Spirituality of Fly Fishing
by Mike Dennis
Over the years fly fishing has become a spiritual experience for me. The commune with nature and the relaxing personal pleasure has increased markedly. As a rule, fly fishing is a solitary sport. Ever notice 6 people will go fishing together and upon arriving at the stream they immediately separate to fish alone or at the most 2 people fish together. This is sometimes due to the size of the stream not allowing 2 to fish together but generally fly fishermen are looking for solitude with their experience. I tell new recruits when I am teaching that trout happen to live in clean oxygen rich with beautiful riparian environs so it is our pleasure to be in their home. Wading in the water alone allows us to feel the temperature and pressure of the current we are fishing thereby bringing us closer to what trout feel. The temperature and movement of the wind gives a rhythm that we can incorporate into our cast.
New recruits can be overwhelmed while fly fishing by their fear of casting. I tell them the basics of 10-2 motion and allowing the loop to unfurl but otherwise relax and allow the rhythms of nature guide their muscles into the proper smooth motion of casting. Fly placement is a matter of ZEN thinking. The harder one tries to place a fly in the right chosen location the more difficult it is. Relax, let nature’s rhythms guide the cast and instantly look at the spot you wish to place the fly and your mind will send the signals to your muscles and they will do what is necessary to place the fly there. Good drift is accomplished by taking in all of the surrounding currents and adjusting the line / leader / tippet to avoid the currents affect on the drift. If you relax and just respond to the cues you do a lot right.
Understanding the trout so one can determine where they are, what they are eating and avoid frightening them, requires you to become like a trout in your thinking. Trout determine where they go by 3 factors: a) oxygen / nutrition supply, b) comfort (not fighting current and losing energy unnecessarily and c) protection from predators. Always analyze these factors and you will be fishing over fish more often and be a
more successful fly fisherman.
Speaking of success, the fly fisherman goes through several stages in his progression as a fly fisherman. Stage 1 is catching fish, any fish. Stage 2 is catching larger fish. Stage 3 is catching selective fish. Stage 4 is relaxing and enjoying the trout’s beautiful world and catching fish as a bonus. I have found that on those days when the fish are uninterested I try to meld into nature and practice my casts, presentation and drift for the pure beauty of it and thereby be prepared for the next day when the Trout God is more generous.
One of the best books that lead me to my particular spiritual experience with fly fishing is “Trout on the Fly” by Lee Wulff. The book is really not for beginners but can be read as a beginner and then read again and again as one’s experience increases and new nuggets will be discovered in reading each time.
