Story
Riddled with challenge
“There just to the left of that orange colored rock, just there….on the edge of that current seam! Can you see him?”
“Well briefly. He looks as if he is feeding….but what on….well is he feeding? At least he is not hiding….”
“Look at that nasty low hanging branch he is sitting under. How in the world are you going to get a cast in there?”
“He is pretty shallow too. I bet he’ll spook as soon as make a move that way”
“Should we even try?”
“Well we can’t catch him standing here thinking about it!”
One needs not look far to find challenge in the sport of fly fishing. In fact, at a very brief inspection, it is seemingly riddled with it. There is the cast its self. The very premise of slinging twenty to thirty feet, or even longer, of line through the air off of the tip of an often long flexible lever is in itself challenging. Although not necessarily hard, the challenge in casting may be more in developing accuracy. Then there comes the challenge of casting in different scenarios with different obstacles or things in the way. Once we know how to cast, finding the fish alone can present a challenge. Reading water and seeing fish presents a challenge to many anglers, especially a beginner. Once the target has been found, how do you know what to throw at it? Fly selection is often a challenge every time you take to the water and it can change, sometimes several times, over the course of a day on the water. Then how will you approach said target. Trout, especially the wild fish of the Smokies, are notoriously spooky.
So why go fly fishing? How does one overcome these challenges?
I think it is the challenge that draws one to the sport. It is not simply about catching fish, for there are several easier ways to do that. Just walk the isles of a tackle shop and read all of the labels on lures that virtually guarantee that they will catch fish. Fly fishing, as a sport, is about the challenge. The challenge of the cast or the matching of wits with a fish with a fly, and in truth the challenge that calls each angler is most assuredly different. This addicting challenge is likely to change as one ventures through the sport. For the beginner it may simply be the challenge of catching the first fish, while the more experienced angler may find joy in the challenge of a hard to reach spot to cast to. So why go fly fishing? For the experience of the challenge. How does one overcome that challenge? By getting your boots wet and going fishing!
“I bet if you sneak around behind that large fish shaped boulder you can get a shot at him.”
“Try this big stone fly nymph, those big browns like a big stonefly pattern this time of year.”
“Keep your casts low under the branch and try to land it about 10 feet above him and just to the right.”
“Oh….. he looked at it make another shot at him”
“Watch out for that branch, it took me ten minutes to tie that fly!”
“Well he spooked when you caught that tree, but man you came close!”
“Let’s go find another one!”
My challenge now is not only in the hunt for the fish, but often putting another angler in the right place at the right time, with the right fly, and teaching the right cast, after making the right approach…….and hoping that I’m right……
Small fish and big memories….
Alex Quick “There just to the left of that orange colored rock, just there….on the edge of that current seam! Can you see him?”
“Well briefly. He looks as if he is feeding….but what on….well is he feeding? At least he is not hiding….”
“Look at that nasty low hanging branch he is sitting under. How in the world are you going to get a cast in there?”
“He is pretty shallow too. I bet he’ll spook as soon as make a move that way”
“Should we even try?”
“Well we can’t catch him standing here thinking about it!”
One needs not look far to find challenge in the sport of fly fishing. In fact, at a very brief inspection, it is seemingly riddled with it. There is the cast its self. The very premise of slinging twenty to thirty feet, or even longer, of line through the air off of the tip of an often long flexible lever is in itself challenging. Although not necessarily hard, the challenge in casting may be more in developing accuracy. Then there comes the challenge of casting in different scenarios with different obstacles or things in the way. Once we know how to cast, finding the fish alone can present a challenge. Reading water and seeing fish presents a challenge to many anglers, especially a beginner. Once the target has been found, how do you know what to throw at it? Fly selection is often a challenge every time you take to the water and it can change, sometimes several times, over the course of a day on the water. Then how will you approach said target. Trout, especially the wild fish of the Smokies, are notoriously spooky.
So why go fly fishing? How does one overcome these challenges?
I think it is the challenge that draws one to the sport. It is not simply about catching fish, for there are several easier ways to do that. Just walk the isles of a tackle shop and read all of the labels on lures that virtually guarantee that they will catch fish. Fly fishing, as a sport, is about the challenge. The challenge of the cast or the matching of wits with a fish with a fly, and in truth the challenge that calls each angler is most assuredly different. This addicting challenge is likely to change as one ventures through the sport. For the beginner it may simply be the challenge of catching the first fish, while the more experienced angler may find joy in the challenge of a hard to reach spot to cast to. So why go fly fishing? For the experience of the challenge. How does one overcome that challenge? By getting your boots wet and going fishing!
“I bet if you sneak around behind that large fish shaped boulder you can get a shot at him.”
“Try this big stone fly nymph, those big browns like a big stonefly pattern this time of year.”
“Keep your casts low under the branch and try to land it about 10 feet above him and just to the right.”
“Oh….. he looked at it make another shot at him”
“Watch out for that branch, it took me ten minutes to tie that fly!”
“Well he spooked when you caught that tree, but man you came close!”
“Let’s go find another one!”
My challenge now is not only in the hunt for the fish, but often putting another angler in the right place at the right time, with the right fly, and teaching the right cast, after making the right approach…….and hoping that I’m right……
Small fish and big memories….
Alex Quick
“Well briefly. He looks as if he is feeding….but what on….well is he feeding? At least he is not hiding….”
“Look at that nasty low hanging branch he is sitting under. How in the world are you going to get a cast in there?”
“He is pretty shallow too. I bet he’ll spook as soon as make a move that way”
“Should we even try?”
“Well we can’t catch him standing here thinking about it!”
One needs not look far to find challenge in the sport of fly fishing. In fact, at a very brief inspection, it is seemingly riddled with it. There is the cast its self. The very premise of slinging twenty to thirty feet, or even longer, of line through the air off of the tip of an often long flexible lever is in itself challenging. Although not necessarily hard, the challenge in casting may be more in developing accuracy. Then there comes the challenge of casting in different scenarios with different obstacles or things in the way. Once we know how to cast, finding the fish alone can present a challenge. Reading water and seeing fish presents a challenge to many anglers, especially a beginner. Once the target has been found, how do you know what to throw at it? Fly selection is often a challenge every time you take to the water and it can change, sometimes several times, over the course of a day on the water. Then how will you approach said target. Trout, especially the wild fish of the Smokies, are notoriously spooky.
So why go fly fishing? How does one overcome these challenges?
I think it is the challenge that draws one to the sport. It is not simply about catching fish, for there are several easier ways to do that. Just walk the isles of a tackle shop and read all of the labels on lures that virtually guarantee that they will catch fish. Fly fishing, as a sport, is about the challenge. The challenge of the cast or the matching of wits with a fish with a fly, and in truth the challenge that calls each angler is most assuredly different. This addicting challenge is likely to change as one ventures through the sport. For the beginner it may simply be the challenge of catching the first fish, while the more experienced angler may find joy in the challenge of a hard to reach spot to cast to. So why go fly fishing? For the experience of the challenge. How does one overcome that challenge? By getting your boots wet and going fishing!
“I bet if you sneak around behind that large fish shaped boulder you can get a shot at him.”
“Try this big stone fly nymph, those big browns like a big stonefly pattern this time of year.”
“Keep your casts low under the branch and try to land it about 10 feet above him and just to the right.”
“Oh….. he looked at it make another shot at him”
“Watch out for that branch, it took me ten minutes to tie that fly!”
“Well he spooked when you caught that tree, but man you came close!”
“Let’s go find another one!”
My challenge now is not only in the hunt for the fish, but often putting another angler in the right place at the right time, with the right fly, and teaching the right cast, after making the right approach…….and hoping that I’m right……
Small fish and big memories….
Alex Quick “There just to the left of that orange colored rock, just there….on the edge of that current seam! Can you see him?”
“Well briefly. He looks as if he is feeding….but what on….well is he feeding? At least he is not hiding….”
“Look at that nasty low hanging branch he is sitting under. How in the world are you going to get a cast in there?”
“He is pretty shallow too. I bet he’ll spook as soon as make a move that way”
“Should we even try?”
“Well we can’t catch him standing here thinking about it!”
One needs not look far to find challenge in the sport of fly fishing. In fact, at a very brief inspection, it is seemingly riddled with it. There is the cast its self. The very premise of slinging twenty to thirty feet, or even longer, of line through the air off of the tip of an often long flexible lever is in itself challenging. Although not necessarily hard, the challenge in casting may be more in developing accuracy. Then there comes the challenge of casting in different scenarios with different obstacles or things in the way. Once we know how to cast, finding the fish alone can present a challenge. Reading water and seeing fish presents a challenge to many anglers, especially a beginner. Once the target has been found, how do you know what to throw at it? Fly selection is often a challenge every time you take to the water and it can change, sometimes several times, over the course of a day on the water. Then how will you approach said target. Trout, especially the wild fish of the Smokies, are notoriously spooky.
So why go fly fishing? How does one overcome these challenges?
I think it is the challenge that draws one to the sport. It is not simply about catching fish, for there are several easier ways to do that. Just walk the isles of a tackle shop and read all of the labels on lures that virtually guarantee that they will catch fish. Fly fishing, as a sport, is about the challenge. The challenge of the cast or the matching of wits with a fish with a fly, and in truth the challenge that calls each angler is most assuredly different. This addicting challenge is likely to change as one ventures through the sport. For the beginner it may simply be the challenge of catching the first fish, while the more experienced angler may find joy in the challenge of a hard to reach spot to cast to. So why go fly fishing? For the experience of the challenge. How does one overcome that challenge? By getting your boots wet and going fishing!
“I bet if you sneak around behind that large fish shaped boulder you can get a shot at him.”
“Try this big stone fly nymph, those big browns like a big stonefly pattern this time of year.”
“Keep your casts low under the branch and try to land it about 10 feet above him and just to the right.”
“Oh….. he looked at it make another shot at him”
“Watch out for that branch, it took me ten minutes to tie that fly!”
“Well he spooked when you caught that tree, but man you came close!”
“Let’s go find another one!”
My challenge now is not only in the hunt for the fish, but often putting another angler in the right place at the right time, with the right fly, and teaching the right cast, after making the right approach…….and hoping that I’m right……
Small fish and big memories….
Alex Quick