Fly Fishing: A Moral Presentation
As humans we have the ability to constantly find better ways of achieving our means. Since the first man hurled a stone toward the animal that would become a meal for his family, humankind has been on an endless journey to find more efficient ways to serve our purposes.. However, when those purposes fall into ones of conquest, it is the one who has the most effective mechanism who triumphs, whether the victor is right or wrong in achieving his goal. With breakthroughs in more advanced technology, power is now in the hands of a multitude of individuals. Our time calls for this power to be blended with reason, rational thought, kindness, and balanced respect for both the natural world that is left and the generations which will inherit it.
In the past, men relied on the wilderness and its inhabitants for physical sustenance and its own survival. As technology has increased, a family’s dependence on the natural world has decreased. This has bred less respect for that which we do not rely on and it has taken its toll on the few wild areas we have left. Although as part of the animal kingdom we are still “called into the wild”, its purpose in our lives today is almost completely asthetic. Wild lands are a place for our return to normalcy. Inexplicable as it may be for some, nature plays a key role in the mental health of all societies since the time of clans and tribes. Therefore, to preserve all aspects of a healthy population for future generations, we must do our part to preserve nature. While a return to the wild may be called upon to derive pleasures such as fishing, we must consider less abusive methods in which to manifest those desires. The passion of the fisherman has been around since the beginning of written time, but it is now that we must find that balance of respect for those we hook to ensure the world’s fish will still school in the dreams of our grandchildren.
A human action is morally good, not because it is done from immediate inclination-still less because it is done from self-interest- but because it is done for the sake of duty. Immanuel Kant
Conventional methods for fishing the world over have been largely for the sole purpose of killing the fish for food. Therefore, little thought was given to the well-being of the fish. These methods involved the use of a uniform, thin line with weight attached at or near a baited hook. The weight was used to hurl the bait away from the angler toward the likely area of fish, and hold the baited hook stationary at the bottom of the streambed for an extended period of time. While it is unnatural for a fish’ food to be anchored in a moving current, it allowed the bait to remain in the view of the fish and in turn increase the likelihood of a strike on the angler’s line. Consequently, a baited line while stationary allowed the fish to completely swallow the hook causing irreparable damage and killing even the fish that were too small for the frying pan. The baited hook method does not allow the angler to release the smaller fish, if he chose to. Human reasoning should be used not only to find ways of bettering our civilizations, but to do so in the least obtrusive and ruinous manner.
Fishing with a fly has had many different methods and meanings over the centuries it seems. And we are coming back to some of the earliest methods a second time around. But to imitate a food source perfectly in order to catch a fish seems to be the recurring theme. The fish whose instincts relied so heavily on this natural food presentation were the sleek river fish- the trout, salmon, char. Certain families of trout for instance can feed with such grace that at times when an abundance of insects cover the waters, a watchful observer can count an unwavering, perfectly timed, rhythm between the trout’s “surface sips”. The trout concentrates its efforts exclusively on the size, shape, color and presentation (or natural drift) of the bug that is hatching, mating, or depositing eggs throughout the day. These insects are so minute and delicate that to skewer them with a hook to use as bait would destroy the insects body and wings and be unrecognizable to the fish.
So to catch the elusive trout, the earliest fly anglers began imitating these various insects by wrapping different combinations of lightweight materials around the shank of a fine hook. Common furs and feathers were used, and naturally repelled water. The structure of fur is hollow- allowing it to trap air and retain buoyancy for the fly. Feathers taken from various parts of birds had natural oils on them to shed water and keep them from sinking. Tying these flies to closely resemble the insect must have become a passion for anglers even when fishing for survival. To create the fish-catching flies using these inexpensive materials turned into an art.
Although these flies were effective, they had limited casting range due to their light weight. Due to the inventiveness of man, and the relentless pursuit of a few artists in this new aqueous realm, fishing lines were contrived to carry the featherweight lures longer distances and with greater accuracy. They were built to distribute weight throughout the entire line using the weight of the line, swung in rhythmic pendulum-like motion. The angler would then carefully place the fly at the desired distance and allow the line and fly to settle. Some of the first lines were made from woven silk and then greased for increased buoyancy. Longer rods also became the norm, allowing the angler greater leverage to wield these heavier lines throughout the day without tiring.
From the artful creativity found in the fly patterns to the beauty inherent in the graceful casts of the fly rod, this method of fishing evolved into a status symbol for some it seems. I imagine that when North America was explored by trappers and woodsmen fly fishing turned, once again, to a pure form: the most effective way to feed the primitive instincts of more fish in the family of Salmonidae, the trout.
These fish feed on one type of insect at particular moments throughout the day. Maybe changing their diet from large, orange caddis flies in the early morning to small, lime green mayflies at midday, and then to miniscule black caddis flies in the evening. Now that fishing pressure has increased and catch & release habits of today's anglers make the trout more keenly instinctive to what is right and wrong about a bug-looking thing in the water. So, a desire for larger fish or better numbers forces an angler to expend great effort in designing a fly that matches the size shape and color of the insects that feed the fish. The fishermen of today who will put themselves to the test of knowing the way of life beneath the surface of the water will reap the greater reward of the larger fish, not always. but more often. but, to understand the workings of nature in this way takes patience.
“We know the world only through our relationship to it. Therefore, to know the world, we must not only examine it but we must first examine the examiner… Examination of the world without is never as personally painful as examination of the world within, and it is certainly because of the pain involved in a life of genuine self-examination that the majority steer away from it." -M. Scott Peck
At some point in the evolution of thought and exploration of the physical and mental world, man has the choice to pursue the art of fly fishing not just as a means to sustain life, but instead as a passion. With an increase in civilization throughout the west we have other ways to more easily obtain a meal.
Truth is reality. That which is false is unreal. The more clearly we see the reality of the world, the better equipped we are to deal with the world.
There are other ways to catch fish that require far less preparation, skill and sober realism. Technological advancements in tackle have created lures that spin, buzz, clank and rattle. These were developed under the premise that if the lures could create enough confused emotion in the fish, it would strike. They work well for most species and it could be argued that they produce more fish, however the trout would still not be fooled entirely. Their impervious nature, we can assume through careful logic, could be directly related to the ever changing adaptations that life goes through in each new, successful generation.
Some fish, such as bass, will strike at a lure not out of hunger, but more often out of anger. They are more territorial. Anything making noise and disturbing the bass will be seen as a threat. Anything in any size, shape, or color that upsets the bass, will be struck at, even a large bullfrog or a small bird. The bass’ behavior revolves around their emotions.
“The less clearly we see the reality of the world-with minds befuddled by falsehood, misperceptions and illusions- the less able we will be to determine correct courses of action and make wise decisions.”
Some older species of trout, such as the Dolly Varden, have the same territorial nature. The land-locked species known as Bull Trout are on the Endangered Species List in the lower forty-eight states. They remain in only a few locations after the last ice age retreated to the North. Due to special regulations on these waters, Bull Trout reach phenomenal size: mostly 5 to 12 pound. A few reach from 15 to 20 pounds or more. To catch these beautiful remnants of the last ice age on hardware type tackle would be quite easy, but could prove to be very detrimental to the remaining populations. Even if single, barbless hooks on spinning gear were used, and the catch and release regulations were adhered to, the exhaustive catch rate alone would decimate the few that are left. They make eye contact with their prey, strike and I have witnessed several give violent head shakes before they even know they are hooked. This fish strain is a very emotional decision maker.
Rainbows and cutthroats are hardly inclined to strike at something because it is buzzing or clanking, except for a few lures like the reliable “Panther Martin” and the later “spin-offs” that imitate a small bait fish. These trout are still controlled almost exclusively by their instinct.
