I was in the Caribbean last week mainly for a business trip.
But, I did manage to go to my destination two days early with Stephen, my stepson and get in a day and 1/2 of fly fishing for bonefish in some of the most beautiful waters in the world.
It was a blast. Stephen had never hooked or landed a fish on a fly rod. Having a bonefish be his first taste of that magical connection was truly "one of those moments I will never forget ".
We had a great guide, perfect weather, and were lucky enough to get on fish each day. I caught and landed three average 3-5 pound bonefish releasing each and actually hooked and played one of the largest bonefish I think I ever had on a line until he (or she) decided they had had enough and tore into the mangroves lining the strip of skinny water we were fishing and that was the end of that.
We saw lemon sharks, a nurse shark over 9 feet long, the largest green turtle I have ever seen in the wild, and a myriad of birds and other aquatic species including one small blue crab who was not the least bit intimidated as we passed over his hiding place in less then a foot of sea water.
I love to fly fish. I put away all other fishing gear over 20 years ago now and have only fished using a fly rod since that time. I am not particularly good but I am competent enough to catch trout, bonefish, bass, etc., as long as the fish are not too smart. And yes, I release every fish I catch if the fish is not seriously injured during the time it is on the line. Not because I won't eat fish, fish are one of my favorite dietary staples. I just cannot bring myself to kill something that has given me such a "gift". Even though the fish was not willingly seeking to make it a gift as such.
(Read on you and you will understand what that "gift" is for me).
I think in a recent blog I mentioned I was rereading a book I had read 20 years ago about fly fishing. I just finished it on this trip. The book is "Fly Fishing through the Midlife Crisis" by Howell Raines.
The book has an incredible amount of good information about fly fishing in practice but as you probably guess from its title it also has an incredible amount of philosophy, religion, and even spiritual themes contained within its pages.
It is one of my favorite books and given the copious amount of reading I do that is saying a lot.
Rereading it after 20 years provided me an even deeper and more meaningful insight into my life and the appeal of fly fishing for myself and so many other modern day men than it had when I first picked it up in 1993 as I said about 20 years ago.
This is a passage typical of the writing and nature of Raines' book.
"As far as equipment goes we are living in the golden age of fly fishing. Where there used to be only a couple of hundred truly expert fly fishermen, there are now thousands who can match the best practitioners of the sport. Naturally as in any large group some are jerks. All are snobs when it comes to what they really think about other forms of fishing".
He goes on:
"That is because of the aesthetic principle at the core of fly fishing..... Fly fishing is to fishing as ballet is to walking...It is interesting that many men after they have been through other kinds of fishing, usually forms that involve powerful boats, heavy rods, and brutally strong fish.
Perhaps it is because they are getting wiser and less hormonal. Or perhaps it is that as men get older, some of them develop holes in their souls, and they think this disciplined, beautiful, and unessential activity may close those holes"......
20 years ago that passage would not have made me put down the book and wipe a mist from my eyes, today it does.
Regardless, I love fly fishing regardless of the fish being pursued and yes, in some way or form or fashion it calms me down, it clears my mind, and most importantly it mends my soul.
After the movie " A River Runs Through It " based on the Norman McLean novel, narrated by Robert Redford and with a younger Brad Pitt as one of its stars, fly fishing leaped in popularity for a while. I think it has leveled off since then but I have no statistics to back up that claim.
My roots and literary attachments to all things fly fishing run long and deep. I read "The Big Two Hearted River" by Hemingway in 1927 (I think or at least published around that time) as a freshman in college and was fascinated by Nick Adams, the central character in the story where Hemingway used fly fishing to illustrate the impotence of faith and the power of fear.
McLean's book written 50 years later would use fly fishing as a metaphor for one's search in life for grace and faith.
I have read at least 50-75 other books written and published between those dates (1927-1957) about fly fishing as well.
And I have read another 30 more more written since 1957.
It is safe to say books about fly fishing represent a large genre in my reading compendium.
Whatever quality or insight fly fishing represents or brings out in each individual that becomes a devotee may be as varied as the number of fly patterns tied in an effort to match the hatch of a multitude of insects, bugs, roaches and other "fish food".
For me, the answer is quite a simple one. I find "peace".
Or better yet, "peace of mind".
Not a permanent peace, but a temporary one that serves to suspend time and release my thoughts from my emotions and the onslaught of the pressures and travails and pain and uncertainty of day to day existence. For me at this place and time in my existence there is no better "gift".
I am already looking forward to that next time.
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