On 5-May-2009, "Larry L" wrote:

I often make the point, and it's a valid one with me, that "fishing is
just
the excuse" and enjoying the environment is my real pleasure from the
pursuit. Another thing I'm fond of repeating is that I trout fish
because
"trout have such good taste in neighborhoods."


However, I can NOT say that I'd go fishing unless I expected to catch. I

do expect to catch. But, I will not bother to go out to "fish the water"

most times, unless I'm really needy at the moment .... I'm a "TroutHunter"

that is ****ed that the name is taken, already G.

I'd bet that 99% of the guys, here or elsewhere, that go fly fishing are
more serious about the need to catch than I am .... that is serious, in
the
sense that they 'fish harder and longer each day" and consider numbers and

sizes caught a measure of the quality of the day, than myself.

However, I am very serious about my angling and get very irritated with
myself during my very frequent can't do anything right spells. And I
greatly enjoy the feeling of competence that comes with my rare days of
good
success. A way of expressing my outlook might be, "IF I set out to
catch
THAT fish, I expect to catch him or give it one hell of an effort. But,
I
almost never set out to catch lots of fish, or unusually big ones, or ones
I
can't find and see before casting, just THAT one currently demanding my
attention."

Clearly, big ones grab that attention a little bit more firmly, but I
totally understand something Craig Matthews told me. He told me that the

hardest he had ever fished was spending three full days trying to catch a
specific "8 inch fish" from an incredibly difficult lie on the Firehole.
He told me that when he finally fooled it he was elated in a way no 'big'
fish had every moved him because they had all been easier ... I
understand.

I am FAR more likely to spend 5 hours on one fish I can't fool than 5
hours
moving along racking up the numbers ... my 'average' day is probably less
than 4 hours of away from the truck "fishing" and most of that is hunting
for a fish I want, not casting. But I have come back over and over to
try
the same fish, hour after hour, day after day, many times over the years.
If the catching is good, I quickly start looking for the hardest fish to
catch. I have no real idea what the most fish I ever caught in a day
was,
or even how big the biggest was ( although I remember most of the really
big
ones ... if not in inches or pounds but in where and when and on what fly
)


The bonefish thing looks like fishing I would enjoy ... one on one sight
fishing. But, "the rest of the day" on an island, gritty with sand,
sunburned, has zero appeal and "the rest of the day" really is a very big
part of why I fish. ...Um, I showed some 'bonefish spot' photos to my
lovely bride and her reaction was just like mine .. " That doesn't appeal
to
me, I prefer the mountains." Different strokes ... which is why I
daydream about New Zealand and Argentina in March, not the tropics.

Beautiful and well expressed sentiments
Thank you.
We differ little in our approach to pescatorial pursuits and their environs
We also prefer cold crystal clear clean mountainous rivers to warmer waters
which I guess is why we live where we live
I care a little less about the catch than you and I may spend one day in
every 3 in Chile fishing - my wife less
The other 2 riding a horse or so , camera stuff and sightseeing
and
I certainly have been known to stop fishing on a very successful day because
I feel like I may be hurting the fiksh and I do not want to hurt any more
fish

When you do catch a fish that you have hunted and you presenred the fly and
landed him, in a perfect (for you) manner
It differs little than hitting a home run, Srtike 3 on theoutside corner for
a pitcher and playing in key and time w others in music at various clarified
moments stopped in time Perhaps like Charlie Choc's fotos
Perhaps that is the reason I fish and Still frequent this nutso group.

Manitas de Plata