How does a “sport” transcend the
physical act of catching fish with a fly into a mystical art form that makes
science and faith dance together in harmonious accord? Once an angler commits
himself to fly fishing, he changes. A metamorphosis occurs, just as the mayfly
crawls out of it's shuck. The angler’s consciousness develops, through time, into
an esoteric entity. The mosaic layering of his thoughts are placed by the
mixture of knowledge he must obtain to achieve his end goal: catching the
trout. He collects facts and experience then blends them with hope that the
variables of the day will fall into place to allow him to hook into the yellow
bellied beast, he so desires. He spends years, wrapping thread and feather onto
a hook, knowing the exact lay of where the materials must go. Yet, with every
movement of his bobbin, he puts something intangible into the fly; his heart.
The altruistic value he places into his craft symbolizes the impact that fly
fishing has upon his existence.
A trout is a small organism with basic
survival needs that can be explained through scientific observation. Yet
thousands of hours have been shared by anglers with the trout, while trying to
bridge the divide between the two. An angler with a lifetime of experience on
the water, still always seems to find a trout that he cannot catch. The
variable that disrupts our comfort is always present. As humans, we record our life through
numbers. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years are coveted by our
minds, yet hold no meaning to the trout. The energy spent trying to decipher the
codex of the fish, remains a beautiful mystery that one can only
define through text.
As nymphs begin to hatch, fish begin
to migrate towards the fast, shallow riffles to fill their stomachs full of
active bugs that help them sustain their energy. A less knowledgeable angler may
simply wade through these areas without realizing what is right below his feet.
The seasoned angler acknowledges the time frame and relies on his experience to
dictate where he predicts the fish to hold. He then simply hopes that the fish will
cooperate with him, as he goes to make his cast. This accumulation of time on
the water has taught the veteran angler many things. Observations have layered his mind with
truths and philosophies of life that not only pertain to the trout, but the
inner introspection of the self. The complexity and simplicity of this art
form intertwines and sometimes may skew the true reality of why he stands in
cold water waiting for a fish he has caught countless times before. Is it an
addiction to the unknown of the adventure he partakes in? Or the conditioned
response to increased brain chemicals with the act of landing a trout? A
scientific answer will only strip the beauty of what is sacred to the angler
and will only dull the colors that illustrate the art.
Fly fishing, is not the sport of
catching trout with a fly. It is something much deeper, yet hides in plain
sight; like trout feeding in the riffles. It may take an angler a lifetime
to understand what unseen forces drive him constantly back to the water. The art
form starts as a hobby, then transitions to a passion.Finally, it merges
with the angler, becoming an incorporeal component of one’s identity. This
existential process is the maturation of the angler's mind. The trout, although also a
living creature of flesh, is of a lower consciousness compared to man, yet man needs
the trout. Essentially, the trout is the angler’s proxy in finding meaning to
his own life. The endless pursuit over a lifetime is not to simply catch the
trout, it is to fill one’s life with memories and happiness while strengthening
the soul with values that nature can only teach. Science and faith come
together in the angler’s mind, to anticipate the unseen forces that cause
anomalies within his life that teach him how to persevere when conditions
change.
In a universe full of uncertainty,
the one true Constant an angler has is,
the water.
-Mike Emanuele
the water.
-Mike Emanuele
