An epiphany on the road to Whitemans

A fishing life offers all sorts of opportunities for mini-epiphanies
and I've recently tripped over one that's worth mentioning.

"Why do we fish?" For all of us, it's more than just catching fish,
but the "catching" is always required somewhere in the mix. The
social aspects plus the opportunity to innovate has always been much
higher than "catching", on my priority list. As is obvious with such
priorities, my "catching" suffers. Frankly, I don't put nearly as
much effort into it as I should. But when I ask this hard question
again, am I ordering my priorities this way because they suit me or in
part because I don't want to make the effort to move beyond an average
level of "catching"? In other words, am I hiding behind my priorities
to save myself the bother of doing the "catching" right?

Enter the minimalist angler as a highly effective angler. I've always
loaded myself up with bulging vest, stuffed pockets, spare spools,
spare rods in the car, all precautions against not having the right
thing to satisfy picky trout. But this load of gear is really a
recognition that I haven't taken the time, haven't made the effort to
know what I'm doing. I have burdened myself physically with armloads
of gear to avoid having to take on the mental burden of selecting just
what is necessary and no more –- to avoid having to know what I'm
doing.

So here I am on Whitemans, wet wading, one small fly box, one spool of
tippet, one rod, one reel, and thinking about what I am actually doing
instead of just chucking the contents of multiple flyboxes at
unimpressed fish. Before I left the house, I had decided where I
would fish using the right bug for that water, time of day, and at
that point in the season. Bingo, epiphany time. By forcing a
minimalist approach, I have to really know what I'm doing as there's
no margin for error. I've stripped away the excuses, the multiple
flybox crutches, and faced the fish armed with a handful of flies and
my wits. Stripped of the superfluous gear, I'm reading water,
examining bugs, search bankside bushes, catching fish, and in the
process, discover that there's an amazing mental clarity to the
minimalist approach.

Is it more fun? You betchya.

I fade back and forth from carrying tons of gear to next to
nothing...somtimes my shirt pockets are all that I fill and other times it's
my entire angling bag....I prefer minimalist, but when I'm having a rough
time I end to carry everything known to man just in case.

Tim Apple

"Peter Charles" wrote...
A fishing life offers all sorts of opportunities for mini-epiphanies
and I've recently tripped over one that's worth mentioning.

"Why do we fish?" For all of us, it's more than just catching fish,
but the "catching" is always required somewhere in the mix. The
social aspects plus the opportunity to innovate has always been much
higher than "catching", on my priority list. As is obvious with such
priorities, my "catching" suffers. Frankly, I don't put nearly as
much effort into it as I should. But when I ask this hard question
again, am I ordering my priorities this way because they suit me or in
part because I don't want to make the effort to move beyond an average
level of "catching"? In other words, am I hiding behind my priorities
to save myself the bother of doing the "catching" right?

Enter the minimalist angler as a highly effective angler. I've always
loaded myself up with bulging vest, stuffed pockets, spare spools,
spare rods in the car, all precautions against not having the right
thing to satisfy picky trout. But this load of gear is really a
recognition that I haven't taken the time, haven't made the effort to
know what I'm doing. I have burdened myself physically with armloads
of gear to avoid having to take on the mental burden of selecting just
what is necessary and no more -- to avoid having to know what I'm
doing.

So here I am on Whitemans, wet wading, one small fly box, one spool of
tippet, one rod, one reel, and thinking about what I am actually doing
instead of just chucking the contents of multiple flyboxes at
unimpressed fish. Before I left the house, I had decided where I
would fish using the right bug for that water, time of day, and at
that point in the season. Bingo, epiphany time. By forcing a
minimalist approach, I have to really know what I'm doing as there's
no margin for error. I've stripped away the excuses, the multiple
flybox crutches, and faced the fish armed with a handful of flies and
my wits. Stripped of the superfluous gear, I'm reading water,
examining bugs, search bankside bushes, catching fish, and in the
process, discover that there's an amazing mental clarity to the
minimalist approach.

Is it more fun? You betchya.

I've often thought about this myself, though I've yet to be driven enough to
take any action. Several modern pioneers of fly fishing have cursed Lee Wulff
for inventing the fishing vest for just that reason.

.. . . but it *does* seem a bit odd that such a gear whore can also be a minister
of the minimalist approach.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

. . . but it *does* seem a bit odd that such a gear whore can also be a minister
of the minimalist approach.

Well, if you saw the Diamondback Classic Trout and the limited edition
CFO, then you'd know that this was just the "subtle" phase of the
gearwhore syndrome. blither mode on . . . No, gearwhoredom has
not been rejected. No, the world has not inverted on its axis (to
which comment, the anthropologist in me says, "Europeans invented the
orientation of the globe as we know it, who says they got it right,
who says there's a right way anyway . . ." But I digress once again
-- minimalism is only a short cast away from nihilism, after all.
Where's Kant when you need him . . . .

[Now where did I put that aspen switch, I knew I put it around here
somewhere.]

blither mode off . . .

Peter

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"Peter Charles" wrote...
. . . but it *does* seem a bit odd that such a gear whore can also be a
minister
of the minimalist approach.

Well, if you saw the Diamondback Classic Trout . . .

Isn't that a SWEET rod?! I picked one up from Walt when they were on sale and am
really glad I did.
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 01:01:15 GMT, "Tim J."
wrote:


"Peter Charles" wrote...
. . . but it *does* seem a bit odd that such a gear whore can also be a
minister
of the minimalist approach.

Well, if you saw the Diamondback Classic Trout . . .

Isn't that a SWEET rod?! I picked one up from Walt when they were on sale and am
really glad I did.

Well, I came by mine sorta the same way, via uncle Wally, only he
didn't wanna give it up, and the Pirate had to concoct that story of
Waldo hitting his face on the wall, and well, I did pay for it 'n'
all. Waldo still sells me stuff though . . .

Nice guy that Waldo . . . even when he bitches about me havin' his
favourite rod . . . I don't tell him how many fish In catch with it
though . . . that'll be puttin' salt into all those wounds. They
should be healed by now, you'd think . . . I now make it a policy to
use only dressed lumber in rod purchase negotiations. . . bark makes
for some really nasty looking scabs . . .



Peter

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"Peter Charles" wrote...
. . . but it *does* seem a bit odd that such a gear whore can also be a
minister
of the minimalist approach.

Well, if you saw the Diamondback Classic Trout . . .

Isn't that a SWEET rod?! I picked one up from Walt when they were on sale and am
really glad I did.
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

Peter Charles wrote:

A fishing life offers all sorts of opportunities for mini-epiphanies
and I've recently tripped over one that's worth mentioning.

"Why do we fish?" For all of us, it's more than just catching fish,
but the "catching" is always required somewhere in the mix. The
social aspects plus the opportunity to innovate has always been much
higher than "catching", on my priority list. As is obvious with such
priorities, my "catching" suffers. Frankly, I don't put nearly as
much effort into it as I should. But when I ask this hard question
again, am I ordering my priorities this way because they suit me or in
part because I don't want to make the effort to move beyond an average
level of "catching"? In other words, am I hiding behind my priorities
to save myself the bother of doing the "catching" right?

Enter the minimalist angler as a highly effective angler. I've always
loaded myself up with bulging vest, stuffed pockets, spare spools,
spare rods in the car, all precautions against not having the right
thing to satisfy picky trout. But this load of gear is really a
recognition that I haven't taken the time, haven't made the effort to
know what I'm doing. I have burdened myself physically with armloads
of gear to avoid having to take on the mental burden of selecting just
what is necessary and no more –- to avoid having to know what I'm
doing.

So here I am on Whitemans, wet wading, one small fly box, one spool of
tippet, one rod, one reel, and thinking about what I am actually doing
instead of just chucking the contents of multiple flyboxes at
unimpressed fish. Before I left the house, I had decided where I
would fish using the right bug for that water, time of day, and at
that point in the season. Bingo, epiphany time. By forcing a
minimalist approach, I have to really know what I'm doing as there's
no margin for error. I've stripped away the excuses, the multiple
flybox crutches, and faced the fish armed with a handful of flies and
my wits. Stripped of the superfluous gear, I'm reading water,
examining bugs, search bankside bushes, catching fish, and in the
process, discover that there's an amazing mental clarity to the
minimalist approach.

Is it more fun? You betchya.

When you can sit down to the vise, tie up two identical dry flies,
put one on the brim of your hat and the other on the end of your
tippet, then walk down to the stream at precisely the right time
KNOWING that you'll catch as many fish as you care to, that's a
minmalist approach. Of course, if you live right on the stream you
know the flies of the season and have naturals to copy just by
picking them off the screen door. It's quite a bit harder for the
"weekend warrior" who has to travel to the stream.

Damn, I miss Montana.

--
Ken Fortenberry

On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:20:30 GMT, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:



When you can sit down to the vise, tie up two identical dry flies,
put one on the brim of your hat and the other on the end of your
tippet, then walk down to the stream at precisely the right time
KNOWING that you'll catch as many fish as you care to, that's a
minmalist approach. Of course, if you live right on the stream you
know the flies of the season and have naturals to copy just by
picking them off the screen door. It's quite a bit harder for the
"weekend warrior" who has to travel to the stream.

Almost qualified then -- knew which fly would work but I took an
"experiment" along with me too. Damn, have to do better next time . .
..


Damn, I miss Montana.

Can't help you there.

Peter

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On Fri, 06 Aug 2004 15:20:30 GMT, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:



When you can sit down to the vise, tie up two identical dry flies,
put one on the brim of your hat and the other on the end of your
tippet, then walk down to the stream at precisely the right time
KNOWING that you'll catch as many fish as you care to, that's a
minmalist approach. Of course, if you live right on the stream you
know the flies of the season and have naturals to copy just by
picking them off the screen door. It's quite a bit harder for the
"weekend warrior" who has to travel to the stream.

Almost qualified then -- knew which fly would work but I took an
"experiment" along with me too. Damn, have to do better next time . .
..


Damn, I miss Montana.

Can't help you there.

Peter

turn mailhot into hotmail to reply

Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharl...ers/index.html