Am I a man dreaming of fishing, or a fish dreaming I am a man? Reality, it seems, is all about perception.
Tromping through the bush, I shake the leaves to inspect the insects that drop to the ground and their stage of development; interesting. Creeping over an old log upstream, I peer into a riffle and wait. Eventually, my patience is rewarded as a Greenback trout darts from behind a rock and feasts on a Stonefly larva as the hatch wiggles to the surface in its desperate short-lived metamorphosis. Ah grasshopper, today you are not; today, you are Stonefly, and you are hungry.
Armed with this newfound intelligence, I scramble out of sight, put on my magnifying glasses and fumble through the fly box for a Stonefly larva of just the right size… barbless hooks only, for today, this is not for keeps, this is just a drill. Now if I can avoid hooking myself this time in the process... I emerge from the brush prepared; I am both armed and dangerous to stalk my quarry. Think! Stay upstream, do not get the sun behind you; creep back downstream and study the water for at least 10 minutes before taking any action. Do not be overconfident; these guys have seen a hook before.
As I make my way upstream, a thundering waterfall plunges into the serenity of a turquoise mountain lake, unveiling the natural canvas of a muted, pastel world. Pausing to reel in the headwaters of my dream, I fall under the spell of a rhythmic siren song. Reality, like ripples in a stream, diffuses into diverse directions as my fly-fishing vision quest enters another stage.
And so the dance continues - evaluation, selection, presentation, and outcome. As always, it is mostly about rejection, at least until one combatant tires and relents.
Today, the fish wins. But not to worry, there will be another day, another stream, and another Cutthroat challenge test of will. And as I slip back into a relaxed state, my mind returns to the original enigma and I wonder…
Am I a man dreaming of fishing, or a fish dreaming I am a man? There is only one satisfactory conclusion to be drawn - if this is a dream, don't wake me up.
Tromping through the bush, I shake the leaves to inspect the insects that drop to the ground and their stage of development; interesting. Creeping over an old log upstream, I peer into a riffle and wait. Eventually, my patience is rewarded as a Greenback trout darts from behind a rock and feasts on a Stonefly larva as the hatch wiggles to the surface in its desperate short-lived metamorphosis. Ah grasshopper, today you are not; today, you are Stonefly, and you are hungry.
Armed with this newfound intelligence, I scramble out of sight, put on my magnifying glasses and fumble through the fly box for a Stonefly larva of just the right size… barbless hooks only, for today, this is not for keeps, this is just a drill. Now if I can avoid hooking myself this time in the process... I emerge from the brush prepared; I am both armed and dangerous to stalk my quarry. Think! Stay upstream, do not get the sun behind you; creep back downstream and study the water for at least 10 minutes before taking any action. Do not be overconfident; these guys have seen a hook before.
As I make my way upstream, a thundering waterfall plunges into the serenity of a turquoise mountain lake, unveiling the natural canvas of a muted, pastel world. Pausing to reel in the headwaters of my dream, I fall under the spell of a rhythmic siren song. Reality, like ripples in a stream, diffuses into diverse directions as my fly-fishing vision quest enters another stage.
And so the dance continues - evaluation, selection, presentation, and outcome. As always, it is mostly about rejection, at least until one combatant tires and relents.
Today, the fish wins. But not to worry, there will be another day, another stream, and another Cutthroat challenge test of will. And as I slip back into a relaxed state, my mind returns to the original enigma and I wonder…
Am I a man dreaming of fishing, or a fish dreaming I am a man? There is only one satisfactory conclusion to be drawn - if this is a dream, don't wake me up.
