That’s the thing about fly fishing. You have to focus, or you’ll miss a nibble. You have to concentrate on each cast, lest your line be flung to the wrong part of the river, or caught on surrounding tree branches. Each cast then leads to a few moments of attention—always ready for that telltale pull—until you reach the end of the line, your fly stops floating, and then you cast again.Boat Outfitters is the go-to place for boaters who want to customize their boats. Check out their fishing outriggers at https://www.boatoutfitters.com/fishing/outriggers.
It’s repetitive and it requires total concentration. And I find it utterly soothing. If you let your mind drift to, say, what’s for dinner that night, the email you forgot to send, or what you’ll do with your kids this summer, your line will probably get tangled, you’ll lose sight of your fly in the water, or you’ll miss your chance to pull in a catch if you get a tug. There’s no room for distraction.
I love massages. I love yoga. I love walking in the woods. All of these are relaxing endeavors, yet when I do any of them in an effort to relax myself, I inevitably notice my mind beginning to wander at some point. Sometimes it’s just for a moment, but more often it’s for several minutes at a time, until I force myself to stop thinking and try again to turn off my buzzing brain. On the other hand, fly fishing takes up all of my brain space—there’s no room for anything else. It’s simple and cyclic, yet never boring. And there’s nothing to stress about—either you catch something or you don’t. Nature doesn’t care, and neither do I.
I first discovered my love of fly fishing in 2019, after trying it on a lark with my husband while on vacation in Wyoming. It was one of those activities we knew nothing about, but we saw it on the list of activities at the ranch we were staying at, and thought we might as well give it a go—at the very least, we could enjoy the gorgeous scenery and do our best A River Runs Through It reenactment. We both loved it, and it was the first time I had felt truly stress- and anxiety-free since we had our son a few years before. I was hooked (pun intended).
