Beyond. How do we end up beyond that place in our fly fishing journey where most would consider reasonable. Fly fishing takes all of us on different adventures and after different fish, but sometimes we hang up on something like Mike Ward did with Permit. Sometimes, something keeps our attention and we keep digging.
Cameron is a veteran who is making a difference in the lives of other veterans in a profoundly meaningful way. His films tell the stories of how our soldiers are being healed through fly fishing. They are beautiful pieces of videography and storytelling but they also represent what is possible for people that are running out of hope. Families that need help. His work with the Iron Freedom Foundation is saving lives. I believe it.
It’s not the most famous rivers or biggest fish that fill up my mind and make me smile when I think back on all the places I have gone and people I have met while fly fishing. It is all the things I wasn’t counting on, but was hoping for. We go to where the fish are, cast out, and never know what we will find.
Spotting fish is easy, until it’s not. We all know what a fish looks like and when it’s obvious, sight fishing moves along nicely. But mother nature has a tendency to make things tough. There’s a reason these trout are so beautiful. They blend in with their surroundings, and we all know “trout don’t live in ugly places.” Rocks and stones along river bottoms combined with debris, vegetation, or branches do a good job of fooling us and helping trout. There are lots of things we can do to help us spot fish and tell the difference but only a few ways to know for sure. How can we be certain what we are looking at is not a rock? There are only two guarantees. Catch it or spook it. Even though catching fish is the goal, both will improve your sight fishing game over time. Here’s how…
We've all been there. Sometimes it's hard to remember our beginnings in fly fishing. We can forget the things we take for granted. When I began fly fishing I was "dry or die" out of ignorance, not preference. The mechanics of fly line, leader, and tippet were foreign. Tactics were nowhere in my crosscheck. I wish I had learned so many things, so much faster. The importance of a natural drift. Getting my flies down while nymphing. When to switch flies, or just switch water. And so many other tools I have picked up and am still gathering. About the only thing I had going for me was reading water (thanks Pop). But that's part of the journey isn't it? Filling the toolbox. Still, being in that place, and seeking progress, made a kind word of advice from another angler that much more special.
We tend to plan our trips to the river when the weather is good. Why wouldn't we? If the goal is to catch fish, it sure is a lot easier to do when mother nature is on our side. But what happens when the weather does not cooperate?
Whitefish get a bad rap. They seem to find our flies at the least optimum times. More specifically, any time we are fishing for trout. Catching whitefish can be a let down because it is not what we are expecting when our attention is so singularly focused in targeting trout. The more I fly fish though, the more I appreciate the different experiences that this sport brings us. Whitefish may not be a beautiful, colored up rainbow, but that difference makes them special.