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