Fly fishing
February 29th, 2024
Contents
Now for something a bit different
Thought I'd share something I love on leap day: fly fishing.
When I'm not writing software, I'm usually as far away from a computer as I can be.
A wise person once told me:
If your work is physical, find a mentally engaging hobby, and if you work with your brain, find a physically engaging hobby.
I took this advice to heart, and it's served me well.
Most of my hobbies revolve around getting away from a screen in some capacity--martial arts, wood working, hiking, and my favorite, fly fishing. We're talking fly fishing in this post.
Where my journey began
When I was young, I walked into Duranglers. It was, and is, an enchanting place. Dark, mysterious, cabinets full of strange things called flies--I loved it. If you're anything like me, you can get lost in the minutae and details of a craft, and fly fishing has so many ways to get lost in minutae. Wandering through the store, I had no idea what any of it meant, but I was entranced.
Then my parents saw the price tag on one of the more expensive fly rods, and they removed me from the premises. The damage was already done...
Picking it back up
I didn't pick up a rod for the better part of 2 decades, but somewhere around thirty, I had adult money, and plenty of time on my hands. No one could stop me from buying a fly rod, so I picked one up.
I caught the bug to fly fish pre CoVID, but CoVID accelerated the process. Fly fishing is as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it, and I started cheap. Orvis makes a great beginner setup, and I hopped out to the local streams around Austin fairly often during the pandemic. Most of my first excursions, the only thing I caught was a good time. And that was okay. It was more fun to be a beginner again than it was to be good at it.
It took me a while to learn the different types of casts and techniques, but after a few lessons with some patient guides, as well as some time investment from myself, I started catching fish. But more than catching fish, I was learning about myself.
I've lost a few pairs of shoes to the river, more than a few flies, and seemed to hook every tree on the Pedernales, but for all of it, fly fishing has been revelatory for my heart, body, and spirit.
Catching fish isn't the goal
Everyone wants to catch fish when they start out, but it's not the explicit goal for me these days. Don't get me wrong, I love to catch fish, but it's a few peaceful hours and a collection of my favorite things that set fly fishing apart for me.
I wake up early, get some coffee, jam some tunes, and usually stop over at an unhealthy diner somewhere in the Hill Country on my way to go fishing. Then I meander up a creek or river for a few hours outside of cell service, catch and release a few fish, and grab some BBQ afterward. Only then will I reluctantly head home.
When I'm out fishing, my mind turns off completely--a blessing. Most days it doesn't stop moving. Out fishing though? I don't have actual problems or worries.
The biggest problems I have when I'm fishing are:
- keeping my wrist from breaking, and
- figuring out my lunch order. It's usually a chopped beef sandwich with pickles and onions.
Wading and casting are acts of meditation--beautiful moments of flow. Similarly, I love a good chopped beef sandwich--growing up in Central Texas, it's a comfort food, especially when coupled with a Dr. Pepper.
Location, location, location
The scenery isn't too bad either. I take a yearly trip to southwest Colorado for hiking, camping, and fly fishing. One of my favorite places to fish is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. If you enjoy steep hikes and have a decent level of physical fitness, this is the spot for you. Lots of native brown trout, and if the trout aren't biting, the views are exquisite. There's nothing else quite like sitting in a 60 million year old canyon on a crisp July morning while stoneflies circle your head.
Closing
I could write for a good long while on fishing, and at some point, I probably will. For this post, I'll leave it here: if you're interested in fly fishing, find a fly shop, pick up a beginner setup like the Orvis Encounter and find a stream. It's a fine time.