Effortless and Pretty
Originally published in The FlyFish Journal, 10.2.
Years ago, after and encounter-less day in upstate New York, a friend of mine and I decided that swinging flies for steelhead is like being up to bat, only you’re blindfolded, and the pitcher doesn’t actually throw the ball every pitch.
We can debate what the ultimate goal is. I’m pretty sure every big-league hitter loves watching a ball fly over the fence; but I bet they also love the sound of the crowd, the feel of the dirt under their spikes and staring into a pitcher’s eyes. Thankfully, my own contract doesn’t depend on the number of steelhead I tail each season.
I often overanalyze the situation when I’m “in the box.” Do I have the right fly on? Do I need a heavier sink-tip? Should I mend more? Less? Is this even good water? Are there steelhead in this river? Should I have eaten pancakes instead of a breakfast burrito? What exactly are we doing here?
The simple answer is we’re trying to catch fish. The less-simple answer is we’re trying to catch a particular fish in a certain way; we are trying to put the right fly in front of the right fish with the right presentation. Of those three criteria, I’ve come to believe the first doesn’t matter much, the second you can’t control and the third is very difficult…
