Too Serious or Not Serious Enough?

After watching fly fishing videos, reading other blogs, and reading fishing reports from places I might not even see in my lifetime I can't help but wonder, do I/we sometimes take fly fishing too seriously?  That's a tough and potentially touchy subject to ponder.  In the effort of fairness and with respect to due diligence, this subject requires necessary investigation on both sides of the argument.

DISCLAIMER: This post is littered with sarcasm, satire, and humor, so please understand that prior to reading.  I know these things can be difficult to identify when in the written word.  After I read this to my wife, her response was "Wow.  That's going to tick some people off."  That is not my intent.  It is simply to make light of both sides of the topic.

Too Serious

Have you ever noticed the serious tone of fly fishing websites, videos and articles?  We act like catching fish on a fly is the end-all, be-all of life itself.  Just listen to the high-energy techno beats or the intense symphonic melodies that many videos seem to contain during dramatic moments.  For Pete's sake, I attended the International Fly Fishing Film Festival a while back.  How many sports have film festivals?  Also, if we are on the subject of debating seriousness, let's just go ahead and compare our sport to the most popular sport in America right now.  Have you ever attended a football film festival?  No, seriously, have you?  Let me know if you have because if you actually have, this argument is pretty much shot.

Much like the NFL, we have celebrities too.  Football has Walter Payton, Tom Brady, and Mean Joe Green.  We have Lefty Kreh, Jack Dennis, and April Vokey.  And if you want to quantify this with numbers, well then fly fishing has been around a lot longer than football.

April Vokey

And when was the last time you heard a fly fishing joke?  I can't think of a single one off the top of my head.  When was the last time you watched a video that included a person laughing or smiling without a fish in his/her hand?  We plan our trips with precision and around lunar tables while tying our own flies and researching what types of insects hatch in certain regions of the country in an effort to pinpoint what fish will be eating when you arrive on the stream.  Heck, some people even learn the Latin names of said insects.  Do you know how to say Kansas City Chiefs in Latin?  We respect and research our opponents like they are divisional rivals that we have to defeat in order to feel successful.  We treat fish as if they are super-intelligent beings with mental capacities greater than ours and capable of supernatural feats.

Full Moon

And don't get me started on brand loyalty in our sport.  Have you ever told a guy that Orvis fly rods suck and are overpriced only to find out that the guy owns three of them and now wants to file a lawsuit against you for libel or slander?  Just look at pictures online.  We act like walking billboards for companies like Loon, Patagonia, and Redington.  I'm not saying we are monsters, but we would only do this if we felt passionate enough to spend ridiculous amounts of hard earned money to show our affiliation towards a brand that we have next-to-no personal connection with.

Not Serious Enough

Life is tough.  Maybe it is just the mindset of my generation thinking that we are working harder than most over generations that came before us, but it sure seems like society is in constant motion and allows little time for rest or relaxation.  Cable television, social media, and job requirements seem to make us feel behind if we miss something while we sleep.  With a world as high-strung and business-like as the one we currently live it, wouldn't it stand to reason that time for leisure and hobbies is even more important?  If we allow our jobs, careers, and possessions to own so much of our time, then do we really own anything at all?  Maybe our lives own us instead of the other way around.  Wow.  That hurt thinking and writing that.  It probably hurt more reading it so I apologize for that.

Now don't take what I am stating as all doom and gloom.  We have made more advancements in medicine and technology in the last 50 years than maybe the previous 150 years.  We are learning more and understanding some of the mysteries of the cosmos on a level that is beyond my comprehension.  But with that in mind, shouldn't there be more time for inward reflection and time for personal devotions and meditation?  Maybe rather than focusing on progress and moving forward, fly fishing is the only thing in our lives that offers an opportunity to return us to our primal needs and feelings.  Water, sunshine, wildlife, fire...these are things that return us to a not-so-distant past where needs were more basic and life might have been tougher but was also simpler.  It returns us to our roots and how can we know where to head if we don't know where we have been?

Maybe, just maybe, we need to put more stock into our happiness and what makes us happy in this current society as well as what is real rather than virtual.  Rocks, life cycles, and weather are things that remind us that we are NOT in control of everything and that is alright.  Maybe the world needs fewer X-Boxes and more tackle boxes.  (I can't claim that as my own quote so if you are reading this and you came up with that phrase well then all credit to you my friend).  And finally, maybe it is time for us to remember that this country was founded on the purpose of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness and that we need to pursue happiness a little bit more.  And by golly, if making fly fishing videos set to dramatic music, and writing blog posts, and learning Latin makes you happy, then gosh darn it you should do all those things and then some.  The last time I checked, our forefathers signed a little document that gave you certain rights that could not be taken away by anyone.  Those rights protect your pursuit of happiness and for anyone to infringe on those rights would be both illegal and and indictment upon our entire governmental system.  Therefore, such an indictment could be considered treason (not really) and would be to badmouth the United States of America and I, for one, and not going to tolerate such communist behavior.  Good day sir!  I said good day!

Conclusion

Ultimately, like with most things in nature and science, the answer probably lies somewhere in between.  The yin needs a yang.  Black needs white.  Thunder needs lightning.  Global warming needs climate change.  Fly fishing to some of us is sometimes the sweet release from reality and something we can pour our heart and soul into because we have passion and love to spare.  On the other hand, there are folks that fly fish once or twice a year and enjoy the experience for what it is; a simple ingredient that adds to the overall flavor of life.  Should I/we take fly fishing more or less seriously?  Well cowboy, that's up to you but one thing that I always try to keep in perspective is this: you can buy fish at the grocery store so we aren't exactly solving world hunger problems here.  Fishing is supposed to be fun, so you do what is necessary to make it fun to you and who cares about the details!  Heck, you can even start a blog and write posts about the subject should you feel inclined.  I'm just sayin'.