Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing

What can we say about fishing, and why flyfishing in particular? The artistry is the answer. It's not too hard to drop a lure in a lake (do this if you dig it–being on water fishing is restorative period), but even being able to cast with a flyrod takes some schooling. It's an old way of fishing. Clearly, there are lots of old ways of fishing, including spear-fishing, nets, etc. But there's a grace and elegance in flyfishing that seems unparalleled. Within the craft there is required an attunement to the living world, because the fly you use, in order to be successful, has to mimic something present in the natural world. Truly masterful flyfisher-folk can go out on the river in the afternoon, notice what is hatching, and tie it on the spot. Tying a fly is something I haven't done, but I've watched people do it. It has the feeling of an ancestral craft. Using sections of plumage, wool, thread, wire–it's the sophisticated version of making a balloon animal.

When you flyfish, you often do so in waders, because you generally need to be in the water, as the back-cast is as long as the front-cast. Being immersed up to the waist in a river, sometimes a fast-flowing one, is an invigorating experience, and so there is an element of body awareness, of balance, a sense that you are part of the river. The fish that are most often caught with flies seem to prefer cold water, so there's an element of a bracing dip. Flyfishing, and fishing in general, are also more effective when the fish are hungry, which tends to be at dawn and dusk, both beautiful moments to be on the water. If the idea of taking fish out of the water distresses you, you can catch and release.