"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." Henry David Thoreau
"In my family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing." Norman Maclean
"In my family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing." Norman Maclean
We go fly fishing to catch fish, to experience the rush of adrenaline when a trout rises to the surface, grabs the fly, and the line goes taut. But the fly line is more than a way to connect human beings to fish. Each cast of the fly line connects us to nature, to other and to the Divine Presence.
When fly fishing, some people report feeling a presence larger than themselves. Time spent wading in a river can lead us to contemplate the wondrous source of our world, opening a doorway to the Divine and a bond with our Creator. Fly fishing can also teach us about the fragility of nature and our responsibility to protect our planet from harm. The connection that fly fishers feel with nature often motivates them to become stewards of the river and to work to protect and heal the places where trout live.
Fly fishing allows us to unplug from our everyday lives and to connect to nature and to ourselves. We can all become spiritual fly fishers.
SPIRITUAL FLY FISHING ARTICLES:
Casting a fly rod and wading through a cold-water stream can be spiritual experiences. It is an art form to cast a fly correctly. Using an eight to nine foot rod, a fluorescent line and clear leader and tippet, the fly fisher casts the fly out on to the stream. One can learn the basics of casting in a few minutes, but it takes practice to drift a fly correctly and to lure a trout to the surface…Harmony is when things fit together. We all experience moments of being in harmony with our surroundings. At these times, we feel that we fit in perfectly where we are, that we are a natural piece of the puzzle. For me, one place to find harmony is by fly fishing the cold water trout streams...
