Really what is it? The sight of buds on the trees, the slight shift in air temperature, the sudden realisation that although it's still light the days works are over. A recurring thought rises, like a trout to a fly, 'I must get my fly gear together, and a boat, we need a boat'.
Now as regular readers will no doubt have noticed I only fish for free, wild fish caught in wild places as nature intended. Due to the rampant over crowding of a small island sometimes those wild places are hidden between discarded shopping trolleys and dumped stolen mopeds. But as in all things, we must learn to seek out the simple comforts that nature offers. What is hidden suddenly reveals itself, the elusive wonder of nature poking its head out from between the debris of urban degradation.
So the great dichotomy of the fly continues, the simple life of simple unadorned pleasures, pursued with the aid of kit and equipment that are often stunning examples of the machinists craft, and jaw-droppingly expensive. See:
Some go to church and think about fishing, others go fishing and think about God.
- Tony Blake
Scholars have long known that fishing eventually turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a philosopher's salary.
- Patrick F. McManus
If we carry purism to it's logical conclusion, to do it right you'd have to live naked in a cave, hit your trout on the head with rocks, and eat them raw. But, so as not to violate another essential element of the fly-fishing tradition, the rocks would have to be quarried in England and cost $300 each.
- John Gierach
See?
All this kit reviewing is getting in the way of buying food so I'm delighted to tell you that this post is supported by boaterexam.com which in my book makes them very very nice people. If you're in Canada and have a boat it's now mandatory to have a ticket to show you're taking the whole health and safety thing seriously, conveniently you can now take your Boating licence online, so you don't have to take a day off from working like a dog to afford that new reel!
See you out there, I'm the one in the silly VERY COOL hat
Your pal
SBW
So...you got a new hat then?
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know what it is about flyfishing. All I know is I like it, even though I suck at it...
ReplyDeleteI like fly fishing too, but I loathe catch-and-release, which seems to go hand-in-hand with fly fishing on this side of the pond.
ReplyDeleteSo ... is this the hat?
Plenty of free Brown Trout fishing here in Ireland, I still have have to pinch myself every season when standing in a glorious river catching wild browns for free or a few quid a day. The money I paid for a days fishing on an English reservoir when I lived there would get me a Salmon permit here in Ireland.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely the lighter evenings that start the thoughts of fly fishing for me. When it's light enough to fish until nearly 11pm and then a sneaky pint on the way home, it doesn't get much better than that.
No new expensive kit this season, I just need to find the leaks in the waders to get another season out of them. Maybe a "cool" hat is needed for luck, surely SBW must have some leftovers from the packages of free gear sent by manufacturers in hope of an SBW favourable review that he could pass on?
Goofy
ReplyDeleteMaybe
SBW
Chad
ReplyDeleteIts a sniff of the elusive obvious, that feeling that casting should be simple, effortless but the act of trying to be effortless gets in the way. Zen init.
Aside from that 'cheating a critter with a brain the size of a cheerio' how hard can that be?
SBW
Norcal
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean its basically harassment. They love it hear too.
SBW
David
ReplyDeleteI used to go across the sea quite often, but not to fish sadly. I once read that Seabass to rival japan can be caught from the shore near you. Yumm
SBW
Norcal
ReplyDeletePS camera died, soon come.
you of course are the ultimate arbiter of millenary taste
SBW