Squeeky’s Top Ten Reasons I Fish

1. Lifelong learning curve. A sport, passion, pastime, activity that requires a life length to learn efficiently. Well. TO be good, great, comfortable with my skill set(s). Analogous to skiing, tennis, golf, relationships…
2. Teaching. I love teaching anglers to cast, fish, etc. It drives me.
3. The act of being outside. Staring at these computers is lame. Required in many of today’s business pursuits. Some entertainment too. But being outdoors is better. Way better. Better for your constitution, and mine.
4. Singular focus. When the boat moves from the shore all of my worries melt away. The act of drifting is cleansing. Even without fishing. Drifting downriver in a skiff is good. Single task. Not multi-tasking. One goal.
5. Problem solving. Love the task of figuring out the equation. Thinking like fish, like trout. Then employing fishing technique to sometimes find success.
6. The Tug. The Take. Watching a fish take the dry fly is priceless. Feeling the tug, the stop of incoming line, whilst streamer fishing is the best one second in fly fishing. It is a drug for sure. I want more, of that, drug.
7. Fellowship. Fishing friends are good friends. I guide for a living. I have fished with a ton of anglers. Love all most of them.
8. Fun. Fishing is fun.
9. Relief. Mental relief from the other side of my day, The job part of my day. The fishing for a living part of my day. I fish mostly by myself. At least half of the time. It is good. The out by yourself part. Solace.
10. Gear. Love the gear and innovation part of fly fishing. Love fishing new rods. Learning about a new rod and finding the right fly line match. I enjoy organizing fly boxes. Well not as much anymore, but I do love hyper organized slit foam boxes. I have all of my fly fishing gear, or most, in matching rod-around tool chests. Being able to find the right gear is important.
11. Casting. #1 in my book. The art of casting is the best. Love learning. Love getting better with my off hand. Love closing my eyes and casting. Love the feel of the line through my hands. Like the feeling of pulling a bend into the rod. Enjoy watching the loop develop from the tip. Really love challenging situations. The more difficult, the better for me. Not that I don’t like a lay up. The act of casting. Love watching great casters perform. Love speaking and discussing casting technique with those who are very high level casters. Love the length of time it takes to be great. Love the process. Love the feel of a fly rod in my hand.