To be perfectly honest, this is an afterthought. The blog that is.
About 3 weeks ago, completely out of the blue, I had a sudden urge to take up fly fishing. In fact it came on so suddenly that I haven’t even bought my tackle yet, so given the technique required to fly fish, this could end up being quite hilarious.
I’ve fished before, but just the regular way; drop a line in the water and wait until something is desperate or hungry enough to take the hook, but it has never been a passion, it was more of an exercise in meditation than anything else. I wouldn’t even care if I caught a fish or not, since to me it was an opportunity to sit peacefully for an hour or two and let my mind drift, thinking about everything and nothing, almost Zen-like.
So when you think about it, fly fishing would be a logical progression. The focus required to cast gracefully and motion of a flowing, unfolding line dropping gently on a trout seems to me to be an exercise in becoming one with my surroundings; furtively working the fly to mimic nature, teasing and enticing a wily, wary brook trout to the point of madness when it finally explodes upon the trap. Patiently playing the fish until you bring it slowly to the bank only to release it and let it play another day, then finally reflecting on the entire process and being washed in the peaceful glow of your contentment.
Sounds almost poetic, but let’s return to reality. I don’t even have a rod! I have been doing my research though, and have gotten to the point where I now know what to buy and how to assemble, tie and balance everything. I’ve studied all the rules and regulations for every notable trout stream in Southern Ontario, and have watched hours of video tutorials analyzing casting techniques, special knots for special purposes and even how to read rivers. I have even scouted several of the best streams and rivers, locating several quality access points with a varying degree of difficulty, ranging from deep pools to vicious white water. So, in theory, I’m prepared. I’m thinking those words may haunt me, time will tell.
As I said at the beginning, this blog was an afterthought, but once I decided to pursue the fly fishing quest, I thought it might be fun to keep track of how I make out, from my initial attempts through my efforts at improving with practice. I may find it to be more of an exercise in frustration than meditation, but then again, I may not. Either way, I think it’ll be fun, and I’ll keep you posted on the progress throughout. Trout season starts April 27, 2019, wish me luck 🙂
Come Fly With Me 