They don't understand us

Have you noticed that people who don't fly-fish, don't understand us. And it gets even worse with those who don't fish at all. When ever I try and explain fly-fishing to a non fisher, I feel like they have a mental picture of me sitting on a dock, shoeless with my straw hat and coveralls holding an old wooden pole that hosts a string with a worm dangling from an old rusty hook. Sort of like an old Norman Rockwell painting.

Even those that do fish (spin or bait), just don't get what fly-fishing is all about. And there are so many folks out there that believe fishing is directly linked to consumption. Countless numbers of people I've talked to when asked if they fish respond with statements like, "no, I don't like the taste of fish" or "no, the fish in Alberta don't taste very good". We've really got to change this correlation.

So my view on fly-fishing is this: Fly-fishing is the next step, the evolution if you will of fishing. It's the enlightenment of not just with what can we catch fish with but the why, where, when and how. It's like a life-long search for all the answers, a determination to absorb all that can be absorbed from the never ending amount of information involved into the sport of fly-fishing. It's hunting but on a different level, a level where our brains are more of a weapon then the rod and lure. Fly-fishing is a sport, passion, hobby and an art all rolled up into one. It involves physics, entomology, botany, ichthyology and hydrology. And yet with all that we cram into our brains, we get in or on the water and just enjoy the moment, take in the beauty, relax and just try and catch a few fish.