A lot goes into a fishing trip. Whether it’s hours of research, tying flies, traveling to the fishery, or developing the skills to succeed on the water, it takes time and effort. There is also a lot out of our control, with luck, weather, and conditions being major determinants in the success of a given day. With all that goes into a day of fishing, it’s inevitable that many of our fishing trips will not go as planned. The hatch won’t come off, the fish hunker down, the wind blows, or there is an angler in the spot you wish to fish. Whatever it is, a lot can and does go wrong. That’s fishing.
But every once in a while, the stars align and everything you dream of comes to be. The hatch is thick, big fish are feeding, the weather is perfect, and angler pressure is not an issue. It all comes together to provide a memorable day of fishing. These are the days we fish for.
I think back to a day I had with a good friend this spring. The flows had fluctuated on many rivers around the region, shifting from muddy to clear due to varied air temperatures. He saw an opportunity to fish one of the many famous fisheries in the region, and convinced me to come along even though I was already hours away, fishing another river. It turned out to be the perfect conditions. The flows were dropping, water temperatures were rising, clouds were rolling in, and the hatch had every fish in the river looking up. From march browns to skwala stoneflies, the spring hatches were going full force. We tossed big dry flies all day, catching many fish, including some stunning brown trout. It will go down as one of my best days of the year and a memory we can connect on for years to come.
These days are few and far between. Wait another day, and the river was blown out as another warm spell swept the region. A few days before, the river was too high and muddy. It was the perfect window, and we were lucky enough to be there that day. We will spend years working to recreate this day and may never see it like that again.
That’s what makes these days so special. The many average to slow days of fishing that precede them. The years of confusion and failures on the river. The late nights tying flies and early mornings driving in the dark. All for that one extraordinary day of fishing when everything comes together—making every challenge and slow day of fishing along the way worthwhile.
The only way to experience these days is to go. And most days, you will end the day reminding yourself of the cliché “that’s why they call it fishing, not catching.” But then one day will blow your mind and keep you chasing those special days.
Get out there, find joy in the slow days, and be grateful for the few days when it all comes together.
I hope to be out there with you,
Nick
2 thoughts on “When It All Comes Together”
When we did our WY/MT trip this past summer, we did really well on the lesser-known streams/rivers out that way. I caught my first Snake River Cutty 18in. On a stream we never even heard of. We did fish a lot of the famous rivers like the Madison and the Miracle and we did well. But it was those we never heard of that made the trip that much better.
That’s awesome Dan! Lots of great fisheries to explore.
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