What joys does fly fishing give us?

What joys does fly fishing give us?

What joys does fly fishing give us?

This question is one which many a wife or partner may have pondered over in their lives at some point. They will have been left to their own devices on countless afternoons or evenings whilst the snow has bucketed down or the rain battered off the windows to the point where they just can not understand what it is that drives their angling other half to the water.

For a fly-fisher however the answer to this question is the easiest thing in the world to explain.

For the vast majority of us the fascination with fly fishing began when we were young. We would hook up (pardon the pun!) with our pals first thing in the morning and bike a few miles to the local river on the long, hot summer days. Conditions would, we now realise, never be ideal in the glaring, hot, bright sun but still we returned day after day to the same spot to try our luck again! We can all probably remember the first time we seen a trout break the surface film of the water and grab a small midge or mayfly then disappear with a little splash and plop sound. The feeling that gave us, the realisation of "I ACTUALLY might catch this thing!" well and truly gripped us and years down the line as we stand by the river in the pouring rain the buzz is STILL there!

Like myself a lot of anglers feel that the greatest joy of fly fishing lies in being at one with nature. The world in which we live is so fast paced and tiresome that you just need to be able to escape to some place where peace and quiet rule the day. And there is not any better place to do that than at the river bank. All the sights and sounds you are surrounded with take you away from it all whether it be the birds in the trees tweeting, the sun setting in the evening over the water, the sound of the gurgling water as it flows downstream or the spectacle of the evening rise which triggers some amazing action on the river.

For others the joy of fly fishing is the feeling of achievement in actually being able to catch the fish in the first place. Trout are fickle creatures and don't suffer fools gladly. They can be scared off by the least little thing so to bring a good sized trout to the net is always a great moment and one which many of us take great pride in.

We anglers could do worst things than stop and reflect every now and again on what it is that we love about fishing.  For too many it is all about the catch and not about what it ACTUALLY means to us personally. I have returned every fish I have ever caught in my life. It's not that I have to do this but being able to watch it swim off safely gives me a great sense of satisfaction because I know that it will only get bigger and it will still be there for me to hopefully catch for years to come.

It must be said, fly fishing truly is a joy of a sport!