Most often, when we talk about fishing, it’s the physical aspects we are concerned with: how to catch, what to catch, etcetera? But what about the metaphysical? The Why.
The Why is at least as important and, in many aspects, quite a bit more. The Why is what gets us going when the 4 a.m. alarm rings, or weather decides to be uncooperative. If the Why is not strong, the What will not even be a concern.
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There are as many reasons why people fish as there are fish. They are varied and interesting. Every person has a different reason, and all are valid, ranging from simple escapism to the most complex mindset. It’s important to so many. Let’s take a little journey to the hearts of some extraordinary individuals.
In communications with anglers across the country in a variety of disciplines we will find certain differences and similarities.
Escape
Tim Brooks of Syracuse, New York, was a hard-hitting college linebacker who is now a leading member in his community. He is an accomplished lake-run rainbow trout fisherman. Those fish, commonly known as Great Lakes steelhead, are a mystery to unlock that provides exciting times during drab winter seasons.
Tim says he mainly fishes, “so he won’t become homicidal.” Now that’s a joke, of course, but the kernel of truth here is the getaway from the events of the day. It’s similar to what Paul Gilbert of Wilmington says.
As well as being a state champion lacrosse coach, Gilbert teaches middle school social studies, and he says he loves to fish because, “There are no eighth graders there.”
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He loves his students as they do him, but we all need the separation.
Another good category is where all the world’s cares melt away.
Steve Feinberg has been retired for a few years now from his career as a highly successful advertising executive in New York, and he and I used to fish together often. He talks about how, “Fishing takes him to beautiful places and the world contracts to whatever is on the end of his line.”
Focus
Rob Snowhite is well known podcaster who produces “The Fly Fishing Consultant” podcast.
“Fishing is the one thing I can do where it’s the only thing I’m thinking about,” says Snowhite.
Interestingly enough, Norman Maclean writes in “A River Runs Through It and Other Stories,” “That the best part about fly fishing is that soon the world contracts to thoughts of nothing but fly fishing.”
Understanding
There are those who take a more deeply philosophical angle. One is Capt. Joe Demalderis, who owns a fly shop, outfitting service, and is generally considered to be the guru of the fly fishing community of the Upper Delaware River on the New York-Pennsylvania border. He says that the fish understand him better than he understands himself.
“When I’m lost in my thoughts on the water it’s nice to know that something gets you,” says Demalderis.
Kesley Gallagher is one of the leading female voices in the world of fly fishing. She says she loves fishing because it feeds her soul.
“I love the way the fish reflect the beauty of the area,” says Gallagher. “Like a trout reflects the light of the mountains and a marlin encapsulates the sapphire depths of the ocean.”
These are the kind of rhapsodic experiences we need in our lives.
Chris Desosa is a freshman at North Carolina State University. He’s a leader amongst his peers in athletic and academic pursuits and sure to be an amazing teacher, coach and educational administrator someday when he graduates from being in the education fellow scholar program.
“I fish because it brings me closer to the outdoors with the creations and the beauty of life,” says Desosa. “Being on the waves in a boat, or standing in a creek surrounded by nature, is more calming than any pastime I know. There is nothing like it.”
The challenge
Another category we need to explore is that of the people who do it for the challenge. These are the ones who put a lot of effort into preparing tackle and pay attention to the fine detail. David Edens is a longtime fly-fishing guide on Georgia’s coast. He loves saltwater fly fishing because he loves the hunt and the challenge, “… and being able to do something well that most others cannot.”
Brian S. Leon (Scott to his friends), is an incredibly accomplished angler, former Navy SEAL, author, and former editor of Fly Fishing in Saltwaters magazine, as well as being about as handsome as a TV star and married to Kesley Gallagher. He likes, “the journey to find fish and the people he meets along the way and embraces the intellectual challenge it brings.”
‘Democracy of life’
It may seem that I’m dropping a few names here to show how many different cool people I know (OK, I am) but the real point is that we meet a lot of extraordinary folks on the water.
Regardless of what we think of him as a president, Herbert Hoover himself said, “Fishing is a constant reminder of the democracy of life.” He was absolutely correct. I’ve been fishing with some quite famous people and a whole lot more who aren’t, including people who had little in the way of material things but did not measure life or success in the same way.
I’d say that the only nonvalid reason to like fishing is to prove that you are better than someone else.
Personally, I take the thinking of fishing writer Robert Traver, a federal judge whose real name was Robert Voelker and has a fly fishing writers award named after him. He was of the opinion that the reason he liked fishing so much was, “Because all the rest of the cares of the world mean so little.”
Now, I am locked in a situation where I can’t participate in the best pastime due to medical issues. Hopefully I can continue to contribute in any small way going forward. If I were to let the rest of my cares weigh me down, it would be quite a challenge indeed.
