Do you remember what the water sounds like as you are fishing your favorite haunt? I dont. I believe I am missing something extremely important if I cant remember what my river sounds like as i am trying to catch fish. I will remedy this on my next trip.
George La Blanch wrote in his book, The Dry Fly on Fast Water, that one needs to look with eyes that see, subtle diferences that may not seem to be of much importance at the time
after reflection can take on new dimensions . or something like that… he was wiser than me thats for sure…
but it makes good sense and now at the waters edge I pay closer attention… good ole George 
In your case you need to listen with ears that remember… lol
Thanks for making me remember my favorite water sounds…
As loud as your shirts are, I can’t imagine you hearing anything over them! S
Drop me an email next time you head this way.
Dennis
Those indeed are memories…THANK YOU!
You caught me at a weak moment …I’m struggling right now and it tugs…
DUB,
It’s weird but I don’t have a “memory” of specific water sounds. If I hear something (water, birds etc) I know what it is, but do not really carry around the sounds in my “conscious” brain. I can see the physical water moving in my mind, but It doesn’t come with acoustics! My brain can apply sound to the water, but not “the” sound that it would actually make when I’m there fishing. I’m very aware of the environment around me while I’m fishing - I’m not just there to catch fish. That’s why most of us seek pretty places to fish, otherwise we could just fish in any old ditch. I like to get my moneys worth, so to speak, so when I visit some place, it is to fish, and take in as much as I can, of my surroundings - plants, birds, bugs, SNAKES, and all manner of other wildlife. If you just go to catch fish, your ripping yourself off big time! That’s one reason I carry my binoculars, so I can reach out visually, and see even more stuff, from the spot I’m standing in the stream. Not to ramble on, but I believe the reason some give up fishing or hunting (cause they’re not seeing as many deer as they would like) is because they do not have any other woods skills - they know about the deer/trout, but do not bother to broaden their experience. Maybe I’m just more “settled”, because if I have a hawk or woodpecker or a bunch of chickadees around me while sitting in my tree stand, I’m fat, dumb, and happy (not necessarily in that order! ha!). Kids and adults need to be shown (taught) what to look for, and if they see your enthusiasm, maybe, just maybe, some of it will wear off on them. I came late, but not too late. I’ve always loved the woods and waters, but its interesting to go back to places of your youth, with your new powers of observation, and see all these things and wonder why you never saw them before, as if they have just magically appeared for the first time!! Thanks for starting this thread DUB, it will be interesting to see other comments.
Best regards, Dave S.
Great post!!! Here is something you all might want to try and see what you think. Take a small recorder with you on your next fishing adventure and put it down next to the rushing water and push the record button and go fishing. When finished fishing take your recorder home with you and that evening while you are tying flies or just relaxing, play back the sounds it recorded that day. I have done this and the results are just something you must hear to appreciate and enjoy. It also makes a great way to help you relax and fall asleep.
You may discover that those sounds that have been recorded are why you really enjoy fly fishing because you will never hear those sounds while fishing from a boat on a crowded lake. Fly fishing provides you the opportunity to experience the sounds of nature and allows you to visit what the Creator has created. The sounds recorded are sounds that I wish all could learn to slow down and enjoy. There are some fly fisherman that do not hear those sounds and would not believe that they actually happened while they were fly fishing. They just get locked in to the fishing/catching part and miss all that is going on around them. What a shame because they are missing the most important part of why I fly fish…
The next time someone asks you why you fly fish so much, just hit the play button and say nothing…
Thanks, again for the great post…
Gosh you try to bring a little class to a river and an industry and thats all the thanks I get!
Interesting topic.
I know a few guys who listen to their iPods while fly fishing. I can’t even imagine doing that!
I had a conversation with a good friend last Spring after we had been fishing together for several days. We were sitting on the porch of his river cabin enjoying a single malt in the evening shade. He said, “Ken, if you think this is crazy just don’t go actin’ all stupid and makin’ fun of me. Just say no and we’ll talk about somethin’ else. But do you know what I’m talkin’ about when I say I like to sit next to the water and listen to the heartbeat of the river?”
I suppressed my laughter (for reasons other than the one he would have interpreted it as), smiled, and said, “Yes, Jeff. I completely understand what you’re talking about. Rivers have rythm just like the ocean does. It’s just very subtle. Sometimes I stop fishing and just sit and listen, watch, smell, and feel my surroundings too. So…no…you’re not the only one.”
The conversation went on for quite some time, as conversations over good Scotch on the porch of a fishing cabin at the end of the day often do. But I will spare you the rest of the story.
What I want to mention here is that rivers, streams, beaches, etc…flowing waters…will instruct your fishing and your life through all your senses if you can slow down and open up enough to let them. Most people who have spent a lot of time on the water in their lives think it is crazy talk…the heartbeat or pulse of a river…but it is real. Indeed, it is scientific fact.
Can I remember what my favorite river sounds like? Absolutely. I can remember what it feels like, looks like, smells like…and all at different times of year. And I have not fished that river in over 2 years. I didn’t grow up on that river and have probably fished it a couple dozen days or so. But this is part of the reason that I often fish alone. Very few people can slow down and be still.
In the summer morning of 1976 I was knee deep in the South Platte River in Cheesman Canyon. I sensed something. Actually, I was hearing something and I turned my gaze toward a water-mark on a boulder across the stream. The stream was rising and it was coming up fast. “Mark!” I called out to my little brother, " Come on, let’s get out of here".
5 minutes passed and I turned and looked down at the river from the canyon trail and saw the brown wave of the start of an uncontrolled flood pushing it’s way down stream. It was a powerful sight.
On the ride home the rain came down so hard visibility was only as far as the windshield. We sat roadside for 15 min. until things calmed down. The front range was getting walloped with a massive thunderstorm.
It was the year of the Thompson Flood. 144 people died that evening. The normal flow rate for the Big Thompson River is about 30-40 cfs. Over 3,100 cfs came down the canyon that evening. It marked Colorado’s largest natural disaster.
I heard the river that day.
Here’s what the North Fork of the Snake sounds like in the early spring.
