There Will Always Be A Reason Not To Fish

May 23, 2024

There will always be a reason not to go fishing.

Whether you only have a few hours to hit the river.

Or the wind is going to blow.

There is snow in the forecast.

There will be a bright sun.

There may be no bugs hatching.

The river is going to be busy.

The river flows are too high.

The barometric pressure will be rising.

The moon phase is not the one you’re looking for.

The fishing report could be better.

You have to mow the lawn.

Your fishing buddy bailed on the trip.

Or you may feel a little tired that morning.

There are so many excuses we tell ourselves that ultimately limit the number of days we spend on the water each year. It is a mental battle all anglers deal with as life gets busy and our fishing days become limited. It is funny how often I hear other anglers or see myself debating whether to go fishing for a day, considering the many factors and determining if it will be worth a trip.

The days that the conditions line up perfectly for a stellar day of fishing are rare. If you wait for the perfect conditions to fall on a day off, you will never go fishing.

At some point, an angler must stop planning a trip and weighing the odds. No matter the conditions, how much time you have, or how you feel. You just have to go fishing.

Whether you have one hour or one week, time spent fishing is rarely a waste. At the very least, you will learn something on the water and enjoy a day outside, away from the noise of daily life. Who knows, you may stumble into surprisingly good fishing. You just don’t know until you go. I encourage you to stop trying to plan the perfect fishing day and enjoy fishing for what it is.

With so many curated experiences in our daily lives, we have gotten used to knowing the outcome before even starting. We know how long our drive will take to the minute, how fast food will taste before we order, and find exactly the video we are looking for on YouTube. It is all curated to our desires and expectations.

Fishing is not this way. We never know what to expect on any given day. So many variables act in tandem that each day on the river differs. This type of experience is rare in today’s world, so embrace it.

As we experience runoff on the Greater Yellowstone streams, I invite you to make fewer excuses this season and fish more. It is the best way to learn and grow in this sport, making those rare days when everything lines up much more special.