Why Fishing Is Good For You

Since the day I first picked up a fly rod when I was 16, I knew there was something special about that nine foot piece of graphite. What it was, I was not sure. Now, six years later, I have a slight idea why I felt that way.

I was an idiot.

Before learning to fly-fish I basically had no direction in life besides playing football, making good grades, and hoping to make it to college, eventually. What kind of goals are those??

Obviously I needed my priorities straightened out. One cast of that rod, and I was straight as an arrow. Fly-fishing for life. Hooked. Landed. Released into a new life.

In my high school years the only thing that mattered besides football was drinking and girls. Ok, so not much has changed except that I traded football for fishing. But that was a big change. Fly-fishing has given me direction like I never thought possible. When people ask you, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", a common answer is, "I don't know yet, I just want to make money." Tisk, tisk, tisk. What narrow minds we use. Clearly my first non-sensical answer is, "A professional flyfisherman." That is still a dream, is it even a possible reality? I'm not sure, but flyfishing has given me a direction to be certain. West.

Before, I never knew what I wanted to be or where I wanted to be, and at least now I know the answer to the second question. The what is not as important now. As long as I am somewhere in the West, I know that what I will be doing will just be to support me in my true lifes work. Fishing my brains out. It would be cool to work for a newspaper as the outdoor/environmental writer, that would actually be extremely cool. I would love to write consistently for flyfishing and outdoor magazines. The point is that now, thanks to flyfishing, I have a direction and a home base, eventually.

Only on those nights when you are intoxicated in your room and browsing the web do you really realize how certain things fit into your life. Flyfishing is my compass. Plain and simple. It directs me to where I want to be, where I need to be, and where I will be. That is all that matters at this point. The next bend of the river is what I look forward to. How about you?