Sunday, March 27, 2011

Is It About Something Else? Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

"You can fish all your life never knowing - it's not fish you're after..." The River Why"

Is it all about fishing, or is it about something else?   

Upper Mesa Falls, Idaho

 I must thank Cofisher, over at Windknots and Tangled Lines, for giving me reason to ponder tonight.  He reviewed a book called "The River Why"...Check it out.  Often times, I find myself fly fishing and really not looking for fish.  I know that sounds funny, but it's true.  Part of the reason is that I take a "Fish Tuesday" as a break in my week to find some quiet time...some solitude.  I will admit that there are definitely those days that I go to the river, totally focused on catching fish and nothing else.  My adrenaline pumps full blast when that rod is doubled over and the drag is ripping!  I won't lie. 


But, there are those times of reflection of what's going on in my life...decisions that need to be made, budgets that need some tweaking, and just things that I need to work on inside myself.  Contemplating and re-evaluating life's goals.  Funny, that I would have one of those days not too long ago that was just like that.  I had been walking the river for about an hour and there just wasn't too much activity...no sign of bugs or fish!  It was rather brisk outside (20 degrees) and I could have been just happy to go on home.  But, something just kept pulling me to stay and sit it out for awhile.  I had been having a pretty stressful work week and it felt good just to sit on a large rock and listen to the water...there's just nothing like that sound, is there?   Yes, as much as I love to fish, there are many more  important things in this life for me...And fishing helps me put it all into perspective.  Just being out with nature helps me focus on those that matter most...When I get home after my day out to the river or lake, I usually have a better perspective on things at home...So, I guess that you could say it's not the fish that I'm after...It's the answers to life that sometimes I receive as I am sitting on a large rock next to a river...

My wonderful children...

My Parent's 50th Anniversay

I don't know who this is!!!...HA!
David and I...Where do the years go???

Posted by THE RIVER DAMSEL at 7:40 AM

14 comments:

  1. Mike SepelakMarch 27, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    The Upper Mesa Falls shot is breathtaking. It's a perfect example of that "something else" that puts me on the stream.

    ReplyDelete
  2. EdMarch 27, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    Part of the reason I want to get into fly-fishing is the Willie Sutton philosophy
    (to paraphrase it is the beautiful places where the fish are).

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 27, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    Being on the water has always helped me clear my mind and quiet demons. I can relate about having days of total focus on fish, but other days it's about the rhythm of the fly rod and the wandering mind.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MarkMarch 27, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    I think you hit the nail on the head here. For me its mostly about reflection and therapy as I have mentioned before. When fishing in relative solitude, I feel a little closer to what's really important, and maybe just a tiny bit closer to lost loved ones.

    I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in it for the fish too. Since I tie most of my own flies and build my own rods, there's a rewarding feeling to bringing all that together with a captured fish.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mark KautzMarch 27, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    A small hike, warmth, sunshine, quiet, and OK, fish. But most of all communing with nature. It puts things back into perspective, calms the nerves, and gets you ready for the next shot at life.

    Mark

    ReplyDelete
  6. cofisherMarch 27, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    Older people ponder a lot, younger people usually not so much. What they are missing...

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 27, 2011 at 12:43 PM

    Well, upon thinking about this post, I can see the beauty in it's words. Of course, starting it off with a picture of the falls on the Henrys Fork will do that too you every time. Somewhere I have some great video of that area. Thanks for sharing the peace of fishing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dustin's Fly BoxMarch 27, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    we used to go picnic at upper mesa falls near ashton. Great pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  9. OwlMarch 27, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    What an awesome post! The whole clan! COOL!
    You think the water around a "big rock" is cool, just wait until you hear the......

    umm...yeah....that's cool.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. WDSTK3March 27, 2011 at 2:12 PM

    That's why I like to troll. Sitting in the boat barely blubbing along at 1.5 mph with a little rocking from a slight chop on the water waiting for the end of the rod to start dancing...I can sit and wait for a long time.

    ReplyDelete
  11. JayMarch 27, 2011 at 2:33 PM

    Very nice post. I think most of us fly fishing types know what you mean.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousMarch 27, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    Its about a lot of things to me. The sounds and smells of the river soothe my soul and clear my mind. There is so much life going on in and around a river and that helps all my senses to come back to life. Its an escape, a breather from my everyday mundane life. Its something else to concentrate on, something wonderful and compelling - - the insects, the life cycle, the ways of a trout. It revitalizes all my senses. Yep, that's it : )

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnthonyMarch 27, 2011 at 6:28 PM

    Excellent post. I was going to type more, but RD and others have already said everything quite eloquently.

    ReplyDelete
  14. THE RIVER DAMSELMarch 27, 2011 at 9:26 PM

    Thanks all!! Your comments are appreciated! I think that we are all pretty much on the same page...

    ReplyDelete

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